Utah History Happenings Blog


See what’s happening with Utah history! Explore the past and get excited about the present through historical stories, highlights, program updates, and more. This digital resource serves as your window into the captivating stories, perspectives, and significant events that have helped shape the Beehive State. With meticulous research and insightful analysis, we aim to contextualize and breathe life into Utah's most cherished narratives, ensuring that the legacies of the past continue to resonate in the present.

Descriptive Updates Statement

The Utah Historical Society is conducting a review of the descriptions and terminology of our archives and special collections catalog. We are working to update outdated descriptions and headings of works...
Last updated: August 11, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Descriptive Updates Statement

The Utah Historical Society is conducting a review of the descriptions and terminology of our artifact catalog. We are working to update outdated descriptions and headings of works within the collections to...
Last updated: August 5, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Manuscripts Collection

Researchers wishing to cite a collection should include the following information :(title of work), Utah Historical Society. For example : The Allan Kent Powell Research Collection, circa 1850-2012, Utah Historical Society....
Last updated: August 5, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Architectural Drawings Collection

Researchers wishing to cite a collection should include the following information :(title of work), Utah Historical Society. For example : Sullivan-Tallon House, Restoration and Remodel, Utah Historical Society. Rights Statement Unless...
Last updated: August 5, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Audio Visual Collection

Researchers wishing to cite a collection should include the following information :(title of work), Utah Historical Society. For example : The Shiplers Commercial Photographers Collection, 1903-1980, Utah Historical Society. Rights Statement...
Last updated: August 5, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Back-to-School Learning Opportunities: Explore Utah History Through Museum Field Trips

Written by Kathryn Peterson, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement  As students return to classrooms across the state, teachers have a new opportunity to bring Utah history beyond the...
Last updated: August 3, 2026

Victoria Hills

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The Past is Personal: Temporary Exhibit Gallery through June 2027

Written by Jami Van Huss, Guest Curator What do you remember? Why do you remember it? How do you remember it?  The Museum of Utah’s inaugural temporary exhibition, The Past...
Last updated: July 15, 2026

Victoria Hills

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NHD Utah National Contest Honors

College Park MD |  12-18 June 2026 In June, 47 Utah students, along with their teachers and family members, traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete at the National History Day...
Last updated: July 13, 2026

Victoria Hills

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Main Stage Performances | Museum of Utah Grand Opening Celebration

Updated 6/23/26 Check out the main stage perfomers who will be at our Community Grand Opening Celebration on June 27, 2026. Join us from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for...
Last updated: June 23, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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Food Truck Lineup | Museum of Utah Grand Opening Celebration

Updated 6/23/26 Check out the local food trucks that will be at our Community Grand Opening Celebration on June 27, 2026. Join us from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. for...
Last updated: June 23, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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Community Partner List | Museum of Utah Grand Opening Celebration

Updated 6/16/26 Check out the community partners and organizations who will be at our Community Grand Opening Celebration on June 27, 2026. Join us from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m....
Last updated: June 16, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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The Museum of Utah is a 2026 Blue Star Museum

Free admission for military personnel and their families from May 16 until September 7 The Museum of Utah is pleased to participate in Blue Star Museums, a program that provides...
Last updated: June 2, 2026

Victoria Hills

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What were boss bikes used for?

Visit the Museum of Utah, opening June 27 on the Utah Capitol Complex. If you’re not sure, you’re not alone! In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a boss...
Last updated: June 2, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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NATIONAL HISTORY DAY IN UTAH 2026 STATE CONTEST RESULTS AND RECAP

National History Day in Utah is proud to announce the results of the 2026 State Contest on April 24, 2026, at Westminster University. This year, more than 5,000 students across...
Last updated: May 26, 2026

Victoria Hills

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What is Deseret currency?

Visit the Museum of Utah, opening June 27 on the Utah Capitol Complex. If you were to walk into a general store in 1850s Salt Lake City, standard U.S. dollars...
Last updated: May 9, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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Are there really whales in the Great Salt Lake?

Visit the Museum of Utah, opening June 27 on the Utah Capitol Complex. If you grew up in Utah, you might have heard the legendary rumor of two whales living...
Last updated: May 9, 2026

Haille VanPatten

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Why is Utah’s state bird the California Gull?

Visit the Museum of Utah, opening June 27 on the Utah Capitol Complex. You may be asking yourself: Why would one of Utah’s official symbols be named after a different...
Last updated: May 9, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Iosepa: Utah’s Pacific Islander Pioneers

Benjamin C. Pykles, Historic Sites Curator Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Hawaiians in the Utah desert! What?” This was my initial reaction when I...
Last updated: April 27, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Preserving and Studying Utah’s Mining Heritage

No excerpt...
Last updated: April 27, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Welcome To The Utah Pin Quest – History That Sticks With You

Updated 3/23/26: There are still pins left! We recommend visiting each location’s channels, or calling ahead, before your visit. Follow @Uthistoricalsociety on Facebook and Instagram to stay in-the-know about all...
Last updated: March 23, 2026

Haille VanPatten

2022 Call for Papers

Water at the Confluence of Past and Future The Utah State Historical Society and Utah Division of State History invite proposals for papers, sessions, panels, or multi-media presentations for the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Submission Guidelines/CFP

From 1928 to the present, Utah Historical Quarterly has published on all aspects of Utah history. Even as UHQ continues its commitment to themes traditionally associated with Utah history, it challenges readers and authors...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Welcome to the UHQ Blog

Welcome to the new blog for the Utah Historical Quarterly, Utah’s historical journal of record. This blog will feature less formal—but still substantively analytical—essays and thought-provoking pieces about Utah history...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

jmsharp

USHS Research Resources

At the Utah State Historical Society, we’re all about helping you conduct professional or personal research in a quick, efficient manner. We know that you want to find what you’re...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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A Distance Reading of Immigration in Carbon County

Digital Techniques for Utah History By Nate Housley The Marriott Library at the University of Utah houses a number of oral history collections that can aid in interpreting Utah’s history....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

jmsharp

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Kick-Off “Utah History Happenings” for Utahns of All Ages

By Kevin Fayles, Assistant Director of Operations, Utah Division of State History I am not a professional historian, but I have loved history for most of my life. I recall...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Remembering One of Salt Lake City’s Forgotten: Louis A. Bertrand”

Remembering One of Salt Lake City’s Forgotten: Louis A. Bertrand

By Laurie J. Bryant, Independent Historian [On July 2nd, at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, we unveiled a monument for 55 individuals who died at the “insane asylum” in the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “How Did I Get Here? – Follow the Historical Markers”

How Did I Get Here? – Follow the Historical Markers

By Christina Epperson, GIS Analyst, Utah Division of State History It’s mid-July as I write this blog post and the temperature forecast for the next seven days is near or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Great Things in Store

By Taya Wallace Taya did such a great job during her internship that we hired her for the summer. In the fall she will begin an internship at the Office...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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From the Mountains of Spain to the Mountains of Utah

By Holly George On a normal afternoon in April 2017, Daniel Jones, a friend from the bus who worked at the Division of Corporations and Commercial Code, sent me an...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

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Point A to B

by Katie Barber Katie excelled during her internship with State History, so we hired her for the summer. How often do you think about where you are in the world?...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Where are the women’s voices? How I found the mother lode.”

