Thursday, January 21, 2010

Come and See it Before it's Gone!!

Old Topographical Map

Come and see this old 3-D map of Utah before it is replaced!! The map has been apart of the Utah State Capitol since the 70's and is missing new crucial landmarks to Utah, including I-215 and other important National Monuments.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Utah Comes Together to Celebrate

Utahns celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream
By Aaron Falk
Deseret News



SALT LAKE CITY — Nearly half a century after Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said those "four simple words," blacks in Utah have watched barriers felled and milestones reached in an ongoing fight for equality.
From smaller victories, such as the successful push to delay the start of the Utah Legislature to honor King, to the historic election of President Barack Obama, black leaders lauded the strides toward equality Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"The dream is now a reality," Bridgette Waters, of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church, told a crowd gathered at Sugarhouse Park, hearkening back to King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Col. Yolanda Dennis-Lowman, commander of the Tooele Army Depot, is herself a symbol of the nation's progress. During the NAACP Salt Lake branch's 26th annual Martin Luther King luncheon Monday, Dennis-Lowman recalled the service of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tuskegee Airmen who could have hardly imagined a day when the nation's military would allow blacks in leadership.
From $65-a-plate lunches to rallies and service projects, the day was dedicated to King and his dream for equality.
"We don't want folks to use today as a day off, but to honor the works of Dr. King," said Jeanetta Williams, president of the NAACP Salt Lake Branch.
Despite the progress that has been made, many said the fight was not over.

Read more of the story HERE!!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Docent-Guided Tours for Students and Groups

Edit (01/21/2014): Effective December 2013, the Capitol Store has closed.

We offer guided tours specifically for students and large groups. Visitors will enjoy learning about Utah history, government, and the art and architecture of the Capitol. The total group size for one tour appointment, including students and chaperones, may not exceed 80 attendees. You are welcome to schedule multiple appointments in one day in order to meet the needs of your group size. We also invite you to use our student dining area, located next to our Capitol Store on the first floor. To use this space please make a reservation in advance.

We invite you to contact the Visitor Services Center to schedule tours of the Capitol or to get helpful information about legislative activities, special events and advice on transportation.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Utah in the Union in the News!

Jeremiah Chin, a graphic designer and researcher, helps install a new exhibit about Utah's entry into the Union in 1896 at the state Capitol building in Salt Lake City on Monday, 114 years after Utah became the nation's 45th state.

Photo Story from the Deseret News.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

In the News: Utah remembers its roots with Statehood Day

By Marc Haddock
Deseret News

Utahns first petitioned for statehood in 1849, two years after the Mormon pioneers first established homes in the Great Basin.
But it took 47 years — and an official declaration from the leadership of the LDS Church stating church members would no longer practice polygamy — before President Grover Cleveland on Saturday, Jan. 4, 1896, issued the proclamation admitting Utah to the Union as the 45th state.
Salt Lake City officials, wanting to be properly prepared for the occasion, postponed the official celebration until Monday, Jan. 6.
But residents didn't wait that long. A battery of the Utah National Guard marched to Capitol Hill and fired a 21-gun salute to alert the city. Businesses closed their doors and crowds swarmed the streets, ringing bells, shooting off firecrackers and blowing whistles.
"The news of the admission was welcomed by the firing of cannon and small arms, the shrieking of steam whistles and every other kind of noise which could be produced," wrote James E. Talmage in his personal diary.
An article in the Jan. 4, 1896, Provo Daily Enquirer said that when a telegram announcing the signing of the proclamation was delivered to the newspaper — and the community ?— "precisely at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time," the celebration started:

"At once the entire Enquirer building was covered with bunting and flags. The city marshal's office was notified and the Woolen Mills was called up by telephone, the Asylum and other places having steam whistles, and the long expected joyful news imparted. In the incredibly short space of time the entire city was reverberating with the shrieks of whistles, the chimes of bells, shooting of guns and cannon, and the happy shouts of freemen out of bondage. The town was decorated as if by magic and flags were soon seen floating from every public place and housetops everywhere."
Through the years, Jan. 4 has been recognized as Utah's Statehood Day. Sometimes the date coincides with the gubernatorial inauguration, which occurs on the first Monday of a new year following an election. On those occasions, the day is marked with inaugural balls and public ceremonies.
Many other years, like this one, the day passes with little or no notice.
Deseret News photographers have been on hand at many formal Statehood Day events, including the first one. Photo researcher Ron Fox has culled the newspaper's archives for these photographs, some that have never been published.
On Jan. 6, 1896, the Salt Lake LDS Tabernacle hosted the state's official celebration, a 45-star flag made for the occasion in the ZCMI overall and fabrics factory stretched 160 feet along the ceiling. It was the largest American flag at the time.


Read more of the article HERE!!

STATEHOOD quiz: Test your knowledge of Utah state history

Quiz Created by KSL's Amanda Butterfield and the Capitol Curator Judith McConkie.
Take quiz HERE!!!

1 How many constitutions did Utah territorial leaders write in order to become a state?

2 How many territorial governors were sent from Washington, D.C. to be governors of Utah

3 Territory? (A trick question!)

4 Who was the first governor of Utah Territory?

5 How many counties were there when Utah entered the Union?

6 How many counties are there in Utah today?

7 What was the first name for the state?

8 Where did the name Utah come from?

9 How many stars on the 1896 United States flag?

10 Who was Utah's first state governor?

11 Where was he sworn in and why?

12 Where was Utah's first capital?

13 How many years did it take for Utah to become a state?

For quiz answers, click HERE!!!!

Celebrating Statehood Day at the Utah State Capitol

UTAH IN THE UNION COMING MARCH 3rd 2010!!!!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com