Law in the Utah Territory

Jim Kichas History, Research Guides

UTAH’S FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY The first legislative assembly in Utah’s history was convened in Salt Lake City on September 22, 1851. Over the course of six months, 13 members of the Territorial Council and 26 members of the Territorial House of Representatives passed a series of acts and bills that formally codified the first laws of the Utah Territory. The Utah …

1907 Birth Certificates Available in Online Name Index

Gina Strack Digital Archives

Birth certificates issued by the Utah Office of Vital Records and Statistics in 1907 are now online and freely available to the public. The searchable index and digital images may be accessed from archives.utah.gov/research/indexes/81443.htm. In addition to identity and proof of citizenship, the registration of births assists with monitoring public health issues and the programs created to alleviate them. The …

Newly Processed: December 2014

Gina Strack Finding Aids

All public records at the Utah State Archives are accessible through the Research Center. However, once processed the records are easier to use with proper storage and fuller descriptions, including online series inventories. The following list includes record series that were processed during the month of December 2014: District Court (Second District : Davis County) Criminal case files, 1896- District …

Portraits of the SLC Fire Department

Jim Kichas Digital Archives, History, News and Events

RISING FROM THE ASHES Salt Lake City’s first professional fire department was born in October 1883 out of the ashes of a devastating fire that occurred in the heart of the city during the summer that same year. Prior to 1883, the city had relied on volunteer fire fighting services that were organized into local brigades around the city. The …

Newly Processed: October and November 2014

Gina Strack Finding Aids

All public records at the Utah State Archives are accessible through the Research Center. However, once processed the records are easier to use with proper storage and fuller descriptions, including online series inventories. The following list includes record series that were processed during the months of October-November 2014: Board of Pardons Utah Territorial Prison painting, 1887 Governor (1933-1941 : Blood) …

The Life and Crimes of Frank Treseder

Jim Kichas History

PROTECTING UTAH’S LAW ENFORCEMENT HISTORY There are few collections in the Utah State Archives as rich and colorful as those associated with law enforcement. Through these records the escapades of both cop and criminal play out, providing dramatic snapshots of historical moments that are often tinged with high drama, emotion, and periodic violence. In 2011, Salt Lake Tribune columnist, Robert Kirby approached the Utah …

A Monumental Controversy

Jim Kichas History, News and Events

In September 1996, President Bill Clinton made the controversial decision to draw on powers reserved to him by the 1906 Antiquities Act, and designate 1,880,461 aces of land in southern Utah as the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. But did you know that sixty years before federal officials were pondering the designation of a similar monument that would have dwarfed the area covered by today’s Grand Staircase?

Highway 89 Digital Collections

Jim Kichas Digital Archives, History, News and Events

The history of the American West is shaped and defined as much by its people as it is its landscapes. Nowhere is this more clear than in the winding path taken by Highway 89 as it rises from the low Sonoran desert at the U.S./Nogales border, passes over the Grand Staircase of southern Utah, weaves north past Yellowstone and Grand Tetons, before ending in the high Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park in Montana.

Such distinctive landscapes make for a powerful history worth preserving and sharing. With this thought in mind, the Utah State Archives is proud to announce our participation with other cultural heritage organizations across Utah and Northern Arizona to launch the Highway 89 Digital Collections Project.

Archives Month: Ann Torrence on U.S. Highway 89

Gina Strack History, News and Events

All Events for Utah Archives Month | RSVP on Facebook | Get Directions Thursday, October 24 at Noon U.S. Highway 89: The Scenic Route to Seven Western National Parks is a visual guide to seven of America’s favorite national parks, hometown events and quirky roadside attractions linked by U.S. 89. Scenic Highway 89 traces the stories of legendary trappers, missionaries …