Where are the women’s voices? How I found the mother lode.

By Rhonda Lauritzen, independent biographer and author. In the spring of 2017, I had no idea the journey ahead when I answered a call from architect, Shalae Larsen, asking me...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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When Buffalo Bill Came to Utah

In the spring 2019 issue of Utah Historical Quarterly, Brent M. Rogers explores William “Buffalo Bill” Cody and his checkered relationship with the state of Utah and members of its...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

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Chinese Railroad Workers Teacher’s Workshop

By Chris Merritt, Ph.D., Utah Division of State History and Erin Huber, Visual Artist, West Lake STEM Junior High  The Tanner Humanities Center at the University of Utah hosted a week-long teacher’s...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

September 2019 Newsletter

Click this link to view the September 2019 Newsletter: https://us3.campaign-archive.com/?u=71e6606aec1876243402bdd94&id=89e5399421...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Certified Local Government Program—Spring City CLG Grant Project

By Alena Franco, CLG Coordinator The Certified Local Government (CLG) program is designed to promote historic preservation at the local level. This is a federal program (through the National Park...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Exploring the History and Archaeology of the Great Salt Lake’s Gunnison Island”

Exploring the History and Archaeology of the Great Salt Lake’s Gunnison Island

by Arie Leefang, Archaeology Records Manager Among the collection of Great Salt Lake Islands, perhaps there is none more prized to visit than the elusive Gunnison Island. Found in the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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A Peek Behind State History’s Curtain

By Kevin Fayles, Assistant Director of Operations Since 1952, we have had an unbroken streak of 67 annual Utah State Historical Society conferences. To put things in perspective, here are...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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TRANSCRIPT OF Utah at the Crossroads of the Mind: History and Philosophy at Midcentury

November 1, 2019, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Location: University of Utah, Marriott Library, Rm 1150 SCHEDULE Panel: 9:00 – 10:30 AM A University for Utah: The Great Issues Forum...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Welcome to the Public Archaeology Lab

The Public Archaeology Lab has officially opened its doors! Staff from the Antiquities Section of the Utah Division of State History poured sweat, blood, and a few tears into polishing...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

October 2019 Newsletter

Click this link to view the October 2019 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/551e2715af9d/utah-public-archaeology-network-newsletter-september-3584933?fbclid=IwAR3bBobA0epomCd66t9c-aYuSURMKRMcQOFQe67iijs79HFhm4K9hxskHx8 International Archaeology Day is October 19, 2019!...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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What’s New in Collections?

By Michele Elnicky, Historical Collections Specialist Hello, I’m Michele. As a member of the Collections team along with Lisa Barr who’s been working with Manuscripts, Sabrina Sanders, Manager of Artifacts,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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What is the National Register?

What is the National Register and how do I Nominate a Building? (Part 1) As the National Register Coordinator at the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, this is a question...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Finding Patterns in Plant Ecology

Guest post by Morgan from Abbott Botanical Assessments Plant blindness is a common affliction found among members of the public and scientific community alike. This ranges from not recognizing differences...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Design Through Time: A History of Military Gravestone Design

By Amy Barry, Utah Cemetery & Burials Program Manager Marking burials with gravestones has always had a myriad of meanings. The more modern connotation has reflected European traditions ingrained in...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Women’s Suffrage: 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment

By Christina Epperson, GIS Analyst, Utah Division of State History As a woman today, it is easy to take for granted the ability to stand in line and cast a...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for ““Recent Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Projects – More Exciting Than It Sounds!””

“Recent Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Projects – More Exciting Than It Sounds!”

By Amber Anderson, Tax Credit Coordinator Two properties in Salt Lake City were recently awarded historic rehabilitation tax credits! Both properties received the federal income tax credit, while one also...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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Juvenile Joyriding

By Melissa Coy, Digitization Program Specialist On the night of October 23, 1909, “boys with aspirations for a joy ride” stole a car, drove it around for “a few hours...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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The Utah Historical Quarterly: Over 90 Years of Amazing Research

By Lisa Buckmiller, Program Support Specialist What do Sanpete Oolite Limestone, Taylor A. Woolley, Hollywood, World War I, and a skeleton in grandpa’s barn all have in common? All of...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “From Obscurity into the Light: Master Surveyor Henry G. Sherwood”

From Obscurity into the Light: Master Surveyor Henry G. Sherwood

By Kristine Shorey Forbes The recent discovery of a sheepskin map purported to be the original plat of Salt Lake City created by LDS surveyor savant Henry G. Sherwood fewer...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “What is the National Register and How do I Nominate a Building? (Part 2)”

What is the National Register and How do I Nominate a Building? (Part 2)

By Cory Jensen, National Register Coordinator In a previous post, I gave some background on what the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is and what it does/does not do....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “In Search of the Spanish Trail: Santa Fe to Los Angeles, 1829-1948 – Steven K. Madsen’s Research and Photographing The Old Spanish Trail”

In Search of the Spanish Trail: Santa Fe to Los Angeles, 1829-1948 – Steven K. Madsen’s Research and Photographing The Old Spanish Trail

By Lisa Barr, Museum & Historical Collections Curator As a historical collections curator for Utah Division of State History, I recently processed and arranged Steven K. Madsen’s research and photograph...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Urban Revitilization in Utah’s “Rural” Downtowns”

Urban Revitilization in Utah’s “Rural” Downtowns

By Steve Cornell, Historical Architect, Division of State History Let’s look at Lehi.  I happen to reside here so I’m looking closely, perhaps a little too closely.  Lehi was an...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

UtahPAN 2020: Combat Vandalism

[Note: We are re-posting this excellent post from a few weeks ago that was originally shared primarily with archaeologists.]It’s December already! Your mysterious narrator has spent the last week snowed...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Working in the Research Center

By Valerie Jacobson, Information Specialist How often do you have a Utah History question and don’t know where to find the answer? The Research Center is able to help facilitate...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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How to Order Historic Images from Our Research Center

By Gregory Walz Research Center Manager Two photographs:  one of Ezra Taft Benson taken on February 22, 1953, and one of James and Margaret Reed of the Donner Party fame,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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Front Row Seat to Atomic Age

Editors’ note (by UHQ editorial fellow Haden Griggs): The Diablo nuclear test was part of a larger series of tests known as Operation Plumbbob that took place at the Nevada...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

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Jacob Simmons: Young Utah Historian Making History

By Dr. Wendy Rex-Atzet, State Coordinator, Utah History Day Brighton High School senior Jacob Simmons has stories to tell.  Since middle school he has honed his skills as a historian...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Utah Commits to Combat Archaeological Vandalism!

