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 looking for so you can move on with your research. Check out some of our most popular research tools and resources:

History

  • Publications Search – online access to all of State History’s publications, including back issues of Utah Historical Quarterly, all twenty-nine county histories, and the full set of Beehive HistoryUtah Preservation, and other periodicals
  • Utah History to Go – a comprehensive online course for Utah history, containing articles, exhibits, and historic photographs
  • I Love History – an engaging resource for kids and grade-school students
  • Oral History – a collection of resources designed to get you started on an oral history project and to apply for a grant offered jointly by Utah Humanities and the Utah Division of State History

Historic Preservation & Archeology

Collections and Databases

External resources

Research Libraries and Archives

Online Primary Sources

  • Utah Digital Newspapers – first statewide newspaper digitization program to pass 1 million pages in content, this site has papers ranging from the 1850s to 2010
  • Library of Congress – the research arm of Congress and the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts in its collections
  • Highway 89 Collection – online exhibit of photographs, manuscripts, and printed items
  • Western Waters Digital Library – digital collection of resources on water in the West
  • Utah American Indian Digital Archive – portal to digital resources about the history and culture of Utah’s native peoples
  • Ancestry – an online resource for family trees and related genealogical information, as well as historical photos and records

Museums and Other Local Resources

Oral Histories

The Southern Utah Oral History Project

Research Requests

We sometimes receive research requests and inquiries from press officers, historians, researchers, public and private organizations, and interested citizens. Although we cannot devote a great deal of time to these inquiries, we are happy to direct individuals and organizations to salient resources. On occasion, we are able to provide more involved research assistance. Let us know how we can assist by contacting:

Utah Historical Quarterly editors at uhq@utah.gov or (801) 245–7209 or (801) 245–7257

When information from our collections or from our editors is published or otherwise used in print or online, please use the source/courtesy line: Utah State Historical Society and/or Utah Historical Quarterly. Please also refer readers to our homepage: history.utah.gov/utah-state-historical-society/utah-historical-quarterly/.

Appreciate our services and collections? Love Utah History? Show your support by becoming a member of the Utah State Historical Society today by clicking here or by “liking” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UtahStateHistory.

Historical Resources for Grade School Students (see also Utah History Day)

Thank you for contacting Utah State History. The standard seventh-grade school text on Utah history is The Utah Journey, published by Gibbs Smith (http://digital.gibbssmitheducation.com/Utah_Journey/). For even younger students, we recommend State History’s website “I Love History” (ilovehistory.utah.gov) as an engaging resource for Utah history. A fun book for kids is Will Bagley and Pat Bagley’s This is the Place: A Crossroads of Utah’s Past (2001). High-school and college students would benefit from Thomas G. Alexander’s Utah, The Right Place (2003). An interesting blog on Utah history, suitable for 4th and 7th grade-age students, is “The Mystery of Utah History” (http://mysteryofutahhistory.blogspot.com/). The blog’s creator, Lynn Arave, was for many years a reporter for the Deseret News.

For additional resources, we highly recommend consulting State History’s homepage (history.utah.gov/) for a number of good links and resources (history.utah.gov/inquire-2/resources/). If you are interested in specific topics, events, or people in Utah history, visit “Utah History To Go” and our digitized collection of the Utah Historical Quarterly and other Utah State Historical Society publications at
history.utah.gov/utah-state-historical-society/utah-historical-quarterly/.

The Division of State History is proud to operate Utah History Day, the National History Day affiliate for Utah students in grades 4-12. History Day brings history to life for kids by giving them the tools to become amateur historians. Kids learn how to do real historical research, then create a final project that showcases their work. Projects are judged in a series of competitions that culminate in annual state and national contests. Visit our website (history.utah.gov/utah-history-day/) for history resources helpful to kids working on their projects. To contact the state coordinator, email utahhistoryday@gmail.com.