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Show HISTORICAL NOTES DALE L. MORGAN Of interest and satisfaction to members of the Society is the recognition given to Mr. Dale L. Morgan (staff member of Bancroft Library) by the California Historical Society. On the evening of September 27, Mr. Morgan was presented the Henry R. Wagner Memorial Award for his outstanding contribution in historical publications. Specifically he was cited for his excellent editing and annotating of The Overland Diary of James A. Pritchard and California As I Saw It: The Diary of William McCollum. While the award itself recognizes an author's works of the preceding two-calendar years, Mr. James D. Hart, acting director of the Bancroft Library who made the presentation, recounted the excellent historical work of Mr. Morgan, not the least of this being his numerous publications. Certainly there is no living author who has written so extensively and penetratingly on subjects which touch upon Utah's past. In 1941 Mr. Morgan was primarily responsible for the production of Utah: A Guide to the State. In addition to this work he directed the Historical Records Survey carried on by the W.P.A. in Utah and personally wrote many of the historical sketches which appear in Utah's county records surveys. In 1942 The Humboldt, Highroad of the West was produced, which won very favorable reviews and comments. During the war years Dale Morgan served in a defense post in Washington, D.C. Then at the close of the war, as a Guggenheim Fellow, he carried on his research of libraries throughout the nation, compiling a bibliography on Mormon literature. Thousands of listings were noted and are deposited with the Utah State Historical Society. It is hoped that this work can be updated and published as Dale Morgan's "Union Catalogue of Mormon Literature." While this project was being carried on, Mr. Morgan was doing research and writing several other books. He has never discontinued this practice. At any given time he has several books at various stages of completion. Only his meticulous scholarship keeps him from rushing into print with a half-dozen books at the present time. HISTORICAL NOTES 193 But this is not Dale Morgan's method of publication. He is careful, thorough, and above all an interesting writer of history. His The Great Salt Lake led Bernard DeVoto to claim it was "the most interesting volume of the [Lake] series." Even more praise was heaped upon him for his Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West which appeared in 1953. More recently he has co-operated with Carl I. Wheat in a series of volumes entitled Mapping the Transmissippi West. Individually he has produced for Rand McNally a Pioneer Atlas of the American West. Perhaps because of Dale Morgan's modesty and his reluctance to detract from the efforts of his friends, Mr. Hart in his award presentation speech failed to mention the very significant editorial work of Dale Morgan on several volumes published by the Utah State Historical Society. Volume XIX, Utah Historical Quarterly, West From Fort Bridger (1951) was largely the product of his efforts. This volume has been widely acclaimed for its scholarship. The two other volumes published by the Society, The Explorations of the Colorado River in 1869 (Volume XV), and The Explorations of the Colorado River and the High Plateaus of Utah in 1871-72 (Volumes XVI and XVII) are also products of his careful editorship. For these many contributions to Utah's history, the Utah State Historical Society made Dale Morgan one of its first "Fellows" in 1960, and Utah can take pride in this most recent recognition which has been given to one of her native sons. We rejoice that the California Historical Society has given this award to our own Dale L. Morgan. STATEHOOD DAY Utah has her Pioneer Day celebration, observed generally throughout the state. She gives proper observance to Independence Day through appropriate ceremonies. But Statehood Day is ignored, unknown, and uncelebrated. All this will soon be changed. For as a result of action taken at a recent meeting by the Board of Trustees of the Utah State Historical Society, this organization will henceforth sponsor a program for the proper observance of this important historical event. Remember the day, January 4,1963; the Society will begin an annual program commemorating Utah's entry into the Union as the forty-fifth state. HISTORY CONFERENCE On October 12, 1961, over three hundred people from all over the nation assembled for the "Conference on the History of Western Amer- 194 UTAH HISTORICAL QUARTERLY ica," held in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The sessions dealt with a variety of western subjects. An outgrowth of this conference was a determination that this type of meeting should continue on a regular basis. An organizational committee was established and a 1962 meeting scheduled for Denver, at which time a formal organization will be effected. GIFTS TO THE SOCIETY Several notable gifts of interest to scholars have come to the Society in the past few weeks. Mrs. Helen Hackett Brown of Bountiful, Utah, presented the Society with a letter of considerable interest. It is in the handwriting of Jessie Benton Fremont and dated January 14, 1880, New York City. Jessie Fremont draws a rather complete verbal picture of "our old friend 'Kit Carson' " for the benefit of an artist who was painting