Utah State Historical Society Organizational History
Digital Archives
About the Collection
Among the most important records in this series are those original documents organizing the Historical Society and defining its purpose. Using this series one can trace the organizational history of the society from its beginning with a "Call to Organize" in 1897, to its designation as a state government agency in 1917, and its continued growth to include the large number of programs it currently supports. Important records of this variety include the original "Call to Organize" printed on July 15, 1897, the original Historical Society charter filed in Salt Lake City on December 31, 1897, and a copy of the Society's original Articles of Incorporation and By-laws from December 28, 1897 which set up the earliest parameters for how the Society would operate.
Utah Historical Society Administration files
These are the administrative records of the Utah State Historical Society from its founding as a private organization in 1897 through its transition into a state government agency known as the Division of State History. This series contains a broad assortment of records documenting the administrative operations of the Utah State Historical Society including annual meeting files, board of trustees minutes, board member files, local chapter records, statehood day files, various office files, correspondence, financial records, UEH grant files, and many others. Records reflect the value of the Society to professional researchers and students, as well as the public in general, in its mission to "Preserv[e] and Shar[e] Utah's Past for the Present and the Future." Records in this series are disparate in type, but all reflect the internal workings of the agency as well as its role in preserving the providing access to Utah's Past.