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 preservation makes your heart aflutter? Then we’ve got a great virtual line up for you!

May Brown Bag Speaker Series
Focus on Archaeology and Historic Preservation
Our favorite speaker series of the year is going digital! For years the Utah SHPO has brought you the Brown Bag Speaker Series every Wednesday at noon featuring well-known and up-and-coming Utah scholars. We’re continuing on this proud tradition while maintaining public health by inviting you to participate on Zoom. Log in, get your brown bag lunch ready, and munch away while you learn all about Utah’s history and archaeology!
- Jarvie Ranch Curriculum Project
- Utah’s Mining Heritage: You Want to Save that Rusty Stuff?
- Modern Applications for Detecting Fremont Sites in Utah Valley
- The Oljato Trading Post: Renewed Significance in the 21st Century

Virtual Education in Self Isolation
Focus on Archaeology and Historic Preservation
Every Tuesday and Thursday the staff of the State Historic Preservation Office take to Facebook to talk about their own areas of expertise in the realms of historic preservation and archaeology. We’ve had presentations on the archaeology of prison dumps here in Utah, why Utah’s early architecture has its distinctive flavor, how combating archaeological vandalism ties into world heritage resources, and more! We have an especially incredible line up selected for Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month events, click the image to learn more and we’ll see you Tuesdays and Thursdays on our Facebook!
- Early 20th Century Dissection Methods: A Case Study from the Early Years of the University of Utah’s School of Medicine
- How to Combat Vandalism
- Vital Records: The Demography of an Early 20th Century Medical School Anatomical Cadaver Collection
- Railroad Tie Cutting in the High Uintas, Part I
- Using XRF Obsidian Analysis to Reconstruct Prearchaic Mobility Patterns in the Great Basin
- Railroad Tie Cutting in the High Uintas, Part II
- What is Fremont? Part I
- Railroad Tie Cutting in the High Uintas, Part III
- What is Fremont? Part II

Utah’s Historic Architecture with Cory Jensen
Focus on Historic Preservation
Our resident expert on Utah’s historic architecture (and the National Register of Historic Places), Cory Jensen will whisk you away on a journey through time by examining the changing styles in Utah’s architecture. You may be spending a lot of time inside your own house, but you can tour some of Utah’s historic homes and buildings with us! Each and every Monday in May take a gander at our Facebook page to catch the latest episode.
Speaking Across Knowledges: A conversation about Indigenous ways of knowing and Western science on the Colorado Plateau
Focus on Archaeology and Indigenous Peoples
We’ve teamed up with KZMU Radio’s ScienceMoab for a one of a kind event! Tune in to KZMU at 11:30am on Friday May 8 for an interview with Jim Enote (Zuni) comparing Indigenous American and Western scientific approaches to understanding the natural world. Then at noon join us live on YouTube and Facebook as we ask Mr. Enote your questions about Indigenous ways of knowing the past. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and use the hashtag #indigenousknowledge to ask questions and join the conversation! You can find out more at our event page.
And, as always, check out our Event Calendar to learn about events hosted by our partner organizations. This year it may be worth calling ahead, as some events may be postponed or canceled in the interest of public health.
We can’t wait to see you all online for this month-long celebration of Utah Archaeology and Historic Preservation!