The Forrest D. Monahan Collection held in Moffett Library contains the former MSU history professor’s personal collection of more than 500 railroad maps, photographs, railroad guides, journals, and books about American railroad systems. Dr. Monahan acquired most of the collection from extinct train depots in the surrounding area over the course of his teaching career. A nationally known historian of Plains Indians and American railroads, Dr. Monahan joined the MSU History Department in 1962. In addition to teaching at the university, Dr. Monahan acted as a university archivist, served as president of the Wichita Railroad Museum, and helped secure historical markers around Wichita Falls. Shortly before his passing in 1982, Dr. Monahan donated his collection to the library as an academic resource for students, focusing on the North Texas and Oklahoma railroad system that was instrumental in the development of Wichita Falls.
Current & Future Collecting Areas:
Current collecting areas for this collection include items related to the railroad and passenger car industry of North America, including: