The Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) awarded a grant to Weber State University Special Collections to process and digitize the Red Cross of Northern Utah collection donated to them in 2016. The collection consists of handbooks, photographs, correspondence, office files, scrapbooks, and 16mm film.

Soldiers at the Ogden Canteen

The collection also includes information on the canteen in Ogden during World War II such as ledgers, minute books, and records of the men served. The records document the assistance the Red Cross provided to the military during both World War I and World War II. They also help to document the history of the Red Cross and its involvement with community health education, nursing, and disaster relief.

Prior to World War I, the Red Cross introduced its first aid, water safety, and public health programs. When war broke out the organization grew to over 3,800 chapters throughout the United States by 1918. The chapter in Northern Utah has its headquarters in Ogden.

Poster advertising the exhibit

A free exhibit titled, “All Out for Uncle Sam: WWII in Northern Utah” is currently on display at the Ogden Union Station. This exhibit features images and letters digitized and processed as part of the USHRAB grant as well as other items from Weber State Special Collections.

Display from exhibit

The scrapbooks covering the war years are available to view digitally on a tablet as part of the exhibit. The culmination of two years’ work, this exhibit documents the impact of World War II on northern Utah’s citizens, economy, and landscape. The exhibit runs through June 2, 2018 and is free and open to the public.

If your institution is interested in applying for a USHRAB grant, please see this blog post for details. Application deadline is April 13th.