BRIEF HISTORY OF UTAH
Ron Rood and Linda Thatcher
Utah’s thousands of years of prehistory and its centuries of known recorded history are so distinctive and complex that a summary can only hint at the state’s rich heritage. The synopsis offered here follows major themes in Utah history and includes some of the significant dates, events, and individuals.
Selected Bibliography
compiled by Linda Thatcher and Alan Barnett
Some of the best historical information that has been written appears in the Utah Historical Quarterly. The Historical Society also publishes Beehive History and Utah Preservation Magazine.
General History
Alexander, Thomas G. Utah: the Right Place (Layton, Utah : Gibbs Smith, Publishers, 1995).
Allen, James B. and Glen M. Leonard. The Story of the Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976.
Atlas of Utah (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, 1981).
Carr, Stephen L. The Historical Guide to Utah Ghost Towns (Salt Lake City: Western Epics, 1972).
Cline, Gloria Griffen. Exploring the Great Basin (Reno and Las Vegas: University of Nevada Press, 1988).
Ludlow, Daniel H., ed. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992.
May, Dean L. Utah: A People’s History (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1987).
McCormick, Nancy D. and John S. Discovering Utah (Salt Lake City: Gibbs M. Smith, Inc., 1986).
Mooney, Bernice Maher. Salt of the Earth: The History of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, 1776–1987 (Salt Lake City: Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, 1987).
Peterson, Charles S. Utah: A Bicentennial History (New York: Norton, 1977).
Papanikolas, Helen Z., ed. The Peoples of Utah (Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1976).
Poll, Richard D., et al. Utah’s History (reprinted; Logan, Utah State University Press, 1989).
Powell, Allan Kent. Utah History Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, 1994).
Pioneer Heritage Books
Kimball, Stanley B. Historic Sites and Markers Along the Mormon and Other Great Western Trails (Urbana, IL: Univ. of Illinois Press, 1988).
Kimball, Stanley B. and Violet T. Mormon Trail: Voyage of Discovery: The Story Behind the Scenery (Las Vegas: K. C. Publications, Inc., 1995).
Knight, Hal and Stanley B. Kimball. 111 Days to Zion (Salt Lake City: Big Moon Traders, 1997).
Madsen, Susan Arrington. I Walked To Zion (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994).
Oregon/Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trails Management Plan (Washington, D. C.: Bureau of Land Management, 1986).
Worchester, Don, ed. Pioneer Trails West (Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers, Ltd., 1985).