Dear Friend of Utah History:
History is all around us, shaping our communities, our stories and our relationships. Through the Utah State Historical Society and the Utah Division of State History, we are preserving and sharing Utah’s past, hoping that our framing of the past will make for a better tomorrow.
I am writing to ask you to support our activities through a year-end gift to the Historical Society. Your gift can help enhance our upcoming free events, including the 2017 annual history conference, “Local Matters,” and our Utah Historical Society events around the state. We are fortunate that the Historical Society serves as a vehicle to receive financial gifts, historical materials, and more. Would you consider us in your year-end giving?
The Division of State History continues to provide exceptional service to Utahns of all ages:
- Nearly 700,000 individuals have accessed the Division’s and Society’s resources;
- Over 5,200 Utah school students participated in the Utah History Day Program, where children use history to learn valuable lessons about life and decision-making;
- Historic preservation has moved forward in the state with wisely administered tax credits ending calendar year 2015 with 103 development projects approved and $9.6 million rehabilitation expenditures folding into Utah’s economy;
- In Utah archaeology, a three-year project to digitize 120,000 records was completed. Now, 97% of consultants working with businesses and government agencies on public lands use the on-line records, compared to 19% when the project began;
- The redesigned Utah Historical Quarterly and free on-line digital “extras” make our existing historical assets, including I Love History and History to Go, increasingly accessible and useful to students, scholars, and the public; and
- In the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) process 1,757 oil, gas, water, power, housing and development projects were expedited, balancing development with historic preservation.
Finally, did you know that history plays a unique role in Utah’s economy? Heritage tourism draws in over $718 million into the state each year, and Utah’s tax credit program keeps millions of dollars in the state. Utah is devoted to its history and State History has been helping Utah since 1897 to elevate this essential perspective for Utah citizens.
Please contact me at 801.245.7248 or [email protected] if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Together, we can preserve and share the past for a better present and future.
Sincerely,
