Court Indexes Now Online for Weber County and Iron County

Gina Strack Digital Archives, Research, Research Guides

“Start your search—but don’t finish it—online.” Sunny Jane Morton and Judy G. Russell, “Researching Courthouse Records In-Person and Online” The Utah State Archives has a lot of court records. Before computer systems and databases, access tools were needed and created to locate a specific record. It was common from the 1800s to the late 1900s to use either bound index …

New Finding Aids at the Archives: May 2023

Gina Strack Finding Aids

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here is the newest one created during May 2023: Inventory of Eastonia (yearbook) from Salt Lake City School District (Utah). East High School, 1926- Inventory of Records of business transacted from Tooele County (Utah). County Commission, 1867-1888 Inventory of Declaration of Intention record books from District Court (First District : …

Inspiring students through the power of history over group of students photograph

Utah History Day 2023: History in Government Winners

Lauren Katz History, News and Events, Research

Every year in April, 4th through 12th grade students from across the state embark on a research project for Utah History Day, part of the larger National History Day contest. Students choose a historical topic related to the annual theme, and then conduct primary and secondary research in libraries, archives, and museums. The final projects are presented in one of five …

Building plan for Northeast Elementary school in Provo, UT dated October 23, 1963.

New Finding Aids at the Archives: April 2023

Gina Strack Finding Aids

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here is the newest one created during April 2023: Inventory of Council minutes from North Ogden (Utah), 1934-1999 Inventory of Building plans from Provo City School District (Utah), ca. 1930- Inventory of Registers of deaths from Huntington (Utah), 1905-1921 Inventory of Board meeting agendas from Morgan County School District (Utah), …

Authorized birds eye view of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909) Looking southeast toward Mt. Rainier. Denny Hall and Parrington Hall visible in the right foreground.

Highlights with Heidi: The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition

Heidi Stringham History, Research

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, also known as the AYP Exposition, was a world’s fair in Seattle, Washington, in 1909 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush. It attracted over three million visitors to the University of Washington campus and featured exhibits from countries around the globe, including the United States. One state that was particularly involved in the …

Photo by: George Edward Anderson. Used in "The Peoples of Utah" (1976).

Coal Correspondence: Inspector Gomer Thomas and the 1900 Scofield Mine Disaster

Guest Author Digital Archives, History, Research

This blog post was written by Jack Tingey, a 2023 Intern at the Utah State Archives and Records Service. Jack graduated from BYU with a BA in history and an emphasis on 19th century American history. On May 1, 1900, International Workers Day, Utah State Coal Mine Inspector Gomer Thomas searched through the wreckage of the Winter Quarters No. 4 Mine, …

Three boxes of records with an open steno graph notepad on top.

A Brief on Shorthand

Genesie Miller History, Research

People often use the word “shorthand” to refer to any manner in which they shorten their writing in order to write faster. For example, SMS systems on mobile phones in the late 1990s and early 2000s had strict character limits, charged fees for each message sent, and character input required multiple presses of keys on a very small keypad, which …

Photo of shorthand with a small doodle

New Finding Aids at the Archives: March 2023

Gina Strack Finding Aids

Our archivists write inventories as finding aids to describe records. Here is the newest one created during March 2023: Inventory of Resolutions from Provo (Utah). City Council, 1949- Inventory of Student tracking cards from Salt Lake City School District (Utah), 1954-1990 Inventory of Draft case transcripts from District Court (Fourth District : Uintah County), 1902-1947 Inventory of Information Practices Act …

Ann Eliza Webb: The Woman Who Divorced Brigham Young

Maren Peterson History, Research

The Utah State Archives and Records Service holds vital records for the state of Utah, including birth and death certificates, divorce records, and court records. Sometimes when perusing these records, an interesting story emerges. In a District Court Territorial Minutes book, Records and Information Management Specialist Maren Peterson unravels the story of Ann Eliza Webb suing her estranged husband, Brigham …