The Dixie National Forest’s decision to save and preserve the Pine Valley Guard Station for future generations through adaptive use is an investment in the heritage and tourism of Washington County. The building will be utilized as part of the U.S. Forest Service cabin rental program. The rehabilitation also represents a fortunate series of events made possible by the dedication of employees at various levels of the U.S. Forest Service organization in Utah. The project has set a standard for the rehabilitation of other U.S. Forest Service owned buildings, not only in Utah’s national forests, but also throughout the intermountain region. The Pine Valley Guard Station is an outstanding example of historic preservation.
For the rehabilitation of the Pine Valley Guard Station, State History presents Marian Jacklin and Bevan Killpack from the U.S. Forest Service/Dixie National Forest, an Outstanding Achievement in Preservation award.
William Self and Associates, Inc. recently completed a Section 106 project for the Holly UNEV pipeline, which spans from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas. The project resulted in the recoding of over 300 sites, the excavation of 11 prehistoric sites and the mitigation of several prehistoric and historic sites. They also completed two public brochures and are currently completing a monograph on a historic site.
For their work in preserving Utah’s prehistoric and historic archaeological past, State History presents from John C. Ravesloot and David Yoder from William Self and Associates, Inc. an Outstanding Achievement in Archaeology award.
Alice McDonald Olsen spent 18 months researching, writing and compiling over 150 photographs, many taken in the 1920-1930 era, of the majestic Mt. Olympus and Holladay area to produce a unique historical preservation volume, Mt. Olympus and Holladay. Her narrative of growing up in Holladay in the 1930-40’s is a heart-filled story and the photos and stories of the historic homes throughout Holladay are a treasure to the community.
For her work in preserving the history of Holladay, Utah, State History presents Alice McDonald Olsen an Outstanding Achievement in Utah History award.
Jeff Williams, CBI Security has been State History’s lead security officer for over two years. He consistently demonstrates professionalism in his work and is courteous to staff and patrons. He goes above and beyond the call of duty to assure the safety of State History staff and the public. He is also proactive in ensuring the historic Rio Grand Depot is properly maintained. His is very diligent in properly training other security officers. Jeff provides a positive reflection on CBI and those of us who work at the Rio Grande Depot. State History considers Jeff as “part of our family.”
In appreciation of Jeff William’s outstanding efforts at State History, we would like to express our gratitude by presenting him with an Outstanding Achievement Award.
Bernice Payne has inventoried over twenty cemeteries around the state of Utah. Working with cities, counties, small cemeteries, and on her own, she has worked to research their burial information and provide inventories to the cemeteries. Bernice’s research has resulted in the inclusion of over 3,500 burial records in the Utah Cemetery and Burial database.
For her work in preserving the history of Utah’s cemeteries, State History presents Bernice Payne an Outstanding Contribution in Utah History award.
Pam Todd has been researching, preserving and promoting the Kearns community for more than 15 years. With the closure of historical Camp Kearns in 1947, the new thriving community of Kearns was without a history, only stories. Pam took her research skills and undertook a substantial task at trying to retrieve the facts and history of Kearns. She formed the Kearns Historical Society in 1998. In 2000 she was recognized by the Kearns Town Council as the official Kearns Historian. She has worked with many organizations to document and preserve the history of Kearns. From a military camp, to a community, and now to a township, Kearns now stands very proudly on the proven history Pam Todd has obtained and preserved.
For her work in preserving the history of Kearns, State History presents Pam Todd an Outstanding Contribution in Utah History award.
For over twelve years, Ellen S. Kiever has been the go to person for Uinta Basin history. Ellen works at the Uintah County Regional History Center as their lead historian. She’s written and researched several articles in the Outlaw Trail Journal, Healers of Uinta, and The Rivers We Know. Ellen continually works to ensure that important collections are preserved by acquiring them for the History Center. She leads an ongoing oral history program that collects vitally important living histories. She has also diligently worked to preserve Uintah Basin’s historic buildings and resources, as well as document all of the Uintah County cemeteries. She is a great resource to the community, and the young children in the community especially enjoy her special classroom presentations.
For her work in preserving the history of the Uintah Basin, State History presents Ellen Kiever an Outstanding Contribution award in Utah History award.
