Archives News

Our Reference Services have a brand-new look! After two decades of sharing a research room with State History at the Rio Grande, we have moved our services into the Archives building! If you’re looking for government-created records from Utah, we have you covered! You can reach our Reference Archivists using our new email address: [email protected]. In addition to providing reference

Our condolences go out to the family of Robert Gordon Woodhead, a former Utah State Archivist, who died on November 21. With the departure of Jeff Johnson in 2002, the Utah State Archives Director position was held briefly by Bob, who had previously held senior leadership positions in the Department of Administrative Services and the Division of Facilities and Construction

We are excited to announce a new virtual volunteer opportunity to transcribe volumes from the Salt Lake City Tax Assessment Rolls! These volumes record the assessment of real and personal property and were used for taxing purposes. The Assessment Rolls from 1856 to 1892 are digitized and available online, but we would love to provide even more access to researchers

Applications are now open for spring semester internships at the Utah State Archives and Records Service! These competitive, stipend-paid, semester-long internships are designed especially for students. Read more about our four internship opportunities: Reference Internship Work with our Reference Team to help answer research questions from the public! This in-person internship works directly with our Reference & Access Program Manager

Government records are the property of the state (Utah Code 63A-12-105(1)). The public has a right to open and fair access to records that are classified as public. At the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service, we take transparency very seriously. Our Open Government team maintains two important websites for the state of Utah: the Utah Public Notice Website,

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate the Utah Archives Month theme of water! Here are some of our favorite moments from October: Our friends at Utah State History hosted the 70th annual Utah State Historical Society conference with the theme of “Water at the Confluence of Past and Future”. In addition to our State Archives table, we also had a special

We are thrilled to announce the latest additions to the Utah State Archives team! Maren Peterson, who previously worked with us in a part-time position, joined our Records and Information Management team as the Education and State Agency RIM Specialist. In this role, she will help her assigned agencies with records management and facilitating the transfer of records to the care

Congratulations to our Director and Utah State Archivist Ken Williams who was just named Board President of the Council of State Archivists (CoSA)! CoSA is a national nonprofit organization responsible for ensuring that the nation’s documentary heritage is preserved. Members include government archives in the fifty states, five territories, and District of Columbia. At the annual meeting in Tennessee last

Each October, Utah joins the nation in celebrating Archives Month as a way to highlight the importance of records of enduring value and to raise public awareness of the role archives play in our daily lives. 2022 Theme Utah’s 2022 theme is Water, which is THE primary source! Archival records can provide a unique glimpse into the history of our human relationship with water

What Happened The Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred in September 1857 in a highland valley roughly 35 miles southwest of Cedar City. The Baker-Fancher emigrant party, traveling through Utah on their way from Arkansas to California, was attacked by members of the local Iron County Militia and purportedly some local Paiute Indians. The emigrants fought back and a five day siege ensued. On the