The Ottawa County Historical Society was founded in 1962. Original board members represented all Ottawa County Communities. The society’s effort to preserve the past for future generations still exists today. The purposes for which the Ottawa County Historical Society is organized and conducted to collect, preserve, interpret the history of Ottawa County, and continues to educate and inform the visitors of the museum about the rich history.

Miami Public Library Genealogy

Visitors come from near and far to take advantage of the genealogy services available in Miami. Families use these services to research Indian Rolls and other books pertaining to various tribes. Ottawa County is headquarters for nine Native American Tribes. The genealogy department has microfilms of area newspapers. US Census index books for all states plus microfilm rolls from Oklahoma from the 1900 Indian Territory to 1930 are available. In addition, a large number of research books for Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas are available plus many books for other states. Heritage Quest in accessible through the library website. Beginning genealogy workshops are offered each spring. Mircofilm readers and a computer genealogy research are in the department. Mircrofilm copies are $0.25 per page. The Library offers wireless internet access, and copier and fax services are available for a small fee.