The “Utah State Official Family,” 1946

This is what the Utah State Government looked like just one year after the end of World War II. The population of the state was roughly 638,000 and the State Capitol was still the primary office building for state government. Governor Herbert Maw stands at the front of the crowd on the steps of the Utah State Capitol. Along with

Long-time Provo residents may have felt a certain sense of loss several months ago as they watched the demolition of the familiar Provo City Center that housed city government for over 50 years. Completed in 1972, the complex was Provo’s first purpose-built city hall since the city government was formed in 1851. As with many city halls, the building was

“Start your search—but don’t finish it—online.” Sunny Jane Morton and Judy G. Russell, “Researching Courthouse Records In-Person and Online” The Utah State Archives has a lot of court records. Before computer systems and databases, access tools were needed and created to locate a specific record. It was common from the 1800s to the late 1900s to use either bound index

Every year in April, 4th through 12th grade students from across the state embark on a research project for Utah History Day, part of the larger National History Day contest. Students choose a historical topic related to the annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research in libraries, archives, and museums. The final projects are presented in one of five

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, also known as the AYP Exposition, was a world’s fair in Seattle, Washington, in 1909 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. It attracted over three million visitors to the University of Washington campus and featured exhibits from countries around the globe, including the United States. One state that was particularly involved in the

This blog post was written by Jack Tingey, a 2023 Intern at the Utah State Archives and Records Service. Jack graduated from BYU with a BA in history and an emphasis on 19th century American history. On May 1, 1900, International Workers Day, Utah State Coal Mine Inspector Gomer Thomas searched through the wreckage of the Winter Quarters No. 4 Mine,

People often use the word “shorthand” to refer to any manner in which they shorten their writing in order to write faster. For example, SMS systems on mobile phones in the late 1990s and early 2000s had strict character limits, charged fees for each message sent, and character input required multiple presses of keys on a very small keypad, which

The Utah State Archives and Records Service holds vital records for the state of Utah, including birth and death certificates, divorce records, and court records. Sometimes when perusing these records, an interesting story emerges. In a District Court Territorial Minutes book, Records and Information Management Specialist Maren Peterson unravels the story of Ann Eliza Webb suing her estranged husband, Brigham

A pint of whiskey for a sick cow, a tablespoonful for a teething baby, and a quart of brandy for an ailing mother were some of the many reasons Spanish Fork citizens sought exceptions from the city-wide prohibition of alcohol that went into effect in the year 1900.  On January 25, 1900, the city council of Spanish Fork passed Ordinance

The most popular baby names that were given in 1911 according to Utah birth certificates.