Robert C. Hoyle, a native of Iron Mountain and a prominent local businessman, founded a flourishing historical museum complex after beginning at age fifteen to collect artifacts and archival materials related to Menominee Iron Range history, a lifelong pursuit he shared with his wife, Audrey Friestrom Hoyle, as they gathered tools and equipment used by loggers, miners, farmers, lumbermen, and tradespeople, along with personal and household items from the homes of early settlers. Hoyle also founded the Menominee Range Historical Foundation, established in 1969 to acquire the former Carnegie Public Library as a repository for the area’s historical memorabilia. Public support for a museum followed the Hoyles’ donation of a substantial part of their extensive collections, which formed the nucleus of the original historical museum exhibits. Inspired by Hoyle, the Foundation instituted a Founders Club to help guarantee the perpetuity of the museum complex, honoring Robert C. and Audrey Hoyle for their foresight and dedication in preserving the story of the Menominee Iron Range.