On Friday, January 24 over 80 people from 44 organizations participated in person or on a webinar in Utah Public Archaeology Network’s (UtahPAN’s) inaugural meeting! Everyone brought incredible energy and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Industry & Immigrants in Turn-of-the-Century Utah

Holly George This week alone, I ordered stuff from China, searched the app of a certain giant retailer several times, happily opened a new package, and listened to a podcast...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

November 2019 Newsletter

November marks Native American History Month! Click this link to view the November 2019 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/0c2c6c8ae9fd/utah-public-archaeology-network-newsletter-november-3694181 Want to get Utah Public Archaeology Network’s newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox?...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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December 2019 Newsletter

Click this link to view the December 2019 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/0c2c6c8ae9fd/utah-public-archaeology-network-newsletter-november-3694181 Want to get Utah Public Archaeology Network’s newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox? Click here and never miss another cool story or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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January 2020 Newsletter

Click this link to view the January 2020 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/5e84bf55d25a/utah-public-archaeology-network-newsletter-november-3835077 Want to get Utah Public Archaeology Network’s newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox? Click here and never miss another cool story or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

February 2020 Newsletter

Click this link to view the February 2020 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/0c2c6c8ae9fd/utah-public-archaeology-network-newsletter-november-3694181 Want to get Utah Public Archaeology Network’s newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox? Click here and never miss another cool story or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Ways We Can Combat Archaeological Vandalism

No excerpt...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for ““Utah History Day on the Hill” Showcases Young Historians”

“Utah History Day on the Hill” Showcases Young Historians

By Dr. Wendy Rex-Atzet, State Coordinator, Utah History Day Each year during the legislative session, the Division of State History hosts Utah History Day on the Hill at the State...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

What’s going on with the Moab Rock Art Nomination to the National Register?

Here at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) one of our main duties is to identify and nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) program. We take...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Researching Segregation in Utah

By Christine Cooper-Rompato My forthcoming article in Utah Historical Quarterly, “Utah in the Green Book,” explores the history of hotels where African Americans could spend the night in Utah during...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

March 2020 Newsletter

Click here to check out March’s Utah Public Archaeology Network Newsletter! Want to get Utah Public Archaeology Network’s newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox? Click here and never miss another cool...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “This Is the Place for Us: Somali Settlement in the Salt Lake Valley”

This Is the Place for Us: Somali Settlement in the Salt Lake Valley

By Haden Griggs             The This Is the Place monument in Salt Lake City commemorates and evokes the struggle nineteenth-century Latter-day Saints faced in settling a land new to them....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

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Preserving Textiles: A Glimpse into Collections Care

By Sabrina Sanders, Artifacts Collections Manager The collections held by the Utah Division of State History are as diverse as the stories of a State at the crossroads of the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Utah’s Biggest Earthquake In History: And you don’t even probably know about it!”

Utah’s Biggest Earthquake In History: And you don’t even probably know about it!

Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer With trembles strong enough to shake “the dignity out of all judicial procedures,” [i] at Salt Lake City’s courts, the 6.6 magnitude...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah’s Biggest Earthquake In History: And You Don’t Even Probably Know About It!”

Utah’s Biggest Earthquake In History: And You Don’t Even Probably Know About It!

By Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer With trembles strong enough to shake “the dignity out of all judicial procedures,” [i] at Salt Lake City’s courts, the 6.6...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Celebrate Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month with us!

Welcome to May, and welcome to Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month! This year we’re hosting online events perfect for history-lovers of all stripes! Is archaeology your passion? Or maybe historic...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

COVID 19 Memory Project

The Covid-19 Memory Project is designed for K-12 students to share their experiences during this unique time in our history. Student responses will become part of a permanent historical collection...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Archaeological Site Etiquette

               If you’ve hiked, biked, rafted, or traveled anywhere in Utah, chances are you’ve found ancient ruins and artifacts, also called “archaeological sites”. An archaeological site is anything left by...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Disease & Healthcare in Utah History: A Resource Guide

By Shavauna Munster & Holly George When considering the history of illness, signpost pandemics such as the Justinianic plague, black death, and Spanish influenza often come to mind. However, intermittent...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

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Utah’s Universal Heritage

Savanna Agardy, Utah SHPO Compliance Archaeologist World heritage is defined as cultural or natural heritage that has outstanding universal value. Universal value in heritage essentially means that world heritage belongs...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “A Little Tale of One City: The Salisbury Building and the Lens of Clifton Bray and the Salt Lake Telegram”

A Little Tale of One City: The Salisbury Building and the Lens of Clifton Bray and the Salt Lake Telegram

By Greg Walz, Research Center Manager How might one analyze older photographs of Utah — downtown Salt Lake City in particular — to gain some knowledge about little moments in...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “The Diminishing Pando Clone: History and Forest Management”

The Diminishing Pando Clone: History and Forest Management

By Jedediah Rogers It’s rare that a grove of aspen trees enjoys world renown, but this is the case for a stand known as the Pando clone on Fishlake National...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

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Some of My Favorite Photographs

By Doug Misner, Research & Collections Manager The Utah Division of State History has over a million photographs in our holdings with almost 300,000 digitized and accessible online. These images...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Utah’s Prehistory in Artifacts

Written by Erin Haycock Editor’s note: The artifacts you are about to see have all been looted, or stolen. Looting is the illegal removal of archaeological materials from archaeological sites....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for ““Race Riot” Fears in Salt Lake City: September 1965”

“Race Riot” Fears in Salt Lake City: September 1965

By Christopher James Blythe In September 1965, many people in northern Utah were convinced that the NAACP had planned a “riot” for the following month’s general conference of the Church...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “What’s in a Name: Rock Imagery”

What’s in a Name: Rock Imagery

You may have noticed that we at UPAN and in the wider State Historic Preservation Office, we refer to “rock imagery” when discussing prehistoric/Indigenous petroglyphs, pictographs, and other culturally meaningful...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Milestones: Utah’s History of Equal Access Rights for People with (Dis)abilities”

Milestones: Utah’s History of Equal Access Rights for People with (Dis)abilities

By T. Michelle Tucker, Utah State History Volunteer On July 26, 2020, our nation remembers the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), signed into law by President George...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Guest Blog: URARA

We have a guest blog from the Utah Rock Art Research Association (URARA) this week! If you haven’t already heard of this organization, they are a fantastic group of people...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Q&A with J. Michael Hunter on Bees and Beekeeping

Editors’ note: J. Michael Hunter’s article “Laying the Foundation for Utah’s Beekeeping Success” appears in the summer 2020 issue of Utah Historical Quarterly. In this Q&A Hunter offers a fascinating...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Outlaws and Artifacts: A Daggett County Partnership at the John Jarvie Ranch

Written by Chase Roberts Utah Division of State History and Christopher W. Merritt Utah State Historic Preservation Officer If you ask most Utahns where Daggett County is, and you might get...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

