View XML QR Code

Utah Museum of Natural History records, 1948-1984

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Utah Museum of Natural History
Title
Utah Museum of Natural History records
Dates
1948-1984 (inclusive)
1963-1976 (bulk)
Quantity
3.25 linear feet
Collection Number
Acc0540
Summary
The Utah Museum of Natural History opened on the University of Utah campus in 1969 in compliance with legislation passed by the 1963 Utah State Legislature designating the University as the location for the State Museum of Natural History. This collection contains administrative materials recording the initial planning and early operation of the museum including administrative documents, correspondence, and exhibit files. There is also some material related to the earlier University Museum of Anthropology which existed from 1948-1967.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, University Archives and Records Management
University Archives and Records Management, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
666 Guardsman Way
Salt Lake City, UT
84112
Telephone: 8015818242
david.buhler@utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

In 1963, the Utah State Legislature passed a bill that provided for the creation of a State Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Utah for the purpose of " ...maintaining a centralized display of the many objects of natural science which could support and encourage local and municipal museums throughout Utah" (S.B. No. 18). The University of Utah Board of Regents designated the George Thomas Building as the Museum's campus location in 1964. The Utah Museum of Natural History opened in 1969 featuring exhibits of Utah's anthropological, biological, and geological make-up. The Museum's first director was Dr. Jesse D. Jennings, professor of anthropology. The first curator of exhibits was Don V. Hague, who later took over as museum director following the retirement of Dr. Jennings in 1973 and remained director until he retired in 1991. The Museum remained in the George Thomas Building until 2011 when it was relocated to the Rio Tinto Center, located in the University of Utah's Research Park, and renamed the Natural History Museum of Utah.

Return to Top

Content Description

This collection contains administrative materials documenting the years of planning prior to the opening of the museum as well as the first fifteen years of the museum's operation. The alphabetical subject files contain materials pertaining to a wide variety of subjects including but not limited to budget and activity reports, film scripts, newsletters, fundraising and grant proposals, and information on facility renovations and exhibit construction. The collection also includes a great deal of official correspondence from Dr. Jesse D. Jennings and Don V. Hague. The exhibit files contain descriptions, drawn plans, and photographs of exhibits from two major exhibit series as well as many temporary exhibits shown at the museum. While the majority of the collection pertains to the Utah Museum of Natural History, there is some material covering the earlier University Museum of Anthropology (1948-1967) which was later incorporated into the new museum's " Hall of Man" exhibit.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Initial Citation: Utah Museum of Natural History records, Acc. 540, Box [ ]. University Archives and Records Management. University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Following Citations:Acc. 540

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is divided into the following three series: 1. Alphabetical Subject Files 2. Chronological Files, and 3. Exhibit Files. The First series is arranged alphabetically. The second series is arranged alphabetically by type and chronologically thereunder. The third series is further divided into the following three subseries: 1. Indian, Trapper-Trader, and Explorer in Utah, 1776-1847, 2. Science in Everyday Life, and 3. Temporary Files. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically with the exception of exhibit files which are arranged according to exhibit numbers that previously existed in the original material.

Acquisition Information

the material in this collection was retrieved at the former Utah Museum of Natural History (George Thomas Building) in 2012. It was never accessioned into the Records Center.

Processing Note

Processed by Christian Herman in 2012.

Separated Materials

Nine envelopes containing photographs and negatives and approximately twenty loose photographs and negatives were sent to multimedia archives in November of 2012

Related Materials

Acc0038 - University of Deseret. Museum register and miscellaneous articles inventory, 1879-1891

Acc0499 - Department of Anthropology records, 1937-1997

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Christian Herman
2012

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West