a likeness of the mountain man. Readers of the Quarterly will remember some of the contributions to these pages by Hamilton Gardner. Colonel Gardner died recently, but through the interest and generosity of his son the research carried on by Hamilton Gardner will benefit scholars for years to come. Dr. James H. Gardner, of Alexandria, Virginia, has deposited with the Society his father's papers which consist of numerous unpublished manuscripts : "History of the 222d Field Artillery," "Utah Territorial Militia," "The Biography of Colonel Philip St. George Cooke," and other shorter items dealing widi different phases of Utah's military history. Numerous photographs, maps, microfilms, correspondence, and rough notes collected by Colonel Gardner, make up this noteworthy gift. One of the fastest growing and most used facilities of the Society is its well-arranged photograph file. Practically all the photographs have come as gifts ranging in number from a single print or negative to as many as 1,500 mounted photographs. In January of this year, the American Museum of Natural History of New York City, presented to the Society some eighteen albums containing 1,467 photographs taken between 1922-29 by Charles L. Bern-heimer when he was carrying out explorations in southern Utah and northern Arizona for the American Museum. These views of geologic formations and Indian pictographs are a welcome addition to our photograph collection. Willard R. Harwood also recently made a significant pictorial gift to the Society. His gift comprised twenty-seven glass-negative scenes of HISTORICAL NOTES 195 Salt Lake City, taken about 1910. Some old landmarks still remain with us, but some have passed from view. One particularly interesting photograph shows one branch of City Creek spilling from an underground conduit to discharge its waters into an open bed at the corner of North Temple and Main streets. We welcome all these gifts and invite other members to bring family diaries, letters, business day books, and old and new photographs to the Society. Here they will be protected and serve the cause of history. UTAH STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF (Terms Expiring April 1, 1965) LELAND H. CREEK. Salt Lake City DELLO G. DAYTON, Ogden JACK GOODMAN. Salt Lake City NICHOLAS G. MORGAN, SR.. Salt Lake City JOEL E. RICKS, Logan (Ex-Officio Member) LAMONT F. TORONTO, Salt Lake City (Honorary life Member) LEVI EDGAR YOUNG, Salt Lake City TRUSTEES (Terms Expiring April 1, 1963) j. STERLING ANDERSON, Grantsville RICHARD E. GILLIES. Cedar City j . GRANT IVERSON. Salt Lake City* MRS. A. C. JENSEN, Sandy L. GLEN SNARR, Salt Lake City OFFICERS 1961-63 j . GRANT IVERSON. President DELLO G. DAYTON, Vice-President EVERETT L. COOLEY. Secretary ADMINISTRATION EVERETT L. COOLEY, Director TOHN JAMES, JR., Librarian F. T. JOHNSON, Records Manager, Archives MARGERY W. WARD. Associate Editor ROBERT w. INSCORE, Registrar, Military Records Section EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: The Society was organized essentially to collect, disseminate, and preserve important material pertaining to the history of the state. To effect this end, contributions of historical items are solicited, such as diaries, journals, letters, and other writings by Utahns; also original manuscripts by present-day writers on any phase of Utah history. Treasured papers or manuscripts may be printed in faithful detail in the Quarterly without harm to diem, and widiout permanently removing them from their possessors. Contributions for the consideration of the Publications Committee, and correspondence relating thereto, should be addressed to the Editor, Utah State Historical Society, 603 East South Temple, Salt Lake City 2, Utah. The Editor assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts unaccompanied by return postage. The Utah State Historical Society assumes no responsibility for statements made by contributors to this publication. MEMBERSHIP: Membership in die Society, which includes receipt of the Utah Historical Quarterly, is $4.00 per year. Life membership is $100.00, and a student membership is available at $2.00 per year. Membership is open to all. Current issues of the Quarterly are available to non-members at $1.25 per copy. Checks should be made payable to die Utah State Historical Society and mailed to die Editor, 603 East South Temple, Salt Lake City 2, Utah. TENTH ANNUAL MEETING Each year the Utah State Historical Society holds a banquet meeting to hear the report of the president of the Board of Trustees, to listen to an address by an outstanding scholar on an historical subject, and to witness the recognition of persons chosen for their contributions to the cause of Utah history. On May 12, Reverend H. Baxter Liebler, missionary to the Navajo Indians at Bluff, Utah, will be the guest speaker. His years of study and life among the Indians qualify him to speak with authority on "The Social and Cultural Patterns of the Navajo Indians." President J. Grant Iverson will give the address of welcome and report on the Society's activities for the past year. Mr. L. Glen Snarr, chairman of the awards committee, will make the presentation of "Fellow" to two outstanding scholars and award one "Honorary Life Membership." Reserve the date, May 12, Panorama Room, University of Utah Union. U T A H S T A T E H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E TY |