Brian and Rebecca Brinkerhoff have been promoters, participants and supporters of Utah Archaeology Week for over thirteen years. Brian is the host of Utah’s own Backcountry Radio Network and they have prominently featured Utah Archaeology Week events on their show every year. Their enthusiasm helps provide a message of public outreach, education and preservation to the public at large. As well as promoting Archaeology Week events, they also participate in them. Along with their children, they have attended State History’s Open House every year, as well as other events, tours, etc. Supporters of Archaeology Week events are many, but few are as dedicated as Brian and Rebecca.
For their work in supporting Utah Archaeology Week, State History presents Brian and Rebecca Brinkerhoff an Outstanding Contribution award in Utah History award.
Constantine J. Skedros has spent over 40 years researching, writing, and sharing Utah’s Greek history. In 2005, to commemorate the century of Greeks in the region, he published 100 Years of Faith and Fervor – A History of the Greek Orthodox Church Community of Greater Salt Lake City, 1905-2005. This historically significant publication includes over 100 photos and a 1,136 name index. It has received numerous laudatory reviews from prominent national Greek publications, historians and the members of the clergy. Con has spent a lifetime demonstrating his penchant for history. He taught history for 37 years in Salt Lake City Schools, before retiring in 1987. He is one of the founders of the Greek community’s Hellenic Cultural Museum and is a member of the Hellenic Heritage Committee. He has served on the board of trustees of the Guadalupe School of Salt Lake City, the Oral History Institute of Utah, the Utah Humanities Council and the National Council of Community and Justice.
For his untiring efforts in preserving Utah’s Greek history, State History presents Constantine J. Skedros an Outstanding Contribution award in Utah History award.
Each year, William MacKinnon generously provides funds to further the professional development of a meritorious employee. This year, the MacKinnon award goes to Chris Hansen, Senior Preservation Program Specialist for Utah State History. Chris will be attending the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in Buffalo, NY from October 19-22nd. He hopes to use the information gained from the conference to improve the 106 process here in Utah, and among other things, to better facilitate the many Weatherization-related projects we are reviewing and commenting on.
The Dale L. Morgan Award for best article in the Utah Historical Quarterly goes to Nicole Thompson for “Utah, the Anti-Vietnam War Movement, and the University of Utah,” Utah Historical Quarterly, Spring 2010.
As the anti-Vietnam War Movement swept across the country, Utah was not immune as protests against the war in Utah began in 1965, the year the American soldiers were sent to Vietnam, and continued until 1973. In this fine study that focuses on the anti-war movement at the University of Utah, Nichole Thompson recalls the tumultuous years during which Utahns’ confronted the challenges and policies in far off Southeast Asia.
The Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Award for the best public interest article in the Utah Historical Quarterly goes to Kathryn Callahan for “Sisters of the Holy Cross and Kearns-St. Ann’s Orphanage,” Utah Historical Quarterly, Summer 2010.
Established in 1891 St. Ann’s Orphanage was the third of three institutions founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross in the State of Utah. The others were St. Mary’s Academy and Holy Cross Hospital both opened in 1875. Kathryn Callahan, a sister of the Congregation of Holy Cross, provides an interesting glimpse into the organization and function of the orphanage with an ample dose of understanding of life in the orphanage for the children who lived there.
This year we have two Nick Yengich Memorial Editors’ Choice award winners! The Nick Yengich Memorial Editors’ Choice Award goes to:
Ben Cater for “Grassroots Healing: The Park City Miners’ Hospital,” Utah Historical Quarterly, Fall 2010.
The Park City Miners’ Hospital, built in 1904 under leadership of the Western Federation of Miners’ Union with enthusiastic community support, served local miners and residents for more than fifty years until its closure in 1956. In this excellent article, Ben Cater, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Utah, examines among other things, the establishment of the hospital, the attitudes of mine owners toward the health of their employees, and the commitment of individuals in securing better healthcare for the community.
Lisa Ottesen Fillerup for “Wasatch Stake Tabernacle: Redefining Pioneers,” Utah Historical Quarterly, Summer 2010.
