We all live downstream of history and upstream of the future.
Fall 2004
| In This Issue - Politics | Features | News |
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Every Four Years A Tour Through Presidential Elections in Utah
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Who Slept Here? Researching the history of your home Have Van, Will Travel Office of Museum Services new mobile lab Let it Be. Rock art belongs to all people. Aviation In Utah A photo essay
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News and Notes Everett Ruess's Original Linocuts at the Rio Grande
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Seated in a convertible, President Harry Truman waves to crowds at the corner of Main and South Temple, c.1949. |
EVERY FOUR YEARS
A tour through presidential elections in Utah
A person who remembers only the last several years might conclude that Republicans are unshakably entrenched in power. But history gives perspective. Case in point: In 1896, the first year Utahns could vote for president, they voted for a Democrat: William Jennings Bryan got a whopping 82 percent of the vote. History also shows that particular circumstances, candidates, or events can cause the political winds to shift.
To see this in action, take a tour of past presidential elections. The italicized names are those presidential candidates who won both in Utah and nationally.
1896
Utahns liked Democrat Bryan's "free silver" plan, thinking it would stimulate the economy. They also put the country's first woman state senator into office (Martha Hughes Cannon); and African American W. W. Taylor, running for the Utah legislature, got 6,500 votes, far more than the number of African Americans living in Salt Lake City. (He lost, though.)
1900-1908
The economy was good, the U.S. had won the Spanish-American war, and Utahns stuck with the incumbent party. McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, Taft, and other Republicans dominated the state.
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President William H. Taft speaks at the state fairgrounds in October 1911. |
1912
In a three-way race between President Taft, former president Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson, Republican Taft won in Utah. (He did not win a clear majority, though. Nationally, Taft came in third; Vermont was the only other state he won.)
1916
Woodrow Wilson and other Democrats won big in the state. Utahns liked Wilson's pledge to keep the U.S. out of war. (Never make campaign promises.)
1920-1928
Resisting Wilson's League of Nations and wanting a "return to normalcy" Utah voted for Republican presidents (Harding and Hoover). But they chose Democrat George Dern for governor.
1932-1948
During the Great Depression, war years, and beyond, Utahns voted Democrats into most offices. Although the LDS church-owned Deseret News spoke out against the New Deal, Depression-stressed Utahns supported FDR and his policies. In 1948 the winds started to shift. Although Truman won in Utah (even though the daily papers supported Dewey), and Democrat Reva Beck Bosone became Utah's first Congresswoman, the ultra-conservative Republican J. Bracken Lee became governor.
1952-1960
Uneasy about the Soviet Union and Democrat social programs, Utahns returned to the Republican fold during this period, voting for Eisenhower and Nixon (in his race against JFK). Democrats won a few Senate and Congressional races.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower (at right) with Senator Arthur Watkins, Secretary of Agriculture (and LDS apostle) Ezra Taft Benson, and Utahn Louise Lake (the "Handicapped American of the Year") in September 1958. |
1964
Utahns favored LBJ and his "Great Society" over the conservative Barry Goldwater. In fact, Democrats won all statewide offices and control of the legislature.
1968
Republicans bounced back, winning big in every race but governor: Democrat Cal Rampton kept his job, actually getting 14 percent more of the vote than Nixon did.
1972
Republican Nixon won in Utah, and Republicans retained a majority in the legislature. On the other side, Democrats won the races for governor, Senate, and both Congressional seats.
1976-1980
Ford and Reagan won in Utah and Republicans captured most Utah offices. But Democrat Scott Matheson kept the governorship for eight years.
1984-2000
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Candidate Richard Nixon campaigning in Utah with Senator Watkins and Governor George D. Clyde in October 1968. |
Utahns favored Reagan, George Bush, Bob Dole, and George W. Bush for president and Norm Bangerter and Mike Leavitt for governor. In fact, with a few exceptions, Republicans dominated politics in Utah.
What does the future hold? We can't say, but we do know that the outcomes of past elections have shaped the state, nation, and world we have today. Be a part of history this year. Vote.
Interesting facts:
- Kane County is Utah's most Republican count, while Carbon is the state's most Democratic.
- The firmly Republican Washington County was actually a Democratic stronghold until 1920.
- The three largest percentages of the popular vote in Utah by a winner were Bryan (D) in 1896, Reagan (R) in 1984, and Roosevelt (D) in 1936--in that order.
To learn more about politics in Utah, explore historytogo.utah.gov.
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President John F. Kennedy at the Salt Lake Tabernacle with LDS church president David O. McKay and Senator Frank Moss. |
Information taken from an article by Allan Kent Powell in the Utah History Encyclopedia and an article by James B. Mayfield in the Atlas of Utah.
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TWO EYE-WITNESS VIEWS OF POLITICS IN UTAH
Calvin L. Rampton and Norman Bangerter
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Calvin L. Rampton (Democrat), was governor from 1965 to 1977.
On getting started in politics
I've been into politics from the time I was a boy because of my maternal grandfather, who was an active Democrat since he emigrated from Scotland many years ago. He worked for the railroad as the superintendent of the maintenance crew and was a confirmed Democrat, so I heard about Democratic candidates as a toddler.
The first campaign I was involved in was the 1932 campaign. I was 19 and not able to vote, but I was put in as secretary of the Democratic party of Davis County and ran the office there.
By the time of the 1936 campaign I had become very active. On the first of July 1936 I was appointed administrative assistant to Congressman Will Robinson, and I ran his campaign.
Some election history
1936 was the year the Mormon church endorsed Alf Landon. I remember A. S. Brown, who was not a Mormon, saying, "If the Mormon church can cause Alf Landon to defeat Franklin Roosevelt in Utah I'll join the church--because I will have seen a miracle." And of course Roosevelt won in Utah.
The Democratic Party had some real problems in 1936. Herbert Maw, a trained lawyer by profession, had been in the state senate for a number of years and led a more liberal wing of the Democratic Party in Utah. He decided in 1936 to challenge Governor Henry Blood in his re-election. At that time the nominee was selected at a convention. Also, my boss Will Robinson had opposition from one of Maw's henchmen, a professor from BYU. There was a bitter pre-convention fight.
Both Blood and Robinson won the nomination, but the bitterness continued, and there was no assurance that Maw would support the Democratic Party. With the church coming out for Landon, we were uncertain how it would go. [The Democrats won.] That is one of the most interesting years that I can recall.
Most memorable personal election
In 1968 I had been governor for four years. The polls showed I was well-regarded, but I was very concerned about the election because my opponent, Carl Buehner, was a former leader in the Mormon church. Carl was older--I was 55 and he was 69 or 70. We had about 20 debates scheduled. The first debate we had was a raucous affair at the Northwest Community Center; the crowd was rather raucous. It wasn't what Carl was used to at [LDS] stake conference. He was shocked and canceled further debates. That probably hurt him some.
On the balance of power in Utah
A great deal of the reason [for Utah's recent Republican bent] is Ezra Taft Benson, an ultra-conservative Republican. Even before he was president of the Mormon church he wielded tremendous influence. The Mormon church is a very conservative institution, and the Democratic Party is the more liberal of the two parties.
The other day I told a friend, who is an LDS apostle, that I thought the Republican economic principles are based on the Ten Commandments, and the Democrat principles are based on the Beatitudes. (He didn't agree.) I think it's church doctrine that welfare work is a church responsibility and not the government responsibility. The church has done well in that regard, but we have needed the government to help take care of the less fortunate.
On political changes
Politics have changed in mean-spiritedness and cost. The most I ever spent on an election was in 1968, against Carl Buehner--$200,000.
I think the cost and to some extent the bitterness are caused by TV ads.
I'm hoping something will happen to change this. One of the worst decisions the Supreme Court ever made was to strike down campaign expenditure limitations. The Supreme Court held that expenditure limitations were an affront against the First Amendment. I hope if we get Scalia and Thomas off the court we can get some limitations on expenditures.
I would hope that people will get tired of mean-spiritedness and maybe have an adverse reaction, and that would teach people not to do it.
If that happened, better people would go for it. There are some good ones now. I think Huntsman and Matheson are both good men. I have two sons who thought of going into politics but have been discouraged by the mean-spiritedness. In general we've had some pretty good candidates. But we've got some candidates I don't approve of, and I hope we can get them out this time.
