UWEC Special Collections & Archives

02/25/2026

Happy National Study Abroad Day! Today we celebrate 76 years of studying abroad at UW-Eau Claire - from our first program to Monterrey, Mexico in 1950, to trips to the Soviet Union in 1971, to the more than 50 programs in over 30 countries in 2026. Here are some snapshots of study abroad history from the archives

12/12/2025

Be sure to take a break from studying this weekend and play in the snow!

These photos are from the archive's photographic slides collection and were taken in 1989 and 2001 by the Media Development Center.

🚫And hey, please don't snowboard down The Hill.🚫

12/02/2025

Do you wanna build a snow....chipmunk?

This photo was taken during a Winter Carnival contest in the 1960s outside of Schofield Hall!

11/17/2025

📷 Portraits are just personalities frozen in time.

We can't get enough of these amazing glass plate negatives! Photographer Daniel Bastion Nelson was a master at capturing candid photos that feel like they could have been taken yesterday. Here is just another of our favorites before the full collection launches on November 19th!

For more information about the collection, be sure to grab the next issue of Barstow & Grand. It will feature a short article about Daniel Bastion Nelson and several images from the collection. More information: https://www.barstowandgrand.com/

UWEC Special Collections & Archives

11/12/2025

Bummed you didn't get to see the dolls at the Corn Husk Doll Making Event today? Don't worry, we got you!

UWEC Archives was recently gifted an extraordinary collection of twentieth-century Native American dolls. Using natural materials like wood, porcupine quills, hide, bark, and corn husks, these dolls exemplify the cultural diversity and craftsmanship in American Indigenous communities.

09/10/2025

We're officially a week into the semester - does everyone have their books???

05/16/2025

Graduates Through the Ages 🎓 As finals week comes to a close and we approach another commencement ceremony, let's take a look back at 100 years of EC grads! ConGRADulations!

05/12/2025

Associate Archivist, Sarah Beer, will present tomorrow, Tuesday May 13th, on the kinds of maps the Special Collections and Archives holds 🗺️ Registration required!

Learn to use maps specifically for historical and genealogical research. Presenter Sarah Beer will highlight materials in the Area Research Center (ARC) including some rare maps.

02/10/2025

The Eau Claire Circuit Court case files held here at Special Collections and Archives contain the case of the State of Wisconsin versus Elizabeth Russell. The 1891 murder of Bertha Erickson was a lethal case of poisoning by arsenic, for which Elizabeth Russell was charged. Seedy court proceedings, salacious affairs, and circumstantial evidence have made the case infamous. Today, Elizabeth T. Russell, sharing a name with the alleged killer from over a century ago, explores the inconsistencies in the case and questions the verdict in her new podcast an 11 part series revolving around the dramatic event and subsequent legal chaos. Episode 3 will be available tomorrow…

01/08/2025

As we approach mid-January, we’re nearing the time when New Year’s Resolutions start slipping. Throughout The Spectator’s history, articles reference resolutions from 1927 to today, the greatest theme among them being propensity for failure. Many of the featured works discuss ways to break down resolutions into manageable goals, and others condemn resolutions altogether.

10/23/2024

On October 18th the Archives Team that worked on the digital humanities project Vital Signs, took to Appleton for the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 18th annual Local History and Historic Preservation Conference. Sylvie Sarah and Greg presented research from the project about 1918 influenza pandemic, they discussed goals, methods, and outcomes of the project. Visit the digital resource here: https://lib02.uwec.edu/Omeka/s/VitalSigns/page/home

05/13/2024

Today's project: going through negatives of old basketball games in Zorn Arena 🏀 Time to pull out the magnifying glass 🔍🧐