This year, the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) awarded over $22,800 in grants to four organizations working to protect and share Utah’s historical records. These projects ensure that students, researchers, families, and the public can continue to explore Utah’s stories for generations to come.

Here’s what the grant recipients are working on:

Eccles Health Sciences Library

Eccles Health Sciences Library at the University of Utah was awarded $5,081 to preserve more than 32 feet of historical medical illustrations and photographs from 1918–2010. These collections document the visual history of the health sciences campus, including faculty and staff portraits, building construction and renovations, and campus events.

Highlights include the Edward I. Hashimoto photograph collection, offering a rare glimpse into Japanese-American life in Salt Lake County, and images of students, faculty, and events that show the evolution of nursing and pharmacy programs. The grant will allow the library to rehouse materials, create finding aids, digitize selected items, and share them through exhibits and outreach events.

Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation

Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation was awarded $3,380 to organize and preserve 200–300 tribal records from the 1980s, including photographs, audiovisual interviews, and Shoshone language recordings. Many of these materials were donated by tribal members and document tribal life, events, and community activities.

A key part of the project is training tribal staff in archival best practices. An experienced archival consultant will guide staff in organizing and preserving the records, helping to build long-term capacity for the tribe’s growing library. These efforts ensure tribal members have access to their history while also allowing the broader public to learn about the tribe’s heritage and contributions.

Preservation Utah

Preservation Utah was awarded $7,200 to organize and inventory records documenting the organization’s work since its founding in 1966, reflecting more than six decades of preservation activity across the state. Originally known as the Utah Heritage Foundation (UHF), it was the first statewide historic preservation organization in the western United States. The collection includes over 6,000 folders of board minutes, correspondence, financial and program records, project files, and advocacy documentation, along with educational materials, event records, photographic slides and prints of historic sites and public events, and architectural drawings.

The project will inventory the collection for the first time, establishing intellectual control and creating a foundation for future digitization and research access. These records offer an invaluable record of neighborhood histories, historic buildings, and statewide preservation initiatives, highlighting the impact of volunteers and staff in safeguarding Utah’s built heritage.

San Juan County

San Juan County was awarded $7,198 to digitize approximately 100 reels of 35 mm microfilm containing tax assessment files, tax payments, and end-of-year reports dating from 1897 to 2009. These permanent records, created by the San Juan County Assessor’s and Treasurer’s Offices, are essential for documenting property ownership and taxation.

The records are particularly important for individuals known as Downwinders who must verify property ownership when filing compensation claims under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Digitizing the records will ensure continued access as microfilm equipment becomes increasingly obsolete while also supporting genealogical research, local history, and public records access.

These grants are part of USHRAB’s ongoing efforts to support historical records work in Utah. Administered by the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service and funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the USHRAB project grants program helps institutions across the state preserve and share the stories that shape our communities.