UUM_P0160.xml Black people in Utah photograph collection Black people in Utah photograph collection Finding aid prepared by Mary Ann Curtis. J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections

2004, updated in 2025
295 South 1500 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 Business Number: 801-581-8863 special@library.utah.edu https://lib.utah.edu/collections/special-collections/index.php
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-03. Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. 2025 Revised by Special Collections Staff. J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Black people in Utah photograph collection Madsen, Steven K. P0160 0.25 linear feet 1 archives box 10 items circa 1860-1950 The Black people in Utah photograph collection contains individual and group photographs of members of the nineteenth-century Black community in Utah and their descendants. English

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.

Donated by Steven K. Madsen.

Arranged by subject.

The first recorded Black Americans to arrive in Utah Territory were fur trappers. In 1847, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled in the Salt Lake Valley. This group included at least 8 enslaved people and a family of four free Black Americans. The enslaved people included Oscar Crosby, Hark Lay, and Green Flake. The free Black people included Isaac and Jane Manning James and their family. By the time of the 1850 census, there were around 50 Black people recorded as living in the Utah Territory. At least 26 of them were enslaved and 24 were free men and women, though many of the people captured in this census were likely in route to California (Perlich 2002). The United States Congress made slavery legal in Utah Territory upon its establishment through the Compromise of 1850, and in 1852 the Utah territorial legislature formally legalized slavery through the Act in Relation to Service. The United States Congress abolished slavery in all United States territories on June 19, 1862. Throughout the 1860s, the Black population in Utah remained small, consisting of formerly enslaved people, converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and laborers (Perlich 2002).

After 1870, the Black population in Utah began to grow as individuals and families settled in the region for non-religious reasons. However, while the Black population grew steadily, it remained less than 0.5% of the total population of Utah between 1870 and 1950 (Perlich 2002). Many were brought to Utah by jobs in the railroad and mining industries or through the military. Like in other states, Black people in Utah often faced discrimination and violence. Black people who chose to settle in Utah built strong communities. In 1890, the Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in Salt Lake City, Utah—the first AME church in the state. By 1900, an African American Baptist church was established in Salt Lake City. Churches were often the center of social activities, and through them Black Utahns met for civic and social clubs and commemorative activities (Coleman 1993). During the 1890s, two newspapers, each representing different political orientations, were established: the Utah Plain Dealer (1895-1909) and the Broad Ax (1895-1899). These publications reported on local and national issues, including political and civil rights interests, and represent the range of different beliefs among Utah's early Black communities (Coleman 1993).

Sources: Coleman, R.G. (1993). African American Community and Politics, 1890–1910. Beehive History 19, 8-12.

Perlich, P. (2002). Utah Minorities: The Story Told by 150 Years of Census Data. University of Utah.

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

Processed by Special Collections staff. Scope and Contents and Historical Note updated by Special Collections staff in 2025, legacy finding aid available upon request.

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The Black people in Utah photograph collection consists of 10 black-and-white copy prints and corresponding copy negatives depicting members of Utah's Black community in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These images were collected by Steven K. Madsen between 1965 and 1979. Madsen developed an interest in the history of Black people in Utah during the United States Bicentennial celebrations.

The copy prints and negatives in this collection were likely produced by or on behalf of Madsen in the 1970s. The content of these images dates from approximately 1860-1950. The copy prints have identifications handwritten in pencil on the backs, perhaps by Madsen prior to donation as a result of his research.

Audio-visual materials were transferred to the Interviews with Black Utahns audio-visual collection (A0079) and Black Americans Oral Histories (A0326).

Manuscript materials were transferred to the Stephen K. Madsen collection on Blacks in Utah (ACCN 0689).

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.

 Madsen, Steven K. Bankhead, Daniel Freeman, 1854---Photographs Flake, Green, 1828-1903--Photographs James, Mary Ann, 1841-1917--Photographs Calvary Missionary Baptist Church (Salt Lake City, Utah)--Membership--Photographs African Americans--Utah--19th century--Photographs African American women--Utah--19th century--Photographs African American women--Utah--20th century--Photographs African Americans--Utah--20th century--Photographs Pioneers, Black--Utah--Photographs African American pioneers--Utah--Photographs African American Latter Day Saints--19th century--Photographs African American Latter Day Saints--20th century--Photographs African Americans--Religious life--Utah--Photographs black-and-white photographs Copy prints Group portraits Studio portraits Black people in Utah circa 1860-1950 1 1

P0160n01: Daniel Freeman Bankhead P0160n02: Lottie Campbell (sister of Sylvester Perkins and Mary Ann James). P0160n03: Mary Ann Perkins James, Black pioneer. Sister of Sylvester Perkins and wife of Sylvester James who was a member of the Nauvoo Legion and the son of Jane Manning James. P0160n04: Left, Martha J. Perkins Howell, granddaughter of Green Flake; center, Lucinda Flake Stevens, mother of Martha J. Perkins and Belle Oglesby, and daughter of Green Flake; right, Belle Oglesby, granddaughter of Green Flake. P0160n05: Left to right, Martha J. Perkins; Mary Lucille Perkins Blankhead, great-granddaughter of Green Flake and member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers; Ruth Jackson, great-great-granddaughter of Green Flake; and Juantita Spillman, 3rd-great-granddaughter of Green Flake. P0160n06: Juanita Spillman with her daughter, Lonnie, 4th-great-granddaughter of Green Flake. P0160n07: William Henry James (sitting), son of Mary Ann Perkins James and Sylvester James, with his uncle Sylvester Perkins (standing). P0160n08: Congregation of the Calvary Baptist Church. P0160n09: Portrait of an unidentified woman. P0160n10: Church dinner.