The Iron Range Historical Society (IRHS) is a historical society in northeastern Minnesota. Located on the Mesabi Range in Minnesota’s Arrowhead, it has offices in McKinley. The Society was founded in 1973. IRHS is a research library and archival house specializing in family and historical research. At present, the all-volunteer, nonprofit, charitable trust, is governed by a Board of Directors.

The Iron Range Historical Society is handicap-accessible, has photos and artifacts on display, does not charge admission, and serves the general public with moderate fees. All records and files are available for patrons to browse through. The Society holds information on all three of Minnesota’s Iron Ranges. Members receive free research time, but pay for copies of printed materials. Current hours for the research library and archival house are Mondays and Tuesdays from 10 am to 2 pm. Appointments may be made for other times.

Please visit the pages of this website to learn more about the Iron Range Historical Society.

Thank you for visiting and be sure to check out the IRHS page on Wikipedia and on Facebook, where we share newspaper articles, photos from our archives, and other items of historical interest.

Meet and Greet

Stop by the Gilbert CIty Hall on Friday, May 25 between 10 and 1 to meet Samira Saramo, a historian with the University of Turku in Finland.

Ms. Saramo, who specializes in the social history of Finnish immigrants in North America, is currently working on a book project about death and mourning in early Finnish immigrant communities. This project is funded by the Academy of Finland.

Please join the Iron Range Historical Society on May 25 to welcome Ms. Saramo to the area and hear more about her research on this topic. Coffee and treats will be provided.

Date: Friday, May 25, 2018

Time: 10 am to 1 pm

Place: Gilbert City Hall, 16 South Broadway