Histories of the American West at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library

The Clark Library is revising our cataloging practices, checking records for accuracy and to eliminate, whenever possible, language that is biased or racist. We are updating metadata especially in instances when the historical narrative needs to be challenged or when greater social context needs to be included.

Read more about our past and current approaches to description in the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Statement on Cataloging and the UCLA Library’s Ethical Description Statement. 

Content Warning: Many of the materials in this library guide reflect views that may be harmful and distressing to Indigenous people, especially those of Crow, Cheyenne, Kainai, Lakota Sioux, Comanche, Osage, Apache, Nez Perce, Ute, Cree, Pima, Coqui, Navajo, and Kumeyaay descent. The content of our American West collection includes language and images of the everyday violences, genocide, racism, and settler colonialism unleashed by American and Spanish perpetrators against Indigenous tribes. We urge researchers to be informed of the guide’s contents and to prioritize their health above all else.

William Andrews Clark, Jr. (1877–1934), founder of the Williams Andrews Clark Memorial Library, purchased Charles N. Kessler’s collection of materials on Montana and the American West in 1924. His collecting was inspired by the Clark family’s history as residents and copper barons in Butte, Montana, and by the scholarly interests of his bibliographer and librarian, Robert E. Cowan (1862–1942). We continue to collect material in this area and present our visitors with the many histories of the American West put forth by colonial and anticolonial figures from the 19th century to the present. Our collection includes nearly 2,000 bound volumes (of novels, memoirs, popular nonfiction, travelogs, ethnographic surveys, expedition reports, and art catalogs); thousands of rare pamphlets, newspapers, lifestyle and travel magazines; state and regional maps; geological reports; photographs; correspondence; lithographs; posters; and unique objects.

Of note: First editions of the Lewis & Clark report; an extensive collection of prints and illustrated volumes by American painter George Catlin (1796–1872); a first account of the 1876 Custer Massacre in the Crow Indigenous Reservation along the Little Bighorn River; a collection of manuscripts about the establishment of colonial Spanish Missions in California, New Mexico, and other Southwest territories; manuscripts by and about Buffalo Bill (1846–1917); an 1865 poster offering reward for John Wilkes Booth (1838–1865), Mary Surratt (1823–1865), and David Herold (1842–1865) for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865); and a stereoscope with slides of Montana. 

The Clark Library acknowledges our presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples. We pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present, and emerging.

Visit the UC Library Search to find bound manuscripts, periodicals, books, photographs, maps, and other materials related to histories of the American West. You can search by author, title, or keyword. You can further limit your search by date through “Advanced Search” or through the facets on the left of your screen. Your search will yield different results depending on if you search based on author or subject. For instance, to search for texts that discuss Meriwether Lewis, input the search term in a simple search or through “Advanced Search” followed by “Subject.” To search for texts written by Meriwether Lewis, go to “Advanced Search,” then “Author,” and type “Lewis, Meriwether, 1774–1809.”

The Clark Library's finding aids are hosted by the Online Archive of California (OAC), and that website provides an easy way to keyword search across all of the library's collections. It also gives an alphabetical listing of all finding aids. As an alternative research tool, this guide allows researchers to browse the Clark Library's finding aids by topic. Request these items through Aeon to consult them in our Reading Room. 

For more information on how to sign up for a free Aeon account, please visit our website.

The content of this guide was written by 2024-25 Clark Instruction & Engagement Fellow Mal Meisels (mollymeisels@g.ucla.edu).