The UW Wool Laboratory Collection consists of wool samples, books, published articles, correspondence, and data associated with the UW Wool Laboratory which operated from 1907-2012. There are over 1,000 titles relating to sheep and wool in the collection; including the WT Ritch Library, which was donated in 1948 by a prominent Australian sheepman of the same name. The collection’s showpiece is the 872 preserved wool samples dating back to 1830. Records in this collection deal largely with Wyoming and the Western United States, although there are books and articles from around the world -particularly Australia and Scotland.
This collection helps to document the history and culture of sheepherding in Wyoming and the West, and contextualizes the importance of the UW Wool Laboratory to Wyoming and the world.