Archives News

Featured image for “Utah History Day 2022: History in Government Winners”
April 26, 2022

Utah History Day 2022: History in Government Winners

Every year in April, students across the state, from grades 4-12, 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 ways: an exhibit,
Featured image for “New Discoveries in the Archives: A Question of Self-Defense”
April 11, 2022

New Discoveries in the Archives: A Question of Self-Defense

This blog post was written by McKenzie Wood, a 2022 AS-L Outreach Intern at the Utah State Archives and Records Service. She is in her master’s program for Library and Information Science at St. John’s University in Queens, New York and is particularly interested in criminal justice. On September 9, 1891, Adolf F. Kohler was shot and killed by local
Featured image for “New Finding Aids at the Archives: March 2022”
April 5, 2022

New Finding Aids at the Archives: March 2022

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here are the newest ones created during March 2022: Inventory of Council minutes from Clarkston (Utah), 1901-1925, 1938-1941, 1986-2019 Inventory of Prisoner card name index from State Prison, 1896-2002 In addition, the following were updated: Inventory of Alien enemy registration forms from Davis County (Utah). County Sheriff, 1940-1945 Inventory of
Featured image for “Caroline Pace: The First Women Elected in Spanish Fork City”
March 21, 2022

Caroline Pace: The First Women Elected in Spanish Fork City

I first encountered Caroline Pace while sorting through a box of records labeled ‘old stuff.’ Spanish Fork City had transferred the box to the State Archives with many other historical records. However, unlike the other meticulously identified records, this particular box was unruly. The box was full of hundreds of tightly rolled and folded pieces of paper that were difficult
Featured image for “Views from the Road: Highway 89”
March 12, 2022

Views from the Road: Highway 89

While not as well known or celebrated as Route 66, Highway 89 is a defining artery of tourism and exploration in the western United States. Traveling from the high mountains of Montana to the low deserts of Arizona, Highway 89 passes through (or is adjacent to) seven national parks, including Saguaro, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and
Featured image for “New Finding Aids at the Archives: February 2022”
March 5, 2022

New Finding Aids at the Archives: February 2022

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here are the newest ones created during February 2022: Inventory of Historic map collections from Division of State History, 1921-1969. Inventory of Program records of First Lady Jeanette Herbert from Governor Herbert, 2010-2020. Inventory of Land ownership plat records from School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, 1896-2010. Inventory of Source
Featured image for “Preserving Utah State Prison Records”
March 2, 2022

Preserving Utah State Prison Records

Our State Government Team has been providing assistance to the Department of Corrections as they work to move the State Prison from its current site in Draper to the newly constructed site west of the Salt Lake International Airport in 2022. With so much history, and lots of official records, this is a massive project that we are excited to
Featured image for “Salt Lake City NAACP Youth Council Lunch Counter Petition”
February 17, 2022

Salt Lake City NAACP Youth Council Lunch Counter Petition

After the Great Depression, the United States saw a nationwide trend toward increased political engagement among young people. The NAACP, originally founded in 1909, took advantage of this movement to significantly restructure its youth program. The subsequent changes to the Youth Council formalized the participation of young people within the NAACP by allowing its youngest members more opportunities to interact
Featured image for “Insights from Heber’s Sexton Report”
February 15, 2022

Insights from Heber’s Sexton Report

In March 2019, Heber City transferred a large batch of historical records to the State Archives. Although we were able to fully process and create finding aids for the bulk of the transfer that same year, the subsequent coronavirus pandemic interrupted our project. We are now eagerly wrapping up the final pieces, most of which are records from the Heber
Featured image for “2002 Olympic Records”
February 8, 2022

2002 Olympic Records

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City! As the repository for government records, the Utah State Archives has a wonderful collection of documents related to this historic event. Let’s take a look… Series 26017 – Governor Leavitt 2K2 Program Records 2K2 was created by Governor Michael Leavitt as a non-profit organization to