New collections from the Utah State Historical Society

Today we have some great new collections from the Utah State Historical Society to celebrate, ranging from pioneer history, portrait studio photographs, a diary from the Topaz relocation center, and much more. Read on for more details about these collections!

Larson Studio Negative Collection - Over 22,000 images from the Larson Studio in Provo, including portrait and landscape