Michael W. Johnson papers, 1865-2006

Michael W. Johnson, born in Illinois and raised in Arizona, first came to Utah in 1983 after receiving his bachelor's degree at Arizona State University. He enrolled at Utah State University to pursue a master's degree in history, which he completed in 1987. After graduation, he worked as an interpreter on the Jensen Living Historical Farm and later served as the director of the Utah State History Fair Program. This experience, coupled with his stint as a park ranger at Golden Spike National Monument, gave Johnson the experience to work as a historical and museum consultant. In this capacity, he helped museums such as the Ely Anderson Wagon and Carriage Museum and the Jensen Living Historical Farm to draft proposals, studies, and grants. Johnson was always an active historian. In the 1990s, he collaborated with Robert Parson and Daniel Stebbins to write A History of Daggett County: A Modern Frontier, an installment in the Utah Centennial County History Series. Johnson also had an interest in railroad history, an interest reflected in this collection. He died in February of 2007 after a battle with cancer.