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 years of professional and avocational archaeological experience under their belts. This includes helping to organize their first site stewardship program …
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 to be an archaeologist, what kinds of things archaeologists in Utah study, or if you just want to learn something …
Sneak Peek at Utah’s Cultural Site Steward Program
Thanks for your interest in the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program (UCSS) managed by the Utah Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).. If you’re here, you probably already know that Utah’s archaeological sites are under threat of damage from human and natural causes, and you may already be familiar with what site …
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 (UCSS) training and recruiting. The UT-SHPO would administer this sub-grant, to be awarded in amounts no greater than $5,000 per …
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 canyons, mesas, and mountains, is unsurpassed in its beauty and remoteness. The spectacular “cliff dwellings” hidden in this landscape are …
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 treasures you can find around the State. Besides the over 1200 buildings individually listed on the National Register of Historic …
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 celebration of archaeological stewardship… and this year will be our biggest event yet! We’re hosting a virtual event to keep …
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 the generation of hydroelectric energy. The area in and around the current boundary of 42SL102 contains the remains of the …
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 reason—a potential nuclear war. During the early years of the Cold War, many American families created underground bomb shelters fitted …
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 in August of 1888 to engage in the first large-scale joint training exercises west of the Mississippi River. Typically, each …
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 sandwiched between Trax lines, the Triad Center, and the Union Pacific Depot? Today, this Mansion and its well-kept grounds is …
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 from Interstate 15, though few recognize what it is and that is not natural but 19th century limestone quarries! Others …