B-Limey! Historic Kilns in the Foothills

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer You can see the knife-like scar in the foothills near the brightly shining white “U” near the University of Utah...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Relevance, Rights & Responsibilities

By Kevin Fayles, Acting Director When you see the photo above, did you think it was a historic image? Could you tell it was actually taken just a few days...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

The Peculiar Historical and Archaeological Journey of Utah’s First House: The Devereaux Mansion

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D. State Historic Preservation Officer How many times have you traveled South Temple in downtown Salt Lake City and noticed the lone red sandstone House...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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101 Anniversary of the End of World War I

By Valerie Jacobson, Information Specialist Late June 1919 was a day for many to rejoice. The Treaty of Paris was signed, bringing an official end to the Great War. How...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Saber Rattling in Strawberry Valley: The 1888 Encampment of the US Army in Utah

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Over 900 soldiers from the Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery branches of the United States Army descended on Strawberry Valley...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

The Architecture of Hunkering Down in the 1950s & ‘60s

We have all experienced our own “hunkering down” during this pandemic year of 2020. Some 60 years ago, other Utahns were preparing to hunker down, but for a very different...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Power Up! The Columbus Power Plant in Little Cottonwood Canyon

Since at least the 1860s, entrepreneurs used the ample water supply found at the confluence of Little Cottonwood and Maybird and Hogum Creeks for industrial purposes, whether timber mills or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Have You Completed Our Student Covid-19 Survey?

By Lisa Barr, Historical Collections Curator Recognizing that we were living in historic times, in April, State History staff developed The Covid-19 Memory Project, which is geared towards K-12 students...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Nine Mile Canyon Stewardship Day – but Virtual!

Every year Project Discovery, the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition, the Bureau of Land Management, the Utah SHPO and many, many others have gathered in Nine Mile Canyon for a day-long...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Tour of Utah’s National Historic Districts

Written by Cory Jensen, NRHP Coordinator and Chris Merritt, Utah SHPO Many Utahs and tourists do not know the depth and breadth of Utah’s architectural history, and the preserved building...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Utah Cemeteries & Burials

Genealogy research is a booming industry, and Utah is a leader in resources. In 1997, the state legislature created a mandate for the Utah Division of State History to be...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Site Visitation and Sustainability in Southeast Utah

By Allison Aakre, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Shanna Diederichs, Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, and Donald C. Irwin, Manti-La Sal National Forest Introduction The landscape of Southeast Utah, with its deep...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Choices Matter: Complicity and Action During the Holocaust

By Heidi Chudy, Program Assistant, Utah History Day “A man wearing a star stood on the outside platform- the only place where Jews were allowed to ride.  He was eager...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Call for Papers: Revisiting The Peoples of Utah”

Call for Papers: Revisiting The Peoples of Utah

In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of 1776, the Utah State Historical Society is revisiting The Peoples of Utah, published in 1976. The original Peoples of Utah, which surveyed a...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “Call for Papers: Public Health & the Common Good”

Call for Papers: Public Health & the Common Good

The Utah State Historical Society announces the focus of its 69th annual conference to be held September 20-24, 2021. Beginning January 1 we are accepting proposals for papers, sessions, and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Grant Announcement for the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Grant

What is the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Grant?The Utah State Historic Preservation Office (UT-SHPO) will be offering grants to organizations that can help qualified organizations to conduct Cultural Site Stewardship...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah at 125: A Bibliography”

Utah at 125: A Bibliography

In January 4, 1896, after decades of struggle, Utah became the 45th state to enter the Union. Utah’s path to statehood was complicated and often controversial, which makes its journey...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Utah Committee on Geographic Names

Originally created and defined by two Utah governors’ executive orders, in 2024 the Utah Committee on Geographic Names (UCGN) became a committee of the Board of State History, which serves...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Blog Series on Historical Memorials

The Utah Historical Society is launching a blog series on historical memorials in Utah. We seek proposals for short historical essays that place historical markers, monuments, and place names in...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Calling All Students!

The Utah Professional Archaeological Council is having it’s winter meeting, and Saturday is a special presentation just for Utah’s students! If you want to learn more about what it takes...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Steward Spotlight: Darrell and Marty Thomas

For this, our first ever Site Steward Spotlight, we will be spotlighting not one, but two dedicated Site Stewards. Marty and Darrell Thomas are a dynamic stewarding duo with 20...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Teach Your Content with a Utah Twist

By Wendy Rex-Atzet, Utah Division of State History In my work with the National History Day (NHD) program, I have witnessed the transformative power of relevancy in student learning. So...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Late Archaic Period Rock Imagery

No excerpt...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Meet Your New Coordinator

No excerpt...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month 2021

Welcome to Utah’s Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month! Every year the Utah State Historic Preservation Office rounds up the very best events so that YOU can get to know the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Sugar Beets and Religion: Q&A with Matthew C. Godfrey”

Sugar Beets and Religion: Q&A with Matthew C. Godfrey

Editors’ note: The winter 2021 edition of Utah Historical Quarterly features an article on the sugar beet industry, labor organizing, and business interests of LDS officials. We asked the author,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Climbers and Archaeology

By Elizabeth Hora, Public Archaeologist at the Utah Division of State History Within the space of two weeks, I have heard reports of more than four sites (all rock imagery!)...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Release of New Salt Lake City & Ogden City Sanborn Maps”

Release of New Salt Lake City & Ogden City Sanborn Maps

By Roger Roper, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Historians have long known about the value of Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, but a new set of these maps for Utah has...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “A Colorful History: Black Rock’s History and Graffiti Woes”

A Colorful History: Black Rock’s History and Graffiti Woes

Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D. Utah State Historic Preservation Officer  It is unclear when the first human laid eyes upon the geological oddity now called “Black Rock” on the southern shores...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Current Issue

Spring 2023 Utah Historical Quarterly To receive your copy, BECOME A MEMBER of the Utah State Historical Society Within the pages of this issue, women raise children, spin cloth, found...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Stewardship Updates May 2021

Updates for the stewardship program in May 2021 are highlighted by Coordinator Ian Wright....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for ““I Have Shot My Betrayer”: Q&A with Lisa Tait”

“I Have Shot My Betrayer”: Q&A with Lisa Tait

Editors’ Note: The SPRING 2021 UHQ opens with the story of Amanda Olson, the working-class daughter of Swedish immigrants whose story dominated local news in 1891. After Olson was either raped or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

UPAN Pledge 2021 Week 2 Resource

This interactive map has all sorts of sites that you can visit! You can filter by historic, prehistoric, or even museums! Or you can activate all layers to see just...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

UPAN Pledge 2021 Week 3 Resources

The following guides are just some of the amazing artifacts that are common to Utah! Each guide will show you some of the specific information an archaeologist can gain from...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Week One: Let’s Learn About Utah’s Archaeology!

This is a collection of readings about Utah’s cultural history curated for the 2021 UPAN pledge drive...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

What is historic in West Valley City and Kearns?

By Langston Guettinger, Historic Preservation Specialist/Architectural Historian at Logan Simpson Design Only in the last twenty years has popular culture come to reevaluate midcentury American architecture with the advent of...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Teaming Up to Record Rock Imagery

Utah SHPO, URARA, and Logan Simpson Team Up to Record Rock Imagery in Central Utah Written by Tina Hart, archaeologist at Logan Simpson Design Robert Van Orden, a member of...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Steward Spotlight July 2021 – Dennis Weder

If you have ever had the pleasure of traveling into the West Desert with Utah Cultural Site Steward Dennis Weder, you will be amazed at how quickly the barren landscape...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Lidar Site Exclusive

Public Archaeologist Elizabeth Hora shows us some really cool Lidar scans of recent excavations at Terrace on the Transcontinental Railroad, and explains what we are looking at....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Top 5 Reasons to Attend the 69th Annual USHS Conference”

Top 5 Reasons to Attend the 69th Annual USHS Conference

Looking for a reason to spend some time with us at our annual history conference? Here are our top 5: 5. Free, virtual, and lives online. Despite Zoom fatigue, we...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “The River Voyage of William Lewis Manly: Q&A with Michael D. Kane”

The River Voyage of William Lewis Manly: Q&A with Michael D. Kane

Michael D. Kane is coauthor (with Nathan N. Waite) of “Avoiding Mormons, Running Rapids, Encountering Western Utes: William Lewis Manly’s Voyage Down the Green River and Across Utah in 1849,”...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “History and Geology: Q&A with Rasoul Sorkhabi”

History and Geology: Q&A with Rasoul Sorkhabi

Rasoul Sorkhabi is author of “From Edinburgh to Salt Lake City: Archibald Geikie’s Travels in the American West, 1879,” Utah Historical Quarterly 89 (Summer 2021) Introduce readers to your background...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

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Unshelving Our History

For the past academic year, Cathy Gilmore has served as the Editorial Fellow for Utah Historical Quarterly. Cathy is a graduate student of History at Utah State University. By Cathy...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

National Register Multiple Property Submissions: What are they and how can they help you nominate a building?

Written by Cory Jensen At the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) I’m frequently contacted by property owners curious about getting their building listed in the National Register of Historic...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

October Staff Spotlight: Savanna Agardy

By Jason Carrillo  Hello and welcome history friends to October’s Staff Spotlight! This month we are more than excited to showcase and spotlight the one and only Savanna Agardy. If...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Native Places: An Indigenous Atlas of Utah and the Intermountain West”

Native Places: An Indigenous Atlas of Utah and the Intermountain West

Editors’ note: This is the first of a series of short essays designed to understand historical markers, monuments, and place names in historical and contemporary perspective. By John Flynn Place...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Happy GIS Day!

Written by Deb Miller, SHPO Records Manager What Is GIS? GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems, which is mapping software on a computer and is used both by everyday people...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “November Staff Spotlight: Lisa Barr & Sabrina Sanders”

November Staff Spotlight: Lisa Barr & Sabrina Sanders

By Jason Carrillo, Communications Intern Most Utahns know the Rio Grande Depot has a storied history. Since it was built in 1910, the building has passed hands from a train...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “December Staff Spotlight: Cassie Clark”

December Staff Spotlight: Cassie Clark

By Jason Carrillo, Communications Intern This month we are proud to introduce our newest public historian: Cassie Clark! Cassie grew up in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, a mountainous dune-decorated region...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

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Utah History Month

We are kicking-off 2022 with Utah History Month, an opportunity to share ways in which you can engage with our team at State History and our partners through many resources.  ·        ...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “USHS at 125 Speaker Series”

USHS at 125 Speaker Series

In commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Utah State Historical Society, we are offering a series of monthly presentations or roundtables beginning January and culminating in August 2022. The...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “Meet Bernard Augustine DeVoto”

Meet Bernard Augustine DeVoto

The Most Famous Ogdenite You’ve Probably Never Heard Of By Scott L. Greenwell “The chief glory of every people arises from its authors”[*]                                                             ~Samuel Johnson Ask anyone in Ogden...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “FY23 Budget Requests for the Division of State History”

FY23 Budget Requests for the Division of State History

By Jennifer Ortiz, Director As we start this new year, we are grateful for our funding requests included in Governor Cox’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget. If successful, these requests will...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Ash Creek County Wagon Road

Prepared by Lindsey M. Evenson, Jennifer Bannick, and Everett Bassett of Transcon Environmental, Inc. for Washington County Water Conservancy District. This discussion of Washington County’s historic wagon road through Ash...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “2021 Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program Report”

2021 Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program Report

No excerpt...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

UCSS Forms Preview

Below you will find the forms we require to be signed when you start as an active site steward. Don’t worry about filling these out now, that will be taken...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah Cemetery Interactive Map”

Utah Cemetery Interactive Map

By Amy Barry, Utah Cemeteries Program Manager Cemeteries and burial sites are home to amazing histories. Each burial has a story of the individual. Each cemetery has a story about...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Let That Brick Breathe!

By Amber Anderson, SHPO Tax Credit Coordinator Did you know that historic masonry is meant to breathe? Whether it be brick, stone, or another type of masonry unit, masonry is...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Bettye Gillespie: A Civil Rights Leader”

Bettye Gillespie: A Civil Rights Leader

by Cassie Clark, Ph.D., Public Historian Feature photo of Bettye Gillespie from the Hill Top Times, 1979, Utah Digital Newspapers, Digital Library Services Department, J. Willard Marriot Library at the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “This Is My Story: Q&A with Pastor Henry McAllister”

This Is My Story: Q&A with Pastor Henry McAllister

Editors’ Note: The latest issue of Utah Historical Quarterly (winter 2022) details the long history in Utah of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a predominantly African American Pentecostal...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Keynote

TBA...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Plenary

TBA...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Full Conference Program

TBA...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah Women at Work: Introducing the Women’s History Month 2022 Theme”

Utah Women at Work: Introducing the Women’s History Month 2022 Theme

By Cassie Clark, Ph.D., Public Historian It is no surprise that the survival and growth of cultures are dependent on the efforts of all members of society. In Utah, women’s...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Interdisciplinary Poster Session

2022 Utah History Conference Water at the Confluence of Past & Future The moment is ripe to bring interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on the place of water in our society—and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “Stewardship Updates December 2021”

Stewardship Updates December 2021

We gave out some fun awards in recognition of the fantastic first year of our program. Lucky Horseshoe Award – Tim Gittins During one of his site visits, Tim popped not...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Stewardship Updates January 2022”

Stewardship Updates January 2022

Moving into 2022 we have several goals to help direct the course of our program this year. One – Steward Retention and Appreciation Two – To continue to emphasize to the general...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Celebrate Archaeology and Historic Preservation with these great events”

Celebrate Archaeology and Historic Preservation with these great events

Welcome to Utah’s Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month! Every year the Utah State Historic Preservation Office rounds up the very best events so that YOU can get to know the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Visit Sites with Respect

Written by Elizabeth Hora, Public Archaeologist Let me start off by saying thank you. You opened up this page to learn more about how you can protect the past, and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Thinking About Geographic Names in Utah

Editors’ note: This is part of a series of short essays designed to understand historical markers, monuments, and place names in historical and contemporary perspective. By Arie Leeflang The stories behind names...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Understanding Ancient Life At Utah Lake: The Culture-History of the Smith Family Archaeological Preserve

It can be hard to look at thousand year old artifacts and gather a sense of what life was like for people. But for archaeologist Elizabeth Hora, that’s the fun...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah Women at Work in the Legal Field”

Utah Women at Work in the Legal Field

by Cassie Clark, Public Historian Women in the United States have long overcome obstacles designed to prevent them from working in the public sphere. During the 1800s, men, and some...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Governor Cox Encourages Everyone To Pledge to Protect the Past

Every year beginning around Spring Break, the state kicks off the annual “archaeological vandalism” season with a bang. In 2021, we had at least two instances of archaeological resource crime...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Celebrate National Libraries Week 2022!

April 3 – 9 is National Libraries Week, and we’re celebrating by honoring Utah’s Carnegie Libraries! We often take for granted our local libraries and all the good things they...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

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Fix Your Wood Windows Blog

Windows on historic buildings are an important mark of the architectural character. While this is obvious for decorative or stained glass windows, it can be equally true for buildings with...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Utah SHPO Leaves State History on May 4th

In 2022 the Utah legislature passed House Bill 350, which removes the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) from under the umbrella of the Utah Division of State History (UDSH)...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Arrowhead Trail (aka Old US-91 Highway)

Prepared by Lindsey M. Evenson, Jennifer Bannick, and Everett Bassett of Transcon Environmental, Inc. for Washington County Water Conservancy District. This discussion of the Old US-91/Arrowhead Trail through northeastern Washington...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Bringing War Home: Object Stories and Community Memory of Modern War”

Bringing War Home: Object Stories and Community Memory of Modern War

By Susan Grayzel, Ph.D. and Molly Boeka Cannon, Ph.D. You decide to tackle that long-postponed task—going through the boxes of material moved from your grandparents’ home into your basement.  When...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “Meeting Florence and Flo: History and Friendship in the Old and New Wests”

Meeting Florence and Flo: History and Friendship in the Old and New Wests

By Richard L. Dana It was January 1, 2015, and Marianne Sezon, my wife, was taking the oath of office as the first female judge from a small rural county...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Holly George

Featured image for “<strong>Using Visual Art in Historical Research</strong>”

Using Visual Art in Historical Research

By Jessica Breiman, Special Collections Digital Archives Librarian, University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library The digital exhibition Mining the West: Primary Elements began as a loose collaborative experiment in...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Who is Edith Chapman? Utah’s early LGBTQ+ History in a Salt Lake City House

By Kelsey Neeley, Salt Lake Community College A charming yet unassuming house in Salt Lake City is just one historic property that contributes to the East Side Historic District, and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Welcome our new UCSS Assistant Coordinator!

Matthew (he/him) joins the SHPO team as the new Assistant Coordinator for the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) program. He comes into this job with extensive experience in public relations,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “The Uranium Boom and Free Enterprise”

The Uranium Boom and Free Enterprise

By Nate Housley During the uranium boom of the 1950s, thousands of would-be prospectors flooded into the “four corners” region of the Colorado Plateau hoping to strike it rich. The...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Don’t Burn Down History!

As we enter yet another fire season, we all know the destruction that fires can have on air quality, watersheds, and even personal property and sadly human life and safety....
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Papers

2018 Theme – Conflict and Compromise in History The 1936 Olympics: From a Spark to a FlameHannah Dooley – Senior Nancy Wake: The White Mouse – Heroine of WWIIRemington Minor...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Raising Recognition of Utah’s Latino Community & Places

Written by Christopher Merritt, State Historic Preservation Officer Leer in Español The rich historical legacy of Utah’s Latino residents can be difficult to find. Few of the Latino community’s physical...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Yee Yen: The Most Famous Embezzler of Salt Lake City’s Old Chinatown

Jackson Keys, Undergraduate Student at Brigham Young University, Department of History Wanted: Yee Yen On February 22, 1897, an etching of a Chinese man named Yee Yen appeared in the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Don’t Squish the Cake

Or Why to Avoid Hardware Store Mortar While Repairing Historic Masonry By Jansen Bennett, Historical Architect Like any good blog on historic mortar, I’m going to start by discussing cake. ...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Aumento del reconocimiento de la comunidad y los lugares latinos de Utah

Por Christopher Merritt, oficial de Preservación Histórica del Estado de Utah División de Historia del Estado de Utah Read in English. El rico legado histórico de los residentes latinos de...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Pintura Ditch

Prepared by Lindsey M. Evenson, Jennifer Bannick, and Everett Bassett of Transcon Environmental, Inc. for Washington County Water Conservancy District. This discussion of the Pintura Ditch and Washington County irrigation,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah History: Building Connections Throughout the State”

Utah History: Building Connections Throughout the State

Founded in 1897, July 2022 marked the 55th anniversary of the Utah Division of State History and the 125th year since the organization’s creation. Approaching these milestones, we at the...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Call for Proposals: Public Health in Utah and the American West”

Call for Proposals: Public Health in Utah and the American West

Special Issue of Utah Historical Quarterly Guest Editor: Dr. Benjamin Cater, Associate Dean, Foundational Explorations, and Associate Professor of History, Point Loma Nazarene University Utah Historical Quarterly is planning a roundtable conversation for...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

Featured image for “Remembering Olivia and Juanita, Me, You, and the <em>UHQ</em>”

Remembering Olivia and Juanita, Me, You, and the UHQ

By David Rich Lewis Olivia Coombs was dead. George Wood shot her and her daughter, Emily, on July 28, 1862, in Cedar City, Utah Territory, and then beat them with...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Kevin Fayles

Featured image for “Latina Legislators Make History”

Latina Legislators Make History

By Katherine Kitterman Women’s representation in politics continued to increase in the latest midterm elections, and Utah’s state legislative session is now underway with a record number of 27 female...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Katherine Kitterman

History Ambassador

The History Ambassador program is designed to be a cohorted experience geared towards current university and college students, or those transitioning careers. The Ambassador program is a year-long program for...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Award Nominations

2023 Outstanding Achievement Awards Now Being Accepted! The Utah Division of State History’s annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to history, prehistory or historic...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah History Conference Changes”

Utah History Conference Changes

Why We Are Changing the Utah History Conference By Jennifer Ortiz, Director, Utah Division of State History After lengthy discussions with our board, staff, and community members, we’ve decided to...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “Happy Birthday Utah Division of State History”

Happy Birthday Utah Division of State History

Happy 126th birthday to the Utah Division of History! We know, we look great for our age. Throughout the past several decades of preserving and sharing Utah’s past, our division...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “Meet Our History Ambassadors”