On cooperating with the other party
I had a Republican legislature for years. I was friendly with the leadership of the legislature. They weren't going to defeat good legislation in order to punish me; besides, they were my friends.
Sometimes, however, I had to learn to be good-natured.
There's some advantage in having a narrowly divided legislature. If one party has an overwhelming majority, arrogance creeps in, and it becomes legislation behind closed doors.
On the influence of the national party
I had a call from [journalist] Paul Rolly--he said that people were saying, "Matheson is a good guy, but he'd have to listen to the Democratic National Committee."
But I never remember being issued a call on what to do. Rolly said, "What about 1972? McGovern and the national party were pro-choice and you were pro-life. Did you catch any flak from the committee?" No, I got more flak from my wife.
On the future
I think there's going to be a movement of the populace sometime toward a more moderate stance. Nationally, the Democrats are strong. I feel Bush won't be elected.
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NORMAN H. BANGERTER (Republican) was governor from 1985 to 1993.
On getting started in politics
In 1974, I decided that if no one ran for the legislature, I would file to run. I had some experience, since I had already been voting district chairman and a state and county convention delegate. As the deadline approached, no Republican had filed, so I went in and paid $5--and in the end became the only Republican who unseated a Democrat that year.
At the beginning, I wasn't very astute; I didn't know a lot about the system. So in my first two years in politics I spent my time saying, "Everything's wrong." That's the problem with a lot of politicians--they don't know the questions, but they think they know the answers.
When I was a brand-new freshman, the Democrats were in control, and the Republicans were challenging everything. It was stupid. In those days, you had to stand up to make your vote, and on one issue I was the only one standing with the Democrats. I don't understand why you have to see what you can pick at.
On cooperating with the other party
During my first term I worked on a medical malpractice bill in cooperation with Governor Rampton. I got along fine working with Rampton, and we have become very good friends over the years.
I also got along well with Scott Matheson. When Scott was governor and I was in charge upstairs [Speaker of the House] we had a good working relationship. He would call and say, "This is what I'm thinking. What do you think you can do?" We came together whenever we could.
I'd tell him, "Don't call me if you want to make changes to the budget," because I believe the governor is the manager and needs the flexibility to manage. But today there's too much tendency not to trust the other party.
Matheson once proposed a gas tax increase. I told him I'd do my best to support it. I thought it was needed. The Democrats wanted the Republicans to put up the votes first, and I promised we would. But when it came to a vote, ten of my guys flaked and voted no. I took them aside and said, "When we give our word, we keep it. We don't back out." It took me all night, but I got the votes back, and we passed it the next day.
I've learned that if you get the politics out of it, you agree on more than you disagree. But it's hard to get politics out, because people like authority.
On polls and posturing
There's too much raw political posturing and picking issues, trying to read what people will buy. I do believe there's too much desire to win elections and not enough willingness to really take a look at the challenges and how we're going to deal with them.
One time I met with George Bush Sr., and at the end of the meeting I was unhappy; I thought his advisers were only looking for some catchy thing they could sell.
When I was governor, I don't think I ever polled an issue to see what people thought. Although you want to do what your constituents want, your information has to be better than their information, and I didn't like the notion of having a poll skew your thinking. My view is that if you poll you think about the poll rather than the issue.
My second election as governor was a tough one. I was the first Republican governor in several years, and I had made a significant tax increase--and people were mad. We went through the summer 30 points behind, but we felt like we'd done the right thing, and we felt that when September came and people thought about it, we'd win. From September on, we closed fast, and in the end we won.
On divisiveness
The political rhetoric has gotten more divisive; everything is couched in political power tones now. Our judges are now appointed based on whether they're pro- or anti abortion, which is an issue that's past us; we're not going to reverse Roe v. Wade. So the judicial system is hung up on a moral issue. But the pendulum has swung, and now there are other fish to fry.
There's also a divide between the haves and have-nots. Even the middle class is hanging on by their fingernails.
On extreme rightists and leftists
In my experience, ultra-liberals and ultra-conservatives are destroyed if they really have to govern. Then they come face to face with the facts, and it's no longer rhetoric. You may have your opinion, but when you say, "My opinion is what's going to happen," that's a sobering thing to me. I've seen ultra-liberals and ultra-conservatives become very uncomfortable with their vote because it's wrong and they know it, but they can't get past their ideology.
On education
My philosophy of education is that it's too centralized. Local districts and schools ought to have much more autonomy.
They're complex issues; they're not simple. I'm an advocate of testing, because schools and parents need to know where they stand. But our schools do an amazing job in light of what they're asked to do. Everything no one else can solve we give to the schools.
I'm dubious about school vouchers. I think they'll be more of an asset to the rich than to real people. My dad taught me that. You used to pay property tax on the contents of your house, and when they eliminated that tax, my dad said that it was a good deal for the rich guys, but it wouldn't help him.
On the Republican-Democrat balance of power in Utah
The Democratic Party is very weak in Utah. With the Republican Party, you have 50 people who can't wait for you to get out of office so they can run. But the Democrats keep going back to the same well. They don't have a cadre of people they can call on to run. They don't have any identification, and we haven't seen any fresh names for a long time.Also, the Mormon church likes to be classified as non-partisan, and they try hard to do it. But on moral issues it's clear their philosophy is more aligned with the Republicans, and the National Democratic Party platform has hurt the Democrats in Utah.
On the future
The next governor will have a big challenge. In the last 10 years we had 20,000 students enter the system; in the next 10 years we'll have 160,000. The state now has $2 billion in bonded indebtedness, and we have cut taxes. I wonder why we have increased our debt by five or six times and then cut taxes.
I think Bush didn't have to cut the taxes he did. I don't like debt. It's a plague. People have to understand that somebody has to pay for the services we give them, but they think the government just has the money. I'm very concerned about the national debt, the balance of trade, and shipping jobs offshore.
think Bush won't have coattails this year. There will be little straight-party voting.
Sometime in the future, the balance of party power will swing back; I don't think there's any question. But the Democratic party in Utah is weak right now, and I would say this election is the Republicans' to lose.
WHO SLEPT HERE?
Researching the history of your home
by Cory Jensen, State Historic Preservation Office
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The Lichter residence and resident, Salt Lake City, in 1906. |
Every day people contact the Utah Historic Preservation Office wanting to know if we have any historical information on their house. With 90,000-plus buildings in our Historic Sites Database, we may very well have some information. However, most of it comes from architectural inventories that provide only general information such as building type, style, materials, and approximate age.
Comparatively few buildings have been fully researched and documented. Back in the good ol' days (about 25 years ago), the preservation office had a large staff that could do basic research on buildings. Those days are long gone, and now one of our roles at the preservation office is to teach the general public how to do their own research. In this multi-part article we will discuss how to uncover the background of your historic house--or any building, for that matter.
A building is basically a conglomeration of connected materials--a "nice pile of bricks"--until people occupy it, and then it takes on character and life. It seems to be this character that entices historic building owners to do research. For many people, knowing something about who built and lived in their house provides a connection to the structure. The current owners then become the next link in a chain of history.
The title search. For the most part, the history of a building is the history of its occupants. Therefore, the first thing you should tackle is a title search. This is perhaps the most tedious part of the process and requires time and concentration, but it is not beyond the capabilities of most people. A complete title search will reveal all the owners of the building. That list can then guide your biographical research.
You must do a title search at the county recorder's office. Typically, all you need is the address, although a tax/parcel number can be helpful. With a little instruction from the staff on how to trace ownership transactions in the title abstract, you should be able to do the rest of the work. Records are computerized back to 1983. From there you will need to go to the handwritten title abstract books which are interesting in and of themselves.
Research all the transactions involving your property, noting the dates, names of buyers and sellers, and the dollar amounts and types of transactions. You will find various recordings in the title abstract (like mortgage payments, tax sales, reconveyances, trustee deeds, etc.). But you should primarily look for deeds or warranty deeds (usually written as "WD"), since these signify a change of ownership. Trust deeds and quit-claim deeds might also indicate a change of owners, but not always. Also, look for a sudden increase in property value from one deed transaction to the next, which can indicate when a building was built on a lot. Also, mortgage payments may show when a house was built.
The tax file. Once you have completed the title search, you will have a list of the building's owners. Before you leave the county offices, you should obtain a copy of the building's tax file in the assessor's office (note that Salt Lake County keeps their historic tax photos at the County Archives). This file will have basic information such as materials used, a record of additions (if they were officially permitted), square footage, and a date of construction. However, be forewarned; the construction dates in tax files are not usually accurate and may actually indicate the date of an addition or some other alteration to the house.
The tax photo. Just as important, the file might have a historic tax photo. This can be particularly valuable in restoring a house that has been altered. The photos may date to the 1930s, although updates typically were made in the 1960s and later in most counties. Although you might think that the 1930s is a little late for a photograph indicating what a pre-20th-century house may have looked like originally, keep in mind that modernization of Victorian-era houses was not very common until the 1930s-1950s. So there is a good chance that the photo will show the historical architectural details of your house.
If you would like to see if the Preservation Office has information on your house, call Cory Jensen at (801) 533-3559. For general research, contact the State History Library at (801) 533-3535.
Next issue: Researching the lives of former owners.
Got a question on the latest technology in museum cataloging? On safe storage and handling of artifacts? On the monitoring of temperature, humidity, and light? Okay, maybe you don't. But you enjoy museums. And the people who run museums have to deal with these issues and many more.
For all those thorny museum questions, the Office of Museum Services now has a portable answer--the new OMS mobile lab. With the help of wheels and well-stocked cabinets, OMS can train and help museum staffers statewide. The van carries up-to-date museum curation equipment and supplies and can give trainees hands-on experience with all kinds of processes.
Any Utah museum may request a visit from the mobile lab, both for training and for help when a disaster hits the collections.
The OMS van will also help answer the questions of people who don't run museums. When the van is on tour, staff members will offer evening workshops on general-interest topics like preserving photos and other family artifacts.
When you see the big white museum van in your town, know that it is there to give your local museum a helping hand.
The Office of Museum Services can help museums with:
- Preventive Conservation
Treating textiles; removing staples and labels; repairing damage; dealing with tape, fading, and stains on photographs, etc. - Lighting
Quantity, quality, and types of lighting for collections; preventing damage from lights. - Housekeeping
Safest kinds of paint to use around collections; keeping collecting areas free from clutter, food, and insects; identifying insects; organization, etc. - Disaster planning
- Collection management
- Environmental assessment
For more information, call (801) 533-3592.
EVERETT RUESS'S ORIGINAL LINOCUTS AT THE RIO GRANDE
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In 1934 a youthful artist/wanderer headed into the canyons of the Escalante River system with his burros. He was never seen or heard from again. But 70 years later, Ruess's passion and free-spiritedness still intrigue us. His art still inspires admiration.
In 1988 the Division of State History received a very special donation: 15 original linocuts Everett Ruess's artwork.
Waldo Ruess, Everett's brother, gave the original linoleum blocks to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance to use as a fundraiser. SUWA restored them, created 11 additional blocks using Ruess's drawings, and printed limited editions. The organization then gave the linoleum blocks to the Division of State History with the condition that no one would make prints from the blocks again.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Ruess's disappearance as well as the 90th anniversary of his birth. To mark the anniversary, the blocks are on display at the Rio Grande Depot and online later this year.
BOOK MARKS
Horned Snakes and Nine Mile
So far, these Book Marks columns have focused on Utah history or people, so I have been keeping my eye out for a good book on archaeology. I found one that combines archaeology and history and people: Horned Snakes and Axle Grease: A Roadside Guide to the Archaeology, History and Rock Art of Nine Mile Canyon, by Jerry D. Spangler and Donna Kemp Spangler.
When some friends invited my wife and I to join them on a trip to Nine Mile Canyon (located between Wellington in Carbon County and Myton in Duchesne County), I realized that I knew next to nothing about the place. Another friend had lent me a copy of Horned Snakes, and I soon became fascinated by the story of this magical but little-known Utah wonder.
The natural beauty of Nine Mile and the numerous adjoining canyons would be reason enough to visit. However, it is the prehistoric rock art that really draws one to this enchanting place. Some have dubbed Nine Mile Canyon "the world's longest art gallery." The Spanglers have done a first-rate job in providing a guide to 85 of the best sites visible from the road. They even give odometer mileage, GPS coordinates, and written directions for pinpoint accuracy.
They also relate the known facts about the ancient people who lived here for hundreds of years and those who explored the area in historical times. They include tidbits about the geology and geography of the area.
Scores of illustrations, photographs, and maps accompany the informative text. I can't imagine exploring Nine Mile Canyon without this indispensable book. One reviewer wrote: "This is not only the most exciting book about Utah archaeology in decades, it is also a wonderful story.... Horned Snakes and Axle Grease is worthy of its subject, a beautiful and creative work of art and history."
I'm very glad to have discovered Nine Mile Canyon and the best book about it for myself. But to tell the truth, I would have wanted to read the book even if I hadn't visited the canyon. It's that good.
Curt Bench, owner of Benchmark Books, SLC
LET IT BE
You find a beautiful rock art panel and want to share it with others. What should you do?
LET IT BE. It has been there for a long time and belongs to all people.
- Take care not to touch or damage it in any way.
- Take photographs. Early morning and late afternoon are often the best times to photograph rock art. Sometimes taking the photo from an angle rather than head-on helps. Never use chalk or anything else to fill in or outline the figures.
Make a sketch. Never do a rubbing or attempt to make a mold. - Think about how it must have looked the day it was made; think about the artist who created it. Look around. You're in an artist's studio.
- For more information, contact the State Archaeologist's office at 801.533-3524.
PRESERVATION PUZZLER
Identify the historic building in the photo and win a membership to the Utah State Historical Society. Send your response (one guess per contestant) to Preservation Puzzler, 300 s. Rio Grande, Salt Lake City, UT 84101. Responses must be postmarked by October 15, 2004. A drawing will be held of the winners to determine who receives the membership.
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Answer to Summer 2004 Preservation Puzzler |
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A Titanic Display
The Division of State History has created a display on Salt Lake City in the early 1900s in conjunction with the Titanic exhibit at the ZCMI Center. (The Titanic sank in 1912.) The exhibit includes a wall-size photo of Main Street and a video of turn-of-the-century photos. You can see it in the small Family History Center the LDS church has created in the mall north of the Titanic exhibit. The exhibit will run until January 8.
New Lesson Plan for Teachers
The Division of State History's latest lesson plan for secondary school teachers is based on an article by William MacKinnon, "Like Splitting a Man Up His Backbone?: The Territorial Dismemberment of Utah, 1850-1896," in the winter 2003 issue of the Utah Historical Quarterly.
The article and lesson plan explore how the enormous, 225,000-square-mile Utah Territory was reduced to the current 85,000-square-mile state of Utah.
It may seem like a challenge to engage students in Utah's boundary changes, but this lesson plan attempts to do just that. Students may be surprised to find how one war and one treaty gave the United States all of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and part of Colorado and Wyoming. Students will learn the what and why of other boundary changes the territory experienced on its way to statehood. This lesson plan, complete with enhancement materials, seeks to involve teachers students, and parents in using the Utah Historical Quarterly to learn more about history and the nation's history.
See the lesson plan and share this information with a student, parent, or teacher.
The Utah Historical Quarterly is an excellent resource for students, teachers, and anyone interested in Utah history. As funding for educational resources becomes increasingly tight, this resource may become unavailable to some schools. We invite you to consider sponsoring a school's membership in the Utah State Historical Society so that all students and teachers will have access to the wealth of history contained in UHQ. For information on sponsoring a school, contact Bonnie at (801) 533-3517.
History on a Disk
The fourth edition of the Utah History Suite CD-ROM is now available. This searchable CD includes all the Utah Historical Quarterlies through the year 2003. It also has all the Beehive History and History Blazer editions and all the centennial county histories. The CD sells for $39.95 plus tax. Members of the Utah State Historical Society get a 10 percent discount. To buy it, call Craig Fuller at (801) 533-3538.
Read This Magazine!
If you have missed seeing the 2004 Utah Preservation, you have missed a lot: cool log cabins, an inside look at the Masonic Temple, the out-of-this-stratosphere restoration of the State Capitol, superhistorical eateries, going green, and oh so much more. Get your copy by joining the Utah State Historical Society (call 533-3500) or by calling (801) 552-9100.
