University of Minnesota Gopher Yearbooks

In 1888, University of Minnesota students published the first volume of the “Gopher” yearbook. The November 13, 1897 issue of the “Ariel,” the University student newspaper, explained that the editors of the 1888 “Gopher” intended for it to be “a medium through which as much fun as possible should be had with the Faculty without causing the expulsion of the editors.” The tradition of an annual yearbook continued, but later student editorial boards viewed the “Gopher” as a vehicle to capture their perception of the campus community and publish a record of the student body.

Like other University student publications, the “Gopher” operated with its own management board comprised of elected student representatives and members of its staff. Student publications, including the “Gopher,” had experienced difficulties involving nepotism and mismanagement, and in the 1920s, students, faculty, and administrators decided a central board with authority for all University student publications was needed. The Board in Control of Student Publications was formed during the 1922-1923 academic year.

Ongoing struggles with printing, sales, and finances lead to the last “Gopher” being published in 1967. The possibility of a new publication was discussed by the Board in Control of Student Publications, but another annual publication was not launched. A few smaller yearbook volumes were published in the 1970s and 1980s.