Meet Our History Ambassadors

Interested in public history, but aren’t sure where to start? Consider an internship or career shadowing opportunity with us! Whether you are looking for a one-year commitment, career shadowing, or...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “State History’s New Look And Feel”

State History’s New Look And Feel

A note from Director Jennifer Ortiz After six months of design research and working with our Marketing & Communications team, we are delighted to reveal the Utah Historical Society’s (formerly...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Digitally Translating History: My Utah Historical Society Internship”

Digitally Translating History: My Utah Historical Society Internship

By: Maddison Tenney, Women’s History Initiative Intern for Winter 2023. Tenney is a graduate from BYU who is now attending Harvard Divinity School. She loves women’s history, throwing ceramics, and...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Dr. Cynthia Furse: Inventor & Engineer”

Dr. Cynthia Furse: Inventor & Engineer

This blog post is based on an interview between Dr. Cynthia Furse and Carly Bagley, a state employee for the Utah Historical Society. We’ve included additional resources at the end...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Rio Tinto Kennecott donates $10 million to Museum of Utah ”

Rio Tinto Kennecott donates $10 million to Museum of Utah 

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 10, 2023—As part of its 120th-anniversary celebration, Rio Tinto Kennecott announced a donation of $10 million for the Museum of Utah, which is currently being built...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

eweist

Featured image for “UHS Ambassador Helps Audit Markers And Monuments Database”

UHS Ambassador Helps Audit Markers And Monuments Database

This blog was written by Kyler, a UHS Ambassador who has been working closely with the Women’s History Initiative. In our task of auditing the Utah Monuments and Markers Database,...
Last updated: March 13, 2026

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah History Explorers Additional Resources”

Utah History Explorers Additional Resources

Updated: 11/13/2025 Thank you for being a member of Utah History Explorers! Below are a few additional resources and materials to help enhance your experience. Please note: there are resources...
Last updated: March 4, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “Utah History Explorers Adventure Kit Download”

Utah History Explorers Adventure Kit Download

Updated: 11/13/2025 Welcome to Utah History Explorers! Did you know Utah is getting its first-ever state history museum? This adventure kit is going to give you a sneak peek at...
Last updated: March 4, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “The Utah Historical Society announces generous $1 million gift from prominent foundation in support of the Museum of Utah”

The Utah Historical Society announces generous $1 million gift from prominent foundation in support of the Museum of Utah

The Utah Historical Society announces a generous $1 million gift from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation in support of the Museum of Utah. The Museum is set...
Last updated: March 3, 2026

Haille VanPatten

Featured image for “Utah Historical Society 2026 Annual Awards Ceremony Recap”

Utah Historical Society 2026 Annual Awards Ceremony Recap

The Utah Historical Society’s annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to history, historic preservation, community history and scholarship in Utah. Whether these efforts are...
Last updated: February 2, 2026

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Preserving Utah’s Legacy: Utah Historical Society Announces 2025 Award Recipients

Updated: 12/9/25 The Utah Historical Society, a division of the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2025 Annual Awards. These awards...
Last updated: December 9, 2025

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2025 Perspectives Speaker Series: Utah’s WWII Experience

Updated: Oct. 31, 2025 What was Utah’s World War II experience? The Utah Historical Society’s 2025 Perspectives Speaker Series will explore this question from a variety of viewpoints, linking past...
Last updated: October 31, 2025

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Featured image for “The Stonewall Legacy in Utah | Civic Season 2025”

The Stonewall Legacy in Utah | Civic Season 2025

Updated Sept. 19, 2025, with the help of Connell O’Donovan. The New York City police raid on the Stonewall Inn, located on Christopher Street, on June 28, 1969, ignited a...
Last updated: September 19, 2025

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Help Us Update Utah’s Markers and Monuments Database

The Utah Historical Society takes seriously its legislative mandate under Utah Code 9-8-203(3) to maintain a record of the state’s monuments and markers. We manage a public-facing database that provides...
Last updated: September 4, 2025

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Driving History Forward: Utah Historical Society Acquires The Mormon Meteor III For State Collection

Press advisorySept. 3, 2025  The Utah Historical Society announces its largest artifact for display in the Museum of Utah — the iconic Mormon Meteor III land speed racer. The custom-built...
Last updated: September 4, 2025

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Amplifying Utah’s Literary Voices: A Legacy of Creativity and Community

By Camille Critchfield, Utah Historical Society Oral History and Women’s History Ambassador Utah’s literary history is rich with the voices of women who have shaped both culture and community through...
Last updated: July 29, 2025

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Utah During The Great Depression

A curated reading list. Last updated July 7, 2025. To understand Utah during the Great Depression, we must understand how individuals, businesses, and government responded to the most severe economic...
Last updated: July 14, 2025

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The First Utahns

A curated reading list. Last updated July 7, 2025. Archeological evidence suggests that Utah has been home to human beings since 11,000 BC. Utah’s first people, the Paleoindians, lived in...
Last updated: July 7, 2025

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Economics In Utah 

A curated reading list. Last updated July 7, 2025. Arrington, Leonard F. “Utah and the Depression of the 1890’s.” Utah Historical Quarterly 29, no. 1 (January 1961): 2–18. During the...
Last updated: July 7, 2025

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Film In Utah

A curated reading list. Last updated July 7, 2025. First invented in the late nineteenth century as silent “moving pictures,” movies became popular in the world of entertainment in the...
Last updated: July 7, 2025

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The Asian American Experience In Utah

A curated reading list. Last updated July 7, 2025. The Asian American experience in Utah is a complex one. Much of the scholarship dedicated to Asian American histories in Utah,...
Last updated: July 7, 2025

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Civil Rights Act and Desegregation in Utah | Civic Season 2025

On July 2, 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. stood slightly to the right of Lyndon B. Johnson watching the president sign into law civil rights legislation that he and many...
Last updated: July 1, 2025

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National History Day Contest | 2025 Recap

On June 6-13, 2025, 63 students represented Utah at the 2025 National History Day contest, competing alongside 3,000 students from 58 state and international affiliate programs. The rigorous academic competition...
Last updated: June 26, 2025

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Featured image for “Bridging Worlds: Beth Ann Stewart Campbell and Interpreting for the Deaf | Civic Season 2025”

Bridging Worlds: Beth Ann Stewart Campbell and Interpreting for the Deaf | Civic Season 2025

Based on the work of Jodi Becker Beth Ann Stewart Campbell was bilingual from the start. Her parents, Zelma and Arnold Moon, grew up together, attending the Utah School for...
Last updated: June 11, 2025

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Featured image for “Sparks of Celebration: A look at Utah’s firework traditions | Civic Season 2025”

Sparks of Celebration: A look at Utah’s firework traditions | Civic Season 2025

One of the most iconic ways to end a full day of Fourth of July activities is a good old-fashioned firework show. The flashes, booms, and whiffs of smoke have...
Last updated: June 11, 2025

