Archive Overview

Morningside University’s archive, created in partnership with Advantage Archives, provides an expansive digital collection of approximately 32,349 pages of historical materials spanning from 1897 to 2010. This rich resource allows students, alumni, researchers, and the Sioux City community to explore over a century of academic and cultural history.

Key publications featured in the archive include:

• The Collegian Reporter (1898–2010)
• Morningside Yearbooks (1901–2004)
• Other campus publications such as The Scoop (1946–1947), The Collegian Chief (1993–1995), and L’Écho (1897–1898)

Beyond periodicals, the Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Learning Center (HJF Archives) contributes photographs, documents, and artifacts that deepen the understanding of student life, traditions, and campus development throughout the decades.

Institutional History

Morningside University, originally founded as Morningside College in 1894 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church, has long been a pillar of higher education in Sioux City, Iowa. Today, the university operates on a 69-acre campus and offers undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs across a wide range of disciplines.

The university’s archives reflect not only its academic evolution but also its connection to the community through preserved yearbooks, newspapers, and student-led initiatives. The HJF Learning Center ensures that these resources remain available for research, discovery, and reflection, both physically and online.

Town & Community Context

Morningside University calls Sioux City, Iowa home—a vibrant hub along the Missouri River that has historically served as a center for education, culture, and commerce. Over the years, the growth of Morningside has paralleled the city’s own expansion, making the university’s archives an important resource for tracing the intertwined stories of students, citizens, and community progress.

Interesting & Unique Facts

• The collection includes over a century of student journalism and yearbooks, capturing changes in campus architecture, academic programs, and student culture.
• Shorter-run publications like The Scoop, L’Écho, and The Collegian Chief provide unique snapshots of campus voices often missing in larger publications.
• The HJF Learning Center safeguards non-periodical materials such as photographs and artifacts—valuable for researchers studying material culture, student organizations, or the evolution of campus life.

Explore More Archives

To explore all Advantage Archives’ collections, visit the directory at CommunityHistoryArchives.com. There, you can browse the full breadth of local and institutional archives—including Morningside University’s—absolutely free.

Conclusion

At Advantage Archives, we proudly partner with more than 1,100 institutions to provide free digital access to local history. Our goal is to empower communities to preserve, discover, and share their unique stories. If you’d like to see your community’s history represented online, we encourage you to email or call us—we’re ready to help bring your history into the digital archive.