What is the Utah State Historical Society?
The Utah State Historical Society (USHS) is Utah’s official historical association, under Utah’s Division of State History. The USHS works in conjunction with the Utah State archives to collect material pertinent to Utah’s state history. The society also publishes Utah’s flagship academic journal, the Utah Historical Quarterly. Mormon Studies researchers will find a massive amount of material concerning the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the state government, including local municipalities.
Visiting the Research Center
The reading room in the Research Center for the Utah State Archives is currently open for appointment only. A patron must email historyresearch@utah.gov or call (801)-245-7227 to schedule an appointment.
What Researchers Should Know
- If a patron has questions about the collections in the archives, they can use the “Ask Us” feature to get customized help.
Utilizing the Library Digitally
The USHS and the state archives use an online library catalog to search for collections. The USHS has preserved and digitized over 300,000 images to be searched in their digital collections. They also provide a collection of digital exhibits.
Important Collections
Many of the collections owned and operated by the USHS and the Utah State archives are government documents. However, they also have unique manuscript collections that are incredibly useful to researchers.
- Widtsoe Family Papers, 1866-1966
- The Bennion Family Papers, 1842 – 1960
- The Kate Thomas Papers, 1871-1950
- Dancing as an aspect of Utah culture, 1949
- Deseret Hospital Association articles of association, circa 1882
- Ezra Taft Benson speeches, 1953-1986
- The new church plaza: a perspective from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints