USU Special Collections & Archives Celebrates Museum of Utah Grand Opening

LOGAN — Utah State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives has teamed up with the Utah Historical Society to highlight parts of Cache Valley and university history within the new Museum of Utah.

Several materials from Special Collections & Archives collections are on loan to the museum for display in their permanent galleries. These include:

• The book Principles of Irrigation Practice, authored by USU’s fifth president, John A. Widtsoe.
• The map Interurban Lines of Utah and Idaho.
• Several pamphlets about Logan Canyon.

As Utah’s first state history museum, the Museum of Utah celebrates our unique history, culture and art through world class exhibits and programming. The Museum of Utah is an extension of the Utah Historical Society, fostering curiosity about the past, informing the present and strengthening Utahns’ shared future. Housed inside the new North Capitol Building, the Museum of Utah serves as a gateway to the Capitol Complex, engaging visitors as they explore Utah’s past and consider their place in shaping Utah’s future. 

Eight USU archivists, librarians and curators were at the museum’s grand opening on June 27, participating in a full day of celebration and showcasing the legend of Logan Canyon’s last grizzly bear, Old Ephraim.

Throughout the day, Assistant Department Head Jen Kirk, University Archivist Kelly Rovegno, Community and Oral History Archivist Joe Kinzer, Digital Archivist Sarah Berry, Program Chair for Digital Stewardship Andrea Payant, Dean of Libraries Jennifer Duncan, Special Collections Librarian Paul Daybell, and Processing Archivist Heather Housley connected with over 900 history-loving attendees at the SCA community booth, sharing the delight of those who sought to measure up to the famed grizzly.