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• More images from the State Historical Society Administrative Files can be found in our Digital Archives.

120 years have passed since the founding of the State Historical Society of Utah. Yet, the long-term vision of those original men and women can still be seen in the Society’s current iteration. According to the article “One Hundred Years at the Utah State Historical Society” by Gary Topping, “Letcher’s stated goals for the organization in the ‘Historical Society Call’ have a familiarly modern ring to them, for they anticipate, at least in embryonic form, some of the … major programs in our own day: … ‘the exploration and investigation of aboriginal monuments and remains’ (thus anticipating the Antiquities Section); collection and preservation of ‘manuscripts, documents, papers, and tracts of value’ (anticipating the Library); and dissemination of historical information and ‘inter-change of views and criticisms’ through scheduled meetings (anticipating the annual meetings … and perhaps even the Publications Section). Little imagination is required to foresee the Historic Preservation Section developing as an extension into the historical period of the concern for aboriginal sites (though historically the Historic Preservation Section would slightly precede the Antiquities Section).”

Housed within Utah’s Division of State History, the current state Historical Society is a “sister program to entities such as the State Historic Preservation Office, the Antiquities program, and Utah History Day. Today, the Utah State Historical Society continues to serve the people of Utah by publishing the Utah Historical Quarterly, hosting the annual history conference and other events, and serving as a vehicle to obtain and preserve artifacts for the state’s collection.”

You can visit the Utah State Historical Society website if you would like to join the Utah State Historical Society. You can also find more information regarding the Utah Historical Quarterly.

Citation: Gary Topping, "One Hundred Years at the Utah State Historical Society, Utah Historical Quarterly," Volume 65, Number 3, Summer 1972, Pages 209-210. Utah Division of State History, The Founding of the Utah State Historical Society, Utah Division of State History, 2017. Exhibit Home