About the Utah History Encyclopedia

Acknowledgements | Advisory Committee | Contributing Authors

In the Utah History Encyclopedia, over two hundred contributors write about the individuals, organizations, locations, institutions, and topics important to Utah history. This landmark volume will provide an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of the state.

The authors, who have donated their time to this project as a gift to Utahns for the state's centennial celebration, comprise nearly all scholars of Utah history working both within and outside the state. For this website, 250 historical photographs from the Utah State Historical Society were researched and displayed in order to enhance the resources available in the original book.

The Utah History Encyclopedia and the Utah Collections Multimedia Encyclopedia were under the original project management of Paul E. Burrows and Rosemary Tanner, Media Solutions, University of Utah. Maintenance of the sites are now managed by the Utah Education Network-UEN. This website's original design was by Ciming Mei, Media Solutions, University of Utah.

The Utah History Encyclopedia is the first complete history of Utah in encyclopedia form, consisting of 575 articles and over 200 historic photographs.

Originally published by the University of Utah Press in 1994.

Edited by Allan Kent Powell, former Public History Coordinator at the Utah State Historical Society.

Funded in part by the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission.

The hard cover book was converted into digital form and re-published as this website as part of the Utah Collections Multimedia Encyclopedia Project.

In the Utah History Encyclopedia, over two hundred contributors write about the individuals, organizations, locations, institutions, and topics important to Utah history. This landmark volume will provide an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of the state.

The authors, who have donated their time to this project as a gift to Utahns for the state's centennial celebration in 1996, comprise nearly all scholars of Utah history working both within and outside the state. For this website, 250 historical photographs from the Utah State Historical Society were researched and displayed in order to enhance the resources available in the original book.

Want to find more information about Utah's history, geography, cultures, art, and natural history?

Visit our companion website, the Utah Collections Multimedia Encyclopedia.

The UCME repository houses over 6700 digital videos, audio clips, images, maps, charts, and text entries for viewing and download.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A project of this magnitude would not be possible without the efforts and support of many people. The two hundred and seventy historians and writers who have contributed their time and donated their articles to the project deserve special thanks.

We have listed their names alphabetically [in the page enetitled "Contributing Authors"] as well as individually at the end of each article. Each author responded graciously and generously, even in many cases when it was necessary to ask them for additional help with other articles.

Particular thanks is extended to the Advisory Committee members. They not only helped launch the effort in the right direction, but also contributed generously as authors. Special mention needs to be made of the efforts of John S. McCormick to develop the concept of the encyclopedia and convince Max J. Evans, Director of the Utah State Historical Society, and David Catron, then Director of the University of Utah Press, of the necessity and feasibility of such a project. They then were willing to commit the resources of their institutions to its successful completion.

The constant encouragement and enthsiasm for the project of Nana Anderson, who became Director of the University of Utah Press in 1991, left no doubt as to its importance and was a source of strength in pushing it forward to completion. Similar support also came from the rest of the University of Utah Press staff, including Jeff Grathwohl, Norma Mikkelsen, and Rodger Reynolds. Rodger's talents were especially important in keeping us to our production schedule, and in designing and laying out the book.

He also arranged for the services of Richard A. Firmage. Richard, a freelance editor was hired to read and edit the entire manuscript for style and content; he then was asked to cull the Utah State Historical Society photograph collection for the photographs included in this volume. His attention to detail and willingness to raise questions when things were unclear or to ask for essential information that was not initially furnished has added immeasurably to the quality of the encyclopedia.

My heartfelt appreciation is also extended to the Division of State History staff, who have assisted and supported the project in many ways. Director Max J. Evans made the encyclopedia a high priority in a division with many priorities: I trust that the project will be judged one of the significant accomplishments of his administration.

Tricia Smith-Mansfield, as assistant director and program manager under whom the project was carried out, not only contributed one of the entries, but also showed encouragement and patience during the many months that the project required.

In the library, Linda Thatcher and Susan Whetstone were gracious and accommodating in providing access to materials and photographs and in arranging for the use of the photographs in the encyclopedia.

Most of the entries were typed into the computer system by Mary Peach. Division of State History staff who assisted with the project and who wrote articles include Craig Fuller, Jay Haymond, Martha Hayden, Stanford Layton, David Madsen, Miriam Murphy, Philip Notarianni, Mary Peach, Roger Roper, Linda Thatcher, and Tricia Smith-Mansfield.

Alan Kent Powell
Salt Lake City, Utah
1996

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS