Of course you probably know that the Family History Library in Salt Lake is the world’s largest collection of genealogy information in the world. But besides the Family History Library, here are 7 other Archives and Libraries you shouldn’t miss while you are in town doing genealogy research in Salt Lake.
- The Utah State Archives holds Utah historical records back to 1850. It includes Utah vital records, land record, mining claims and government documents. The Research Center is at 300 South Rio Grande in Salt Lake. Tel. (801) 533-3535 Fax (801) 533-3504 and they are open Mon. – Fri. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- The LDS Church History Library is on the corner of 15 East and North Temple Street Salt Lake. It houses over 260,000 books, 500,000 historic images, and 150,000 journals and diaries. They cover immigration to Utah, and territorial information for the early pioneer settlements covering much of the western United States. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m, Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m, and Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
- The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archive has over 100,000 histories on file with an extensive collection of artifacts and photographs covering the people who arrived in Utah prior to 1869. It is open Monday through Saturday 9am to 5pm (you need to arrive by 3) and is located at 300 North Main Street in Salt Lake. Phone: 801-532-6479
- The Marriott Library at the University of Utah is home to the Western Americana Collection that covers western United States history from 1550 to 1900. It also has large collections of microfilmed British newspapers and published federal documents. The library is accessible from the University Trax line, and is located at 295 South 1500 East in Salt Lake. Tel: (801) 581-8558. Library hours are 7 am to 10 pm except for Friday and Saturday when they close at 6pm, and Sunday 1pm to 6pm. (Don’t you love college libraries
- The Salt Lake Public Library is a beautiful facility located not far from the Family History Library along the University Trax line. It houses indexes and microfilms of the two main Utah newspapers, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News as well as city directories and other regional documents. It is located at 210 East 400 South in Salt Lake. Tel: (801) 524-8200 and is open on Mon.-Thurs. 9 a.m.-9 p.m, Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m, and Sunday 1-5 p.m.
- And the Lee Library at Brigham Young University actually houses the BYU Family History Library, the second largest family history facility in the world. It has more than 200,000 duplicates of microfilms from the Salt Lake Family History Library as well as outstanding map and newspaper collections and as well as one of the largest county history collections in the United States. I have found many an elusive ancestor in the county history collection at the Lee library. The Lee library is a one hour drive south of Salt Lake in the center of the BYU campus in Provo, Utah. Hours are Monday–Friday: 7:00 am–12 midnight and Saturday: 8:00 am–12 midnight.
- There is also the Sons of the Utah Pioneers Library located on 3301 East 2920 South in Salt Lake and is open by appointment only. You can make an appointment by calling 1-866-724-1847. They house a collection of thousands of manuscripts, biographies and family histories of Mormon pioneers, as well as the many Utah pioneers of other faiths and religions who came to the region before 1869.
And FYI, the Everton Library a collection of 60,000+ books, manuscripts, records, pedigree charts, newsletters, photographs and family histories was one of the largest privately held genealogical libraries in the United States. It was started by the Everton family in 1945 publishers of The Everton Genealogical Helper. Upon the decline of the Everton company, the collection was donated to the Logan City Library, about a 1 1/2 hour drive north of Salt Lake. Portions of the collection are available in the library’s Special Collections room.
And FYI #2, the Salt Lake County Library system is a collection of 19 libraries that circulates over 15 million items a year and has a wealth of programs and exhibits running constantly. It is one of the best funded library systems in the country with strong voter support and a high patron participation including over 25,000 participating in the summer reading program. In fact, 79% of the population of Salt Lake County is registered for a county library card. Way to go Salt Lake residents!
Reprinted from The Chart Chick Blog. You can read more about Janet and her genealogy chart printing company at Family ChartMasters where you can also download or purchase her Genealogist’s Guide to Salt Lake City.
My favorite way is along Bacchus Highway, which is State Route 111. Get to this road by following 4100 South all the way West until you reach the end. Turn left, which is South, and you are now on Bacchus Highway. Keep going South, through West Jordan, past Copperton, until you start to see signs for the copper mine.
Big Trucks!: You always hear about how amazing the big trucks are at the copper mine, but it isn’t until you are there to see it in person that you can appreciate the enormity of the machines. Have your picture taken in front of the big tire to see how you measure up next to one of them. The picture to the right shows you an average size pickup truck driving next to one of these big machines. Each of these trucks carry 250-320 tons in one load.
Kennecott understands that helping the world around them is a big factor in being a part of the community. Not only do they provide $900 million in economic activity per year, but they operate the cleanest smelting process in the world. Utah Copper began addressing the problems of smelter emissions in 1916, long before much of the world was aware of the environmental affects of mining. The latest in environmental management techniques are used daily to establish lush growth where wildlife now resides. You can learn all about their impact on the environment by visiting their visitors center.
The Mormon Trails Chapter of the Utah Genealogical Association is hosting two bus tours on June 16 along the original pioneer trail coming into the Salt Lake Valley. The tours will run concurrently beginning at 7:30am from the Henefer Park and will end at Henefer Park at noon, where lunch will be served.
This exciting tour will be given by John Eldredge, author of “The Illustrated Emigrants’ Guide”. My family and I took this tour last year and found Eldredge’s historical knowledge remarkable and his ability to tell about the artifacts among the ledges and emigrant trail amazing. I learned all sorts of things about the pioneer’s trek into the valley.
There’s got to be something rooted deep within our DNA that engenders tender feelings towards soft, fuzzy things. My kids eagerly await 
I saw one little boy scoop up a lamb like he was born to a life of shepherding, so confident and so gentle at the same time. I know animals are a lot of work, but for all the wonderful things they teach kids, I hope some day we have room for a few more farm animals alongside 