Blog

In late October 2025, Daniel Christensen was awarded almost $50,000 in grant funds to rehabilitate the two-story brick building at 40 West Main Street in Mount Pleasant. The building contributes...

In mid-August 2026, historic preservation specialist and project manager David Walker was awarded over $40,000 in grant funds to complete the rehabilitation of the Union Block Building at 57 South...

On National Public Lands day – September 26th, 2026 – the Utah State Historic Preservation Office and our partners at the Bureau of Land Management and Utah Public Lands Policy...

High in Utah’s Uinta Mountains, a small stone monument stands as a testament to a forgotten dream. Built by local Japanese Americans in 1929, the structure honors Masashi Goto, a...

The Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest returned to the mountains this summer for a second year of archaeological excavation at Alta.  Last year, this...

The Veteran Heights Subdivision Historic District in Millcreek, Salt Lake County, is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Social History and under Criterion C in the area...

The Desmond and Pamela Killen House, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, was built in 1968. The house is locally significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture,...

The Arnoldus House is locally significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture. Constructed c.1892, the house is the only example of the Italianate architectural style in the community...

Written by Kathryn Peterson, Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement Across Utah, archaeological sites preserve thousands of years of human history, but many of these irreplaceable resources face ongoing...

Gilgal Sculpture Garden in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, is significant at the statewide level under Criterion C in the area of Art because it is an extraordinary and...

Hello, and thanks for reading! It has been a very busy few weeks since I started as the UCSS Program Coordinator. First, I want to give a huge shout out...

The primary mission of the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship program (UCSS) is to monitor archaeological sites across the state to protect them from damage and vandalism. But look a little...

LOGAN, UT — In a first for the state, Utah Main Street and Main Street America announced the Logan Downtown Alliance has earned both State and National Main Street Accreditation...

By Kathryn Peterson The Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) plays a critical role in preserving Utah’s cultural and historic resources while helping communities thrive today. To better understand the...

The Franklin and Arletta Cox Tuttle House, a 1½-story brick house built circa 1886 in Manti, Sanpete County, is locally significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as...

The Jeremy Ranch Stone Cabin, in Summit County, is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the area of Agriculture for its association with the sheep-raising industry in...

The Clinton LDS Ward Meetinghouse in Clinton, Davis County, is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the areas of Religion and Social History and under Criterion C...

The Iceberg Drive-Inn in Millcreek, Salt Lake County, is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Commerce and under Criterion C in the area of Architecture. Under Criterion...

The Dale’s Sinclair Service Station, built in 1955 at 96 E. Center Street, is locally significant under Criterion A for its association with the development of downtown Logan, Cache County,...

The Tenth East Senior Center, constructed in 1963 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, is significant at the local level under Criterion A in the area of Entertainment/Recreation because...

Completed in1946, the Moroni Cannery in Moroni, Sanpete County, is significant under Criterion A in the areas of Industry, Social History, and Politics/Government. In the area of Industry, it is...

Helping others protect, preserve, and rehabilitate their historic buildings is something that Amber Anderson, Historic Tax Credit Coordinator for the State Historic Preservation (SHPO), is passionate about.  When Amber started...

The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) program celebrated another incredible year of dedication and preservation with a special two-day event on November 14 and 15. This annual get-together was our...

The Spence Confectionery and Dance Hall, built in 1917, is a one-part block located at 81 E. Main Street in Wellsville, Cache County, Utah.  The one-story brick building features the...

The Pearl Billiard Parlor/The Club, constructed circa 1897, in Ogden, Weber County, Utah, is locally significant under Criterion A in the area of Social History and under Criterion C in...

The North Ogden Baseball Field, in North Ogden, Weber County, was built in 1901, and the existing Grandstand was built between 1936 and 1937. The ball field and grandstand are...

The Murray Baptist Church is locally significant under Criterion A, in the area of Social History, for its association with the growth and resilience of the Baptist Church in Murray...

The St. George Central City Historic District in St. George, Washington County, is locally significant, both architecturally and historically, as an excellent representation of the social, economic, and architectural history...

The Provo East Central Historic District (Additional Documentation and Boundary Increase/ADBI) is significant at the local level under Criteria A and C in the areas of Community Planning & Development...

At midnight on Oct. 1, the federal government shut down. By 7 a.m., Utah’s Public Archaeology program had already leapt into action, bringing to bear more than 460 passionate and...

Howdy folks! Here are the social media updates from Utah’s Public Archaeology program and UCSS from the last couple months. We’re excited to share these updates with you! We’ve had...

Utah Main Street (UMS) is excited to announce that approximately $250,000 in funding has been awarded to five historic buildings from communities throughout Utah. These properties have been selected to...

Stretching across 8,588 acres in western Summit County, the 910 Cattle Ranch is one of the largest contiguous properties held by a single landowner in the region. The ranch is...

Susanne Stadler has been a steward with Utah’s Cultural Site Stewardship Program since the beginning! Susanne started volunteering in 2021, and we are excited to introduce her today. Susanne is...

Missed out on the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program’s social media posts and updates? Not anymore! Keep scrolling to catch up on all things UCSS – from the site visit...

The Marilyn Drive Historic District, located on the east bench of Ogden, Weber County, Utah, includes 309 buildings, of which 265, or 86 percent, are contributing resources. The Marilyn Drive...

Howdy UCSS volunteers and partners! We’re glad to have you back for another bimonthly month in review post, gathering all of our social media shares from the last while in...

Utah Main Street (UMS) is excited to announce that over $315,000 in funding has been awarded to seven historic buildings from communities throughout Utah. These properties have been selected to...

Archaeology is the study of past peoples through the things they left behind: tools, buildings, and even trash! These people often lived in the same places where we live today,...

Hey there stewards, it’s been a little while! Here’s the social media rundown of UCSS’ busy spring, covering everything from new events to 2024 achievements to steward placements. Read on...

Let’s get to know Rebecca Wallace, a passionate and dedicated volunteer with the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program. She’s been a steward since the end of 2023, and as Lexi...

The Archaeological Conservancy has long been dedicated to preserving significant archaeological sites for research, education, and community engagement. With a recent Archaeology Grant from Utah’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)...

The Stockton Kilns—also known as the Waterman Coking Ovens—stand as a reminder of the state’s 19th-century industrial history. Built around 1873 and in operation until 1899, these kilns once fueled...

By Madalyn Johnson, Public Archaeology Intern Rock imagery (more commonly referred to as rock art) is likely one of the first things you think of when you hear the word...

In February, we showed off a steward placement in Vernal with a partner and regional coordinator. Welcome, Stephanie! We also took a bouncy trip in Southern Utah with some of...

Introducing Greg Mason – a site steward who joined the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship program in 2023.  Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Greg spent much of his life in Indianapolis, Indiana,...

Take a look at this fantastic Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month event and get ready for May 2025. Every year in Utah, organizations around the state host events to honor...

Take a look at this fantastic Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month event and get ready for May 2025. Every year in Utah, organizations around the state host events to honor...

Take a look at this fantastic Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month event and get ready for May 2025. Every year in Utah, organizations around the state host events to honor...

On a private location within Utah’s renowned Nine Mile Canyon, lies a rich and unique archaeological landscape. Known for its dense concentration of ancient sites, this area offers a rare...

We hope that everyone has had a fantastic first month of the year. Here’s a review of our social media posts from the last month, as well as the end...

With the International Olympic Committee’s exciting recent announcement that Salt Lake City will host the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Utah State Historic Preservation Office looks back to...

Take a look at this fantastic Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month event and get ready for May 2025. Every year in Utah, organizations around the state host events to honor...

A recent archaeological survey funded by SHPO’s Archaeology Grant has uncovered new insights into southern Utah’s history. This project marks a significant step forward in documenting Native American archaeological sites...

Here’s an end-of-month (and end-of-year) wrap-up of UCSS’ social media happenings: At the end of November, we had an encounter with a rattlesnake and talked wildlife safety with Regional Coordinator...

Nestled in the serene landscapes of Vernal, Utah, McConkie Ranch is home to one of North America’s most significant collections of petroglyphs. These pre-contact rock engravings provide a fascinating window...

Howdy stewards! Did you see UCSS’ social media posts this month? If you missed them, no problem! Here’s an end-of-month wrap-up of our posts from November. At the beginning of...

UCSS has gained another awesome new team member! Let’s take a minute to get to know Rachel Blumhardt from Rapid City, South Dakota, UCSS’ new Engagement Specialist.  You may see...

Utah Main Street, a program of the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, announces they have received funding from the National Park Service’s Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant.  The Utah program...

Matt Petersen is one of the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship program’s amazing volunteers! UCSS staff were lucky enough to get to spend some time with Matt this month, both out...

We have a new member of the UCSS crew joining us on an amazing project! We would love to introduce Marcos Van Dalen, who started work recently as a Research...

by Kate Schmidt, UCSS Outreach Administrator Historic objects can hold unique and powerful stories. An example of this is a historic military vehicle from the Boulder Mountains which made some...

Earlier this spring, Dinosaur National Monument contacted Utah Cultural Site Stewards that monitor cultural resources within the monument to let them know that the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program was...

The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) Program is so excited to welcome Kate Schmidt as the new UCSS Program Outreach Administrator. Kate grew up just outside the Salt Lake Valley...

Because the story of people in Utah is over 13,000 years old we will always find archaeology under our feet! From the spearheads from the first peoples on the continent...

Suzanne Eskenazi, SWCA Environmental Consultants What do we have here? In the summer of 2020, archaeologists were surveying in Utah County for a proposed transmission line when they encountered a...

By Laurie Bryant My double-brick Craftsman style house was built about 1924, on Salt Lake City’s east bench. The first owners, Edward and Gertrude Berg, paid $6000 for it. In...

Chris Merritt, SHPO When you line out your summer landscaping projects for the backyard, encountering a glimpse into the industrial past isn’t likely one of the items on the checklist....

Deb Miller, Records Manager, SHPO If you have visited Park City to ski, participate in the epic-ness of the Sundance Film Festival, or even just escaped the heat of the...

Charles Shepherd, Historical Architect/Campus Planner, University of Utah The need for housing is as common a story at the University of Utah as is the fighting for parking spots. On...

Chris Merritt, Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Delving into Utah’s urban landscape, it is not uncommon whatsoever for new transportation projects, including TRAX lines and road improvements, to encounter the...

Earlier this month, the State Historic Preservation Office and Preservation Utah hosted the Preservation Engaged conference in Provo. As always, it was an amazing event and such a cool opportunity...

by Jon Baxter, Bighorn Archaeological Consultants Under our feet there are more than wooden stave pipes and mysterious bridges, sometimes we discover the echoes of lives long before today.  (Editor’s...

Written by Jessica Del Bozque, Project Archaeologist at Montgomery Archaeological Consultants and graduate student at Adams State University Hey there adventurers! My name is Jessica Del Bozque,  – I’ve been...

Meet Kane County Steward, Katie Wallace. Katie is a Kanab local who made her way to Utah from the Bay Area in Northern California. She was introduced to the Colorado...

Join us each Wednesday at noon (Mountain Time) in May for journey into Utah’s history! Each year, the Utah SHPO proudly presents a weekly Brown Bag lecture series showcasing the...

Utah’s rich historical tapestry is woven with stories of ancient civilizations, pioneering settlers, and diverse cultures that have left their mark on its landscapes. As we step into May, we...

As the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) Program has expanded with over 365 volunteers and 133 land managing partners, the need for additional coordination has increased. To better manage stewarding...

Andrew Ugan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. This blog is a part of an agreement under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act to highlight the history...

The Utah SHPO’s Summer Field School is back for a second year! We are helping to train tomorrow’s archaeologists by offering a highly competitive six week program for students in...

by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D. , Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Archaeology, like many scientific disciplines, relies on formal plans called a research design. Research designs lay out the fundamental justification...

Take a look at this fantastic Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month event and get ready for May 2025. Every year in Utah, organizations around the state host events to honor...

On nearly a daily basis I receive inquiries from folks asking if their property qualifies for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). For these inquiries I have...

By Cory Jensen, National Register Coordinator In a previous post I gave some background on what the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is and what it does/does not do....

By Cory Jensen, National Register Coordinator As the National Register Coordinator at the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, this is a question I receive on an almost daily basis. The...

Meet Sally Wither, a Vernal local, who is passionate about volunteering, education, and spending time exploring the unique trails around Uintah County. Sally Wither was born and raised in Steamboat...

Discover the archaeology of Chinese Railroad Workers in Utah through real artifacts interpreted by experts in the field. Join us on Saturday, October 14th at 11:30am for a free presentation...

The Utah SHPO team would like to introduce you to Ryan McGrath, our new Compliance Archaeologist. His responsibilities at SHPO will be reviewing pretty much every archaeological project undertaken by...

Meet Garfield County stewards John and Marsha Holland. Both have been involved in site stewardship for years and we are so happy that they have stuck around through the Utah...

The SHPO team is delighted to introduce Kate Anderson, one of our Summer 2023 Public Archaeology interns! Hi my name is Kate Anderson. I love music and anything outdoors including...

The SHPO team is set to have a few new faces in Summer 2023, starting with one of the summer interns in Public Archaeology, Justin Fullmer. Justin’s projects will focus...