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Pioneer Day: Celebrating the State of Utah  | Civic Season 2025

July 24 is celebrated annually in Utah as Pioneer Day, an official state holiday. Though the holiday is often understood as commemorating one specific moment in Utah’s history, the celebration...
Last updated: June 11, 2025

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Juneteenth Commemorations in Utah | Civic Season 2025

On Juneteenth, Americans remember the end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, the news of emancipation finally reached Galveston, Texas, where an estimated 250,000 enslaved Black...
Last updated: June 4, 2025

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26th Amendment: Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote | Civic Season 2025

Jennings Randolph started a three-decade crusade as a West Virginia congressman to lower the voting age from 21 to 18. His first attempt at an amendment to the Constitution was...
Last updated: June 1, 2025

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Featured image for “Loving Day and the End of Utah’s Interracial Marriage Ban | Civic Season 2025”

Loving Day and the End of Utah’s Interracial Marriage Ban | Civic Season 2025

On the eve of the 1963 state legislative session, the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) and Utah Citizens Organization for Civil Rights (UCOCR) hosted a chow mein dinner fundraiser at...
Last updated: June 1, 2025

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Utah’s Own Betsy Ross | Civic Season 2025

You may know the story of Betsy Ross, even though historians debate whether she was really the one to sew the first American flag as we know it today. What’s...
Last updated: June 1, 2025

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Zitkála-Šá: Creating Impact through Creativity  | Civic Season 2025

On June 2, 1924, the United States Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act. Many Americans lobbied and advocated for this legislation, which finally granted Native Americans United States citizenship. One...
Last updated: June 1, 2025

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Guest Blog | Canyon Connections: Linking History, Horticulture, and Community

Written by: Lynsey Nielson, interpretation and exhibits manager, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum Nestled at the mouth of the canyon that shares our name, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum is...
Last updated: May 8, 2025

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National History Day in Utah 2025 State Contest Results and Recap

On April 24-25, 2025, the Utah Historical Society was honored to host 457 students in grades 4-12 at the 44th annual National History Day in Utah State Contest, held at...
Last updated: May 8, 2025

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Guest Blog: Exploring the Japanese American stories in Brigham City Museum

Written by Wendy Ogata Utah’s hardscrabble Mormon pioneer history is a well-documented story. A new exhibit at the Brigham City Museum of Art & History delves into the lesser-known accounts...
Last updated: May 5, 2025

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Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation Announces Generous Gift to the Museum of Utah

A joint press release between the Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation and The Utah Historical Society Salt Lake City, UT (Mar. 19, 2025) – The Larry H. &...
Last updated: March 19, 2025

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The Utah Historical Society Recognizes Women’s History Month in March

As Women’s History Month approaches, it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women in Utah and beyond who have made an impact on us in the...
Last updated: March 4, 2025

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Peoples of Utah Revisited Researcher Highlight | Mary Langworthy

Interview conducted by Jordan Kiyak, research outreach coordinator for the Utah Historical Society We are thrilled to start introducing various researchers who have spent the last two years working on...
Last updated: February 4, 2025

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Oral History Spotlight: Courtland Nelson and the 2002 Winter Olympics

Written by Carly Bagley, public historian, and Monique Davila, community engagement coordinator, for Utah Historical Society. In 2024, the International Olympic Committee announced that Utah would once again host the...
Last updated: January 10, 2025

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Behind the Scenes: The Researchers of Peoples of Utah Revisited

By: Jordan Kiyak, research outreach coordinator for the Utah Historical Society For the last year and a half, our team has been hard at work recruiting and facilitating research for...
Last updated: December 10, 2024

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Martha’s Journey To Washington

By Eliza Carr, public historian for the Utah Women’s History Initiative After a four-year delay, a statue of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon has taken its place in the National Statuary...
Last updated: December 3, 2024

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The Power of Place: How the Nettie Gregory Center Brought a Community Together

By Monique Davila, community engagement coordinator for the Utah Historical Society. Through the Peoples of Utah Revisited, the Utah Historical Society seeks to widen the lens on Utah’s history and...
Last updated: October 31, 2024

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National History Day In Utah Recognizes Teachers Of The Year

National History Day in Utah is thrilled to announce two outstanding educators who have been named our 2024 Mike Johnson Teachers of the Year.  James Romrell, from Lakeridge Junior High,...
Last updated: August 12, 2024

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Apply to Participate in a Salt Lake City Youth250 Workshop

Calling institutional leaders and Gen Z individuals: You are invited to apply to participate in our Youth250 workshop, to inform the Gen Z-driven strategy for how American institutions commemorate and observe...
Last updated: July 2, 2024

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Utah Civic Season Reflects On The 60th Anniversary Of The Civil Rights Act

Authored by: Tamara N. Stevenson, Ed.D. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is an important example of how social, political, and economic differences may be examined to create beneficial outcomes...
Last updated: June 28, 2024

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UHS Launches Inaugural Member Month This Summer

Join The Utah Historical Society in August for our inaugural Member Month. We are hitting the road to host events across the state (see dates below) and everyone is invited!...
Last updated: June 27, 2024

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Featured image for “National History Day In Utah: Highlights From The 50th Annual National Contest”

National History Day In Utah: Highlights From The 50th Annual National Contest

On June 9–13, 59 Utah students competed in the 50th Annual National History Day Contest in Washington, D.C. During the week-long competition, Utah students presented their work to judges and...
Last updated: June 25, 2024

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UHS Staff Favorites From Our Collection

Utah’s history comes to life in our collection through a vast array of treasures. At the core of our mission to foster curiosity about the past, inform the present, and...
Last updated: June 18, 2024

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Celebrate Women’s History Month In Utah

Women’s history matters all the time, but this March we’re highlighting the women who shape the Beehive State! We’re so excited to kick off a month full of history and...
Last updated: February 13, 2024

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “UHS Launches Youth Advisory Council”

UHS Launches Youth Advisory Council

Join the Youth Advisory Council for its inaugural year! The Utah Historical Society is looking to gather feedback from Utah’s Gen Z community in an effort to ensure our organization’s...
Last updated: February 7, 2024

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “See your memorabilia in the forthcoming Museum of Utah”

See your memorabilia in the forthcoming Museum of Utah

Jan. 31, 2024 – The Utah Historical Society requests donations to the Celebrations gallery. The Museum of Utah is slated to open in 2026 on Utah’s Capitol Complex under the...
Last updated: January 31, 2024

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “The Utah Historical Society Recognizes 2023 History Award Winners”

The Utah Historical Society Recognizes 2023 History Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2023 History Award recipients. The Utah Historical Society’s annual awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to history, historic preservation, community history and...
Last updated: January 19, 2024

Alycia Rowley

Featured image for “Utah museums partnership receives prestigious NEH grant”

Utah museums partnership receives prestigious NEH grant

We are thrilled to share that, in a competitive process, the Utah Historical Society has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in partnership with the...
Last updated: January 17, 2024

Alycia Rowley