Begun in 1927 by University of Oklahoma history professor Edward Everett Dale, the Western History Collections gathers and preserves rare research materials for scholars in anthropology, Native American studies, Oklahoma history, and the history of the American West. This invaluable reference tool has been compiled to make the collections more accessible and to honor the collections' 75-year Diamond Jubilee.

The guide describes more than 1,500 manuscript collections, including papers from pioneers, artists, politicians, educators, businessmen, authors, anthropologists, and Native American leaders. Manuscript subjects include the Five Civilized Tribes; pioneer and frontier life; missionary activities in Indian Territory; cowboys and the range cattle industry; Oklahoma's petroleum industry; and the history of railroads and transportation in the West. Recent acquisitions include the papers of Wilma P. Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation.