Our mission is to foster curiosity about the past, inform the present, and strengthen our shared future.

NOTICES

The Rio Grande building is currently undergoing a seismic retrofit post-March 2020 earthquake. Our staff is in the process of relocating to a new location while the building gets the love it needs. We anticipate the retrofit will take approximately two years. In the meantime, our staff is relocating to 3760 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84106 which will be accessible to the public in the future. If you would like to contact our staff, please continue to reach out via their emails as many staff are working remotely.

The Research Center has also moved and is open for appointments only. Please view the Library & Collections page for more information.

2023-2027 Strategic Plan
We are thrilled to announce the release of our 2023-2027 Strategic Plan. Since April 2022, the State History team has worked hard on developing a plan that feels representative of the work we are doing now and into the next five years of our organization’s development. We are committed to being data-driven in our decision making and plan to use the Strategic Plan as our guiding light moving forward.
 
We spoke to audiences long steeped in our organization’s history, from scholars and k-12 audiences to new to us audiences and the general public. We hope you enjoy digging into our Strategic Priorities and join us on our journey in becoming your Utah Historical Society. 
 
Fun facts: 
 
The 2023-2027 Strategic Plan took ten months to develop; three months of internal, introspective work, five months of community listening sessions, and two months of iterative draft writing. 
 
We hosted: 
  • 32 Community Listening Sessions across the state; 
  • 10 focus groups;
  • And received 1,077 survey responses from all 29 counties across the state 
Read the Plan
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OUR HISTORY

In 1897, public-spirited Utahns organized the Utah State Historical Society in order to expand public understanding of Utah's past. Today, the Utah Division of State History administers the Society and as part of its statutory obligations, publishes the Utah Historical Quarterly, which has collected and preserved Utah's unique history since 1928. The Division also collects materials related to the history of Utah, assists communities, agencies, building owners, and consultants with state and federal processes regarding archaeological and historical resources, administers the ancient human remains program, makes historical resources available in a specialized research library, offers extensive online resources and grants, and assists in public policy and the promotion of Utah's rich history.

2022 Annual Report

ADMINISTRATION

We work to: Strengthen Utah’s economic health, particularly in rural areas. Make communities better places, where people feel at home and grounded in heritage. Foster individual learning, understanding, and excitement about their heritage. Provide tools and assistance to agencies and local governments to help them do their jobs more efficiently. Preserve knowledge and resources for future generations. State History provides all services and information as a non-regulatory, business-friendly agency.

GEOGRAPHIC NAMES

The Utah Committee on Geographic Names is tasked with reviewing and providing recommendations regarding geographic name proposals in Utah submitted to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. For additional information, contact Kevin Fayles at kfayles@utah.gov. More information. https://history.utah.gov/geographic-names-committee/