The Cemetery Grant is available annually to help support Utah’s cemeteries in the areas of digitizing, mapping and historic preservation.PROJECT ELIGIBILITY Eligible cemetery grant projects include: Records digitization GIS Mapping...

Meet Joan & Paul Joan West and Paul Magnanti are very dedicated Utah Site Stewards who call Moab home. Both Joan and Paul have a love for being outdoors, connecting...

A STORY THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE MAKING The poster for 2023 Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month tells the story of the last 13,000 years of the Great Salt Lake....

We have an awesome opportunity for y’all. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will be hosting the Utah Preservation Conference in conjunction with the Stewardship Get-Together here in Salt Lake...

Christopher W. Merritt, Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Imagine your life without landfills, dumpsters, and collection services: where would all your trash go? How would you get it out of...

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By: Benjamin Pykles and Ryan Saltzgiver, Church History Department,https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/church-history-library?lang=eng&y_source=1_MzA1ODU2NzAtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In October 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Church) announced...

By Chris Elison & Sarah Sutherland, Central Utah Water Conservancy District Do you know where your water comes from? Whether for drinking, washing clothes, or even to keep your grass...

By Michael R. Polk, Aspen Ridge Consultants The intersection of 600 North and Pugsley Street in Salt Lake City today marks the boundary between the posh Marmalade District and the...

One brisk day in November 2020, archaeologists discovered a moment frozen in time from 1890 – the heyday of luxury rail travel! Read on to see what they found....

San Juan County, UT The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) Team is excited to introduce Michael Wingert as the Regional Coordinator for San Juan County.  Michael will assist the UCSS...

Discover what’s in your own backyard! With so much history here in Utah, you’re bound to bump into it sometimes! Did you know that every day pieces of our collective...

We asked Nate Thomas from the BLM-Utah a little bit about what he does and who he works for. Here’s what he said! 1. What is the agency and what...

Elizbeth Giraud is freshly retired, but before she left UDOT for retirement, we caught up with her and asked a few questions about herself and her agency. Here’s what she...

We asked Jenny Lund, Director of the Historic Sites Division for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a bit about what she does. Here’s what she said! 1....

We asked Jonathan Till from Edge of the Cedars a bit about what he does and who he works for. Here’s what he said! 1) What is your agency and...

We asked Dr. Zac Nelson from the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) a bit about what he does and who he works for. Here’s what he said! Dr. Zachary Nelson is...

Let’s talk about Section 106 and U.C.A. 9-8-404 Did you know that there are cultural resource laws and regulations that public agencies need to follow to ensure significant cultural resources...

There are lots of reasons why you should become a Site Steward with the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program(UCSS)! Each stewards’ reasons are different. Perhaps one steward has a cultural...

We’re excited to announce that Lexi (she/her) is joining the SHPO team as the new Data and Events Specialist for the Utah Cultural Site Stewardship (UCSS) Program. Lexi was born...

Prepared by Lindsey M. Evenson, Jennifer Bannick, and Everett Bassett of Transcon Environmental, Inc. for Washington County Water Conservancy District. This discussion of the Pintura Ditch and Washington County irrigation,...

Por Christopher Merritt, oficial de Preservación Histórica del Estado de Utah División de Historia del Estado de Utah Read in English. El rico legado histórico de los residentes latinos de...

Cake? Mortar? Surprisingly similar! Read to find out how mortar and historic buildings can resemble a layered cake....

Learn about fire and how it affects cultural resources....

Learn more about early LGBTQ+ history in Salt Lake City, featuring a historic home near Liberty Park....

Every year beginning around Spring Break, the state kicks off the annual “archaeological vandalism” season with a bang. In 2021, we had at least two instances of archaeological resource crime...

It can be hard to look at thousand year old artifacts and gather a sense of what life was like for people. But for archaeologist Elizabeth Hora, that’s the fun...

Written by Elizabeth Hora, Public Archaeologist Let me start off by saying thank you. You opened up this page to learn more about how you can protect the past, and...

Moving into 2022 we have several goals to help direct the course of our program this year. One – Steward Retention and Appreciation Two – To continue to emphasize to the general...

We gave out some fun awards in recognition of the fantastic first year of our program. Lucky Horseshoe Award – Tim Gittins During one of his site visits, Tim popped not...

By Amber Anderson, SHPO Tax Credit Coordinator Did you know that historic masonry is meant to breathe? Whether it be brick, stone, or another type of masonry unit, masonry is...

Below you will find the forms we require to be signed when you start as an active site steward. Don’t worry about filling these out now, that will be taken...

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Prepared by Lindsey M. Evenson, Jennifer Bannick, and Everett Bassett of Transcon Environmental, Inc. for Washington County Water Conservancy District. This discussion of Washington County’s historic wagon road through Ash...

Written by Deb Miller, SHPO Records Manager What Is GIS? GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems, which is mapping software on a computer and is used both by everyday people...

Written by Cory Jensen At the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) I’m frequently contacted by property owners curious about getting their building listed in the National Register of Historic...

Public Archaeologist Elizabeth Hora shows us some really cool Lidar scans of recent excavations at Terrace on the Transcontinental Railroad, and explains what we are looking at....

If you have ever had the pleasure of traveling into the West Desert with Utah Cultural Site Steward Dennis Weder, you will be amazed at how quickly the barren landscape...

Utah SHPO, URARA, and Logan Simpson Team Up to Record Rock Imagery in Central Utah Written by Tina Hart, archaeologist at Logan Simpson Design Robert Van Orden, a member of...

By Langston Guettinger, Historic Preservation Specialist/Architectural Historian at Logan Simpson Design Only in the last twenty years has popular culture come to reevaluate midcentury American architecture with the advent of...

This is a collection of readings about Utah’s cultural history curated for the 2021 UPAN pledge drive...

The following guides are just some of the amazing artifacts that are common to Utah! Each guide will show you some of the specific information an archaeologist can gain from...

This interactive map has all sorts of sites that you can visit! You can filter by historic, prehistoric, or even museums! Or you can activate all layers to see just...

Updates for the stewardship program in May 2021 are highlighted by Coordinator Ian Wright....

Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D. Utah State Historic Preservation Officer  It is unclear when the first human laid eyes upon the geological oddity now called “Black Rock” on the southern shores...

By Elizabeth Hora, Public Archaeologist at the Utah Division of State History Within the space of two weeks, I have heard reports of more than four sites (all rock imagery!)...

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For this, our first ever Site Steward Spotlight, we will be spotlighting not one, but two dedicated Site Stewards. Marty and Darrell Thomas are a dynamic stewarding duo with 20...

The Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program (UCSSP) is a network of professional archaeologists, federal and state agency staff, and most importantly, volunteers who work together to monitor sensitive or threatened...

By Allison Aakre, Manti-La Sal National Forest, Shanna Diederichs, Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, and Donald C. Irwin, Manti-La Sal National Forest Introduction The landscape of Southeast Utah, with its deep...

Written by Cory Jensen, NRHP Coordinator and Chris Merritt, Utah SHPO Many Utahs and tourists do not know the depth and breadth of Utah’s architectural history, and the preserved building...

Since at least the 1860s, entrepreneurs used the ample water supply found at the confluence of Little Cottonwood and Maybird and Hogum Creeks for industrial purposes, whether timber mills or...

We have all experienced our own “hunkering down” during this pandemic year of 2020. Some 60 years ago, other Utahns were preparing to hunker down, but for a very different...

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Over 900 soldiers from the Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery branches of the United States Army descended on Strawberry Valley...

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D. State Historic Preservation Officer How many times have you traveled South Temple in downtown Salt Lake City and noticed the lone red sandstone House...

Written by Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer You can see the knife-like scar in the foothills near the brightly shining white “U” near the University of Utah...

Written by Chase Roberts Utah Division of State History and Christopher W. Merritt Utah State Historic Preservation Officer If you ask most Utahns where Daggett County is, and you might get...

You may have noticed that we at the State Historic Preservation Office, refer to “rock imagery” when discussing prehistoric/Indigenous petroglyphs, pictographs, and other culturally meaningful markings on stone. For many...

Written by Erin Haycock Editor’s note: The artifacts you are about to see have all been looted, or stolen. Looting is the illegal removal of archaeological materials from archaeological sites....

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               If you’ve hiked, biked, rafted, or traveled anywhere in Utah, chances are you’ve found ancient ruins and artifacts, also called “archaeological sites”. An archaeological site is anything left by...

Christopher W. Merritt, Ph.D., State Historic Preservation Officer With trembles strong enough to shake “the dignity out of all judicial procedures,” [i] at Salt Lake City’s courts, the 6.6 magnitude...

by Arie Leefang, Archaeology Records Manager Among the collection of Great Salt Lake Islands, perhaps there is none more prized to visit than the elusive Gunnison Island. Found in the...