In late 1942, Governor Maw issued a proclamation to create the Department of War History and Archives within the Utah State Historical Society.1 Thus began a sustained effort to gather, compile, and memorialize all those from Utah who served in the wars of the twentieth century. At first, records were kept by the Adjutant General, until the Graves Registration Act …
Our Records Center Home: The History of Freeport Center
Written by Jim Duke, Utah State Archives and Records Service, Records Center Archival Technician The Utah State Archives and Records Service (Archives) Records Center stores inactive files for our state and local government agencies. For nearly 40 years, the Archives leased warehouse space in West Valley City to house these records. When it reached its storage capacity and outgrew the …
For the Record: Lilly E. Gray
Among the obelisks, monuments, and statues of the Salt Lake City Cemetery is a rather unusual headstone inscription: “Lilly E. Gray / June 6, 1881 – November 14, 1958 / Victim of the Beast 666.” The plot on the far northeastern side of the cemetery attracts visitors from all over, many on guided tours of the ghostly and paranormal. But …
Looking back on the Labor Commission
Guest post by Archives and Records Service volunteer Dani Newton. I came to volunteer at the Utah State Archives and Records Service through a class I took this semester at Salt Lake Community College. We were required to spend a few hours every week at an archives and help with any projects. I also had to pick my own research …
Official Record With a Joke on the Inside
Usually you wouldn’t expect to find humor in official records, but when it comes to a small town where everyone knows everyone else, a few inside jokes are bound to slip in. This birth certificate documents the birth of Albert Bonelli in Tooele in 1906. The form was filled out by the local registrar, John Tate, who obviously had a …
America Comes to the War, 1917
As many probably already know, 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the United States entering the Great War, later known as World War I. Our country was forever changed by the events of the Great War. Today’s social, cultural, economic, and political landscapes can be attributed in part to those events. Over the next year and a half, the Utah …
Japanese Internment in Utah
AFTERSHOCKS OF PEARL HARBOR When Japanese forces attacked the U.S. naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, a chain of events was set in motion that would permanently alter the directions of each country and its citizenry. Pearl Harbor led to direct U.S. involvement in World War II, drawing millions of U.S. […]
Ogden Police Department Arrest and Jail Record Books Online
The Utah State Archives is pleased to announce that an assortment of arrest and jail record books from the Ogden Police Department have been digitized and are now available online for public access. These record books, dating from 1902 to 1941, document arrests made, and prisoners held, by the Ogden City Police Department. Arrest Record Books and Record of Prisoners Books include: …
Design and Construction of the Utah State Capitol
Utah Archives Month is nearing its end for 2016, and the Utah State Archives is ending its month-long focus on the Utah State Capitol with information on two new additions to the Digital Archives that help tell the story of how the Capitol Building was designed and constructed. Beginning in 1909, the Capitol Commission initiated a design competition for the purpose …
The Capitol That Almost Was: The Board of Commissioners on Capitol Grounds, 1888-1896
The Utah State Archives holds records of the Capitol Grounds Commission, including minutes and financial records. These records document the virtually forgotten efforts to construct a territorial capitol in the early 1890s. With the 100th anniversary of the State Capitol dedication being celebrated this month, it is interesting to look at this earlier attempt to erect a home for government …