Utah State History Conference Runs September 5-8

If you are interested in the history of Utah and the Intermountain West, consider participating in the 61st annual State History Conference. It is free and open to the public. No registration is required for workshops or regular sessions. This year’s field trip does require reservations and a registration fee.

Events will be held at various locations around Salt Lake City. The conference provided the information below.

Thursday, September 5, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, Rio Grande Depot, 300 S. Rio Grande Street, SLC

Workshops on family history research, incorporating geography into historical research, writing for the Utah Historical Quarterly, laws surrounding ancient human remains, and historical preservation consultation.

Thursday, September 5, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, Main Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 E. 400 South, SLC

Keynote Address, “The Making and Unmaking of Utah,” an illustrated presentation by Dr. Jared Farmer. People of different cultures shape their local environment in different ways, influenced by their societal values, their religious ideas, and their economic systems. Dr. Farmer’s presentation will bring to light unique and complex relationships between Utah’s historic landscapes and cultures—and how these past relationships still influence us today.

Friday, September 6, 9:00 am – 4:15 pm, Rio Grande Depot, 300 S. Rio Grande Street, SLC

• Session 1: Places of Amusement
• Session 2: Government and the Western Environment
• Session 3: Archaeology and Landscape
• Session 4: Salt Lake City Architecture
• Session 5: Making Place through Water Development
• Session 6: Exploration of Place
• Session 7: Brown-bag Movie
• Session 8: From Mansion to Modern: The Evolution of Place on South Temple Street
• Session 9: Immigrant Communities
• Session 10: Place Names
• Session 11: Culture and the Utah Diaspora
• Session 12: Utah and the World
• Session 13: Deep History in the Desert

Saturday, September 7, 9:00 am – 4:15 pm, Fort Douglas Officers Club, 150 S. Fort Douglas Blvd, SLC

• Session 1: The Workplace
• Session 2: Native-Anglo Interactions
• Session 3: Tourism in Utah
• Session 4:  The Old West
• Session 5: Final Resting Places
• Session 6:  Film and Utah’s Landscape
• Session 7: Walking Tour of Fort Douglas, meet at the Parade Ground Bandstand
• Session 8:  A Conversation with Past Directors of Utah State History/Utah State Historical Society
• Session 9:  Making Culture in Utah
• Session 10:  Ramrod, Utah’s 1947 Centennial Film
• Session 11:  Urban Resilience
• Session 12:  A New Deal for the Land

Bear River Massacre Field Trip: Sunday, September 8, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm

The Bear River Massacre: a day when many Fort Douglas soldiers and Shoshone tribe members lost their lives. The attack of a Shoshone Village on Bear River has created controversy over the years. To memorialize this controversial occasion, the Fort Douglas Museum offers a field trip to all history lovers, guided by Historian Ephraim Dickson III. The field trip will commence at the Fort Douglas Museum and participants will follow the route of the soldiers. A route starting at Fort Douglas and continuing till the Bear River Battle Site. This dramatic conclusion to the Utah History State Conference includes transportation, lunch and a field trip booklet.