When Heber City’s Wasatch Stake Tabernacle was threatened with demolition in the mid-1960s, a citizens’ group rose up in protest and through persistence and persuasion won reprieve after reprieve and the ultimate preservation of the 1887 building. In this article Lisa Ottesen Fillerup, a resident of Heber Valley, recounts that early struggle that, among other things, helped lead to the founding of the Utah Heritage Foundation, lay the ground work for the establishment of Utah’s Historic Preservation Program, and preserve the building through a community adaptive reuse initiative.
The LeRoy S. Axland Memorial Foundation Award for the Best Utah History Article Award in a journal other than the Utah Historical Quarterly goes to David Prior for “Civilization, Republic, Nation: Contested Keywords, Northern Republicans, and the Forgotten Reconstruction of Mormon Utah,” published in Civil War History, September 2010.
In this thoroughly documented and highly interpretive article, historian David Prior compares and contrasts the Reconstruction of the Southern States following the Civil War with the attempted Reconstruction of Mormon Utah during the same time. “The reconstruction of Mormon Utah is,” according to Prior, “one of the most fascinating episodes in the political and cultural history of the Civil War-era United States.” Furthermore, his study carefully focuses on the mid-nineteenth century Utah experience in the context of regional and national history during the Era of Reconstruction.
The Helen Papanikolas Women’s History Award for the best college/university student's paper on the subject of "Women's History in Utah" goes to Emily Johnson for “White Water Women: The Women of Nevills Expeditions, 1936-1949”
Norm Nevills, the legendary river runner, led scores of river trips on the Colorado and San Juan Rivers from 1936 until his untimely death in a plane crash in 1949. This article by Emily Johnson, recounts the numerous women who participated in the river trips. They were, according to Johnson, “a diverse mixtures of ages, backgrounds, educations, and experiences who sought scientific data, artistic inspiration, youthful opportunities to connect with the extreme climes and the spectacular geography of the West. What they had in common was a healthy sense of adventure, a desire to explore new and exciting territory and a vitality that they carried with them as they floated downriver.”
The Amy Allen Price Military History Award for a book, article, or museum exhibit significantly contributing to an understanding of United States military history as it relates to Utah goes to
Louwane Vansoolen for Fort Douglas¸ published by Arcadia Publishing.
Published as part of the Images of America Series, this volume contains more than two hundred photos and images of the historic fort from its founding in 1862 through the post World War II years. The detailed captions for each photo provide informative insights into the fort, the soldiers, civilians who resided and visited there, and their activities.
The Smith-Pettit Foundation Best Documentary Book in Utah History Award goes to Edward Leo Lyman for Candid Insights of a Mormon Apostle: The Diaries of Abraham H. Cannon, published bySignature Books.
Leo is one of the most talented historians of Utah history. His carefully edited book of Abraham Cannon, who became an LDS apostle in 1889 at the age of thirty and died seven years later, is a valuable contribution of Utah history and latest in Leo’s many important works included his biography of Amasa Lyman who won the Francis Armstrong Madsen Best Utah History last year. He first mined the political vein of the Abraham H. Cannon diary in writing his 1986 book, Political Deliverance: The Mormon Quest for Utah Statehood for which he acknowledges the Cannon Diary as “the most valuable single source.” The carefully edited volume contains additional nuggets of information and insights on contemporary LDS activities, doctrines, and practices, as well as late nineteenth-century politics, business and finance, mining, publishing, and much more.
The Francis Armstrong Madsen Best Utah History Book Award goes to Will Bagley for So Rugged and Mountainous: Blazing the Trails to Oregon and California, 1812-1848, published by the University of Oklahoma Press.
Will’s book, which is the first of a projected four-volume history of the overland migration, tells the story of early cross-country travelers including fur trappers, government explorers, soldiers, Oregon bound missionaries and settlers, California bound emigrants and the first wave of gold seekers, as well as Mormon pioneers to the new Zion in the West. Will has received accolades from prominent reviewers. Benjamin Schwartz, The Atlantic’s literary and national editor, wrote that Will “has scoured the archives inventively, but also brings a profound sensitivity to the landscape and climate of the American West.” Richard Francaviglia, writing in the Pacific Historical Review, notes that “Using a wealth of primary sources, Will Bagley’s carefully researched and well-written history is, in a word, magisterial.” Now we offer our own accolade: “Well done!” Keep writing about this subject which you know so much about. Undoubtedly we will see you here again as you complete this breathtaking project.
Honorary Life Membership in the Utah State Historical Society is given for distinguished service to the state and the Society.
Fellows in the Utah State Historical Society have earned that distinction in recognition of a long and distinguished career in scholarly research and writing on Utah history.
Phil Notarianni received his B.S. and M.A. degrees in history at the University of Utah, an M.A. degree in history at the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. at the University of Utah. He worked at State History for more than thirty-three years and served as Director for eight years. He is an Associate Professor Lecturer in the Ethnic Studies program at the University of Utah and continues to teach the “Peoples of Utah.” Phil has written books and articles concerning Utah and ethnic history, including: The Avenues of Salt Lake City; Carbon County: Eastern Utah’s Industrialized Island; Faith, Hope, and Prosperity: The Tintic Mining District; "Italianita` in Utah: The Immigrant Experience," in Helen Z. Papanikolas, ed. The Peoples of Utah; "Places of Origin: Calabresi in Carbon County, Utah," in David A. Taylor and John Alexander Williams, ed. Old Ties, New Attachments: Italian-American Folklife in the West; and “Ethnic Folkore Studies,” in David Stanley ed., Folklore in Utah.
For Phil Notarianni’s decades-long service furthering Utah history, the Board of State History names him a Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society.
American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) bestows Leadership in History Awards to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all Americans. By publicly recognizing superior and innovative achievements, the Leadership in History Awards serve as an inspiration to others in the field. This year we recognize the awarding of the Award of Merit to the Museum of Peoples and Cultures for their exhibit: Beneath Your Feet: Discovering the Archaeology of Utah Valley. Keri Nelson is the Curator of Education and responsible for the project.
Over ten thousand students per year start Utah History Fair projects. The Utah History Fair gets Utah’s fourth through twelfth grade students involved in historical research. Students showcase their knowledge of history by writing a historical paper, creating an exhibit, designing a Web site, acting out a performance, or putting together a documentary. In the process, they learn that history is fun.
The Utah History Fair started in 1980 in the History Department at Utah State University. History Professor Errol Jones began work to create a history research-based competition for Utah’s youth. With help from colleagues at USU, including then History Department Chair Ross Peterson and the late College Dean William Lye, Jones worked throughout 1980 to raise the money to bring the program to fruition.
We would like to thank and recognize Nicholas Demas and his six years of outstanding service to the Utah History Fair program. Nick has served as Director since 2006 and has been instrumental in supporting the History Fair program. With Nick’s outstanding efforts, the Utah History Fair has continued to grow and turn thousands of Utah’s kids into historians. We value his service and present him with a Certificate of Appreciation.
We would also like to recognize all the outstanding students who have won at regional, state, and national levels. Two students that we know are here in attendance tonight are Nicholas Cockrell, who received first place in the Junior Individual Documentary category for his entry: Japanese Internment During World War II/ Topaz and Brandon Cui, who received 2nd place in the Junior historical paper category for his entry: Molotov Ribbentrop Pact & German-Soviet Diplomacy: How their successes, failures, and consequences changed the course of a century
We would also like to acknowledge the students who placed in the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest:
Hannah Anderson, from Thomas Edison Charter School North, for placing 1st in the Junior Historical Paper category with her entry, "That Settles It: The Debate and Consequences of the Homestead Act of 1862."
Mayra Payne, from Timberline Middle School, for placing 9th in the Junior Individual Exhibit category with her entry, "The Pig War.”
Madeline Gines, Kaylee Hunsaker, and Krista Kirkham, from Thomas Edison Charter School South, for placing 9th in the Junior Group Exhibit category for their entry “Diplomacy or Deception: The Debate over the US Government's Education and Assimilation of the Native American.”
Alta Club
Ames Construction
Charles S. Peterson
Charles Redd Center for Western Studies
Chevron
Francis Armstrong Madsen Family
Fort Douglas Military Museum Association
Greg Hardy
J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah
Linda Thatcher
Nick and Helen Papanikolas Family
Nick Yengich Family
Pat Scott
Smith-Pettit Foundation
LeRoy S. Axland Memorial Foundation
Utah Department of Community and Culture
Utah Humanities Council
William P. MacKinnon