Range Creek
When an AP news story about Range Creek went over the wires in June, reporters deluged the Divison of State History with inquiries. Dozens of stories hit print and broadcast media, both nationally and internationally, and at present the media continue to work on documentaries and other projects.
Range Creek, a tributary canyon of the Green River, holds significant archaeological resources. Because its Fremont sites have remained largely undisturbed, archaeologists feel that Range Creek will provide a much clearer understanding of this culture. The Fremont culture occupied the canyon approximately 1,000 years ago.
Archaeological studies began in the canyon only recently, after the state of Utah acquired the land from rancher Waldo Wilcox.
State Archives' New Home
The Utah Division of State Archives moved into its newly completed building south of the Rio Grande Depot in August.
The new building's first-floor training room is serving as a temporary public research room until the joint State Archives/State History research room in the south wing of the Rio Grande Depot is completed -- by the first of the year. The Archives building can store 50,000 cubic feet of records in its triple-deep automated storage and retrieval shelving (ASRS) unit and will accommodate approximately 5-10 years of growth.
State Archives will dedicate the new building in October as part of Utah Archives Month.
The Utah State Legislature approved an $8 million bond for the new State Archives Building because the old Archives Building, built in 1939, was scheduled for demolition as part of the State Capitol renovation project.
Miss Mary Sees the Light
Miss Mary's Historical Museum in Salina is open for business. The museum is housed in Salina's beautiful historical Presbyterian church, which has been restored through countless volunteer hours and, partially, grants from the Division of State History. The museum is named for Mary McCallum, a beloved teacher who came to town as a Presbyterian missionary and taught in the building for years. Exhibits focus on the history of Salina and Sevier County.
For more information, call (435)529-7738, (435) 529-3968, or (435) 529-7702.
Aviation in Utah, a photo essay
Orville and Wilbur Wright changed the world when their airplane flew at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903. Seven years later, aviation first took off in Utah as the French barnstormer Paulhan astonished crowds at the Salt Lake Fairgrounds with his flying machine.
By 1920, when airmail service came to Salt Lake City, airplanes were here to stay. Gov. Simon Bamberger dedicated an airfield at 22nd West and North Temple that year. Woodward Field (later the Salt Lake Municipal Airport, and later still the Salt Lake International Airport) was one of the largest of the 15 U.S. airfields used by the Post Office. In the early years, a large wind sock showed the wind direction during the day; a large lighted arrow, free to turn, gave pilots landing information during the evening. Air traffic control consisted of a siren that blew once for landings and twice for takeoffs.
In 1926 Western Air Lines offered the first passenger service out of Salt Lake. At the airport a mimeograph machine cranked out tickets and safety instructions, and percolator provided coffee for waiting passengers.
All photos are from the Division of State History/Utah State Historical Society library.
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A pilot prepares to fly a Wright Brothers airplane that visited Utah on April 15, 1911. |
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Later, the plane flies above the grandstand and a moderate crowd of curious folks. |
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Charles Lindbergh visited Salt Lake City in 1927, a few months after his historic flight. Here he waves from a car as a hero's parade in his honor moves down Main Street. |
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A grooming machine prepares the runway at the Saltair resort in preparation for an aviation meet in 1911. |
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Early pilots relied on sight to get where they wanted to go. For those who didn't know where the Salt Lake Airport was, a sign on the Salt Lake Tabernacle pointed the way in 1930. Elsewhere in the West, big white arrows on the landscape kept pilots heading in the right directions. |
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Postmaster Will Brooks, on the left, takes the first bag of airmail delivered into St. George. Photo is not dated. |
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A. Tomlinson and Ben Redman pose before boarding a Western Air Lines plane, May 23, 1926, on the first passenger flight out of Salt Lake City. The two flew to Los Angeles with a stopover in Las Vegas; it was an eight-hour flight. A one-way ticket to Los Angeles cost $90 (the equivalent of more than $900 today). |
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United Air Lines Mainliner was rechristened the "Utah Centennial" in 1947 in a "salute to the memory of Brigham Young and the Mormon trek of 1847." A company marketing piece said that the plane would carry the name "during its daily flights between cities along United Air Lines' coast-to-coast and Pacific coast routes." |