Alta Club records, 1883-1996

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Alta Club (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Title
Alta Club records
Dates
1883-1996 (inclusive)
Quantity
8 linear feet
Collection Number
MS 0388
Summary
The Alta Club records (1883-1996), contain historical, financial, membership and miscellaneous documents. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Alta Club has counted among its members many of Utah's movers and shakers.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Founded in 1883, thirty-six years after the arrival of Latter-day Saint pioneers and thirteen years before Utah was admitted to the Union, the Alta Club holds a unique place not only in the immediate community bit in the entire Intermountain West.

Organized as a social club, "to present the comforts and luxuries of a home together with the attraction to its members of meeting each other in a pleasant and social way," the Alta Club from its beginning attracted the financial, industrial and social leaders of the west. Since these members have been intimately involved with the subsequent growth of the area, the club itself has closely reflected changes in taste, economics, and habits of the area's people.

The genesis of the club was the mining industry which created an affluent non-Mormon society in territorial Utah. The leaders in that establishment and continuing development of the industry were the founders and early members of the club. The religious majority (LDS Church) were excluded from membership initially because of the Latter-day Saint/non-Latter-day Saint conflict which kept the territory divided into two worlds for half a century. Many members of the Alta Club played important roles in diminishing the bitterness of the conflict to a point which permitted the territory to become a state and to function politically under the national system. Intentionally or unintentionally the club served as one of the instruments of accommodation by gradually admitting to membership Latter-day Saint business leaders and thereby encouraging social interaction between the two worlds.

Along with many other industries and institutions the mining industry, long a major contributor to the affluence of the Alta Club, was hard hit by the depression of the 1930s. Consequently, the club suffered. During that time, however, new ways of club financing, including the installation of slot machines and the employment of Waldo L. (Wally) Stewart as club manager rescued the club and put it on sound footing.

Among the Alta Club's characteristics which have remained constant throughout its life is its policy of strict confinement to sociability. There have been no efforts to involve the organization in religious, political or social issues. The club celebrated its centennial in March of 1983, still the unchallenged bastion of men who have proven themselves successful in business, industry and the professions.

Note: Material for this organizational history was taken from The Alta Club: 1883-1974 by O. N. Malmquist, Salt Lake City, privately published in 1974.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Alta Club records (1883-1996), are divided into four categories: historical, financial, membership, and miscellaneous.

The historical section includes annual reports, 1886 and 1951-1982; minutes, 1910-1976; newsletters, 1977-1984; and a typescript and published copy of The Alta Club: 1883-1974 by O. N. Malmquist. This volume is a good history of the club's membership and activities until World War II. It is less informative about the succeeding years. The text is well written, the index useful and the photo section is excellent featuring both interior and exterior views of the club, homes of prominent members and portraits of the club's presidents, 1883-1974.

The financial materials are audit reports, 1927-1980 and receipts and disbursements, 1936-1964. These are useful for showing the sound financial management of the club particularly after Waldo Stewart became manager in 1936.

The membership section has a membership card file, 1883-1970s listing the member's date of election to membership, date of resignation or death, death notices, and listings of club presidents and their years of service in that capacity. Also included in this section are obituaries, 1886-1929. These obituaries are generally titled, "in memoriam," and included brief biographical sketches. Two membership directories from 1899 and 1918 are also contained in this section of the collection.

The miscellaneous section includes items dealing with the club's centennial celebration held in March of 1983; programs from testimonial dinners held for two members, circa 1930 and menu tickets for parties given by members in the 1970s.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Boxes 1-13, were donated in 1984 (7 linear feet).

Box 14, was donated in 1989 (0.5 linear feet).

Box 15 was donated in 2006 (0.5 linear feet).

Separated Materials

Photographs (P0254) and audio-visual materials (A0321) transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Processing Note

Processed by Nancy V. Young in 1984.

Addendum processed by Samuel J. Passey in 2006.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The Alta Club Annual Reports and HistoryReturn to Top

Box 1 contains the typescript of The Alta Club as well as a published copy of this book by O. N. Malmquist.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Volume
1 1
The Alta Club, 1883-1974
Published copy of the book by O. N. Malmquist.
1974
Folder
1 1-5
The Alta Club Typescript
1974
1 6
Forty-fifth Anniversary
1 7-7a
Annual Report
There are four pages in the report which appears to have the first one issued. There is a brief report from the Board of Directors, a list of members, property and assets report, and the secretary's report.
1886
1 8-11
Annual Reports
1951-1982
oversize-box
2
Minutes
1910-1928
Box
3
Minutes
1928-1953; 1957-1964
4
Minutes
1965-1976

NewslettersReturn to Top

The Alta Club Newsletter is published monthly. Each issue features a monthly calendar of club happenings, special events, and pictures of new members, usually information from reciprocal clubs, and (on occasion) profiles on staff and club members.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
5 1-3
Newsletters
Waldo L. (Wally) Stewart, club manager from 1936-1972 recalls incidents in the club's history in an article entitled, "'The Good Old days' (or, Were They?). See September 1977 issue.
1977
5 4
Newsletters
Arnold Larson is profiled in April 1980.
1980
5 5-6
Newsletter
The May 1981 issue features a 1960 letter that argued against replacing the original bar with one featuring chrome furniture and neon lights.
1981
5 7
Newsletters
Because this was the centennial anniversary for the club, there were several features of historical interest. The March issue describes the actual series of dinners and programs commemorating the club's founding. From April-December the following members were profiled: Clarence Bamberger (April), John M. Wallace (May), W. Prescott Dunn (June), Richard N. Hunt (August), Newell B. Dayton (September), Thomas Thompson Taylor (October), Frank B. Streator (November), and in December, the "Boy Scouts," Pete Ashton, Henry Dinwoodey, Paul Schettler and James E. "Cream" Steele.
1983

Financial MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
6
Finances - Audit Reports
1927-1980
7
Audit Reports
1980
8
Receipts and Disbursements
1936-1952
9
Receipts and Disbursements
1952-1960
10
Receipts and Disbursements
1960-1964

Member MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
11A
Membership - Card File
Approximately 1600 cards in alphabetical order beginning with charter members in 1883 and ending with those elected in the early 1970s.
1883-1970
oversize-box
12
Death Notices
500 cards in reverse chronological order with the most recent being placed first. Also included in this box are membership directories and obituaries
1899-1980

General MaterialsReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
13
Centennial Committees - Testimonial Dinners
The Centennial Committee Members were Paul Schettler, Jack Gallivan, Allan Hunter, Dick Harris, Committee Chairman Lloyd Snedaker, and Club Manager Bob Kendall. The minutes also mention gentlemen with the surnames of Kimball, Thomas, Goodman and Van Woerdon as attending committee meetings (no first names for these men are given).
1980-1982
14
Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit
1985-1987
15
V.I.P. Guest List, News Clippings, and Pamphlets
1970-1996

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Clubs--Utah--Salt Lake City--History--Sources

Form or Genre Terms

  • Annual reports
  • Audits
  • Biographies
  • Histories (literary works)
  • Membership lists
  • Memorabilia
  • Minutes (Records)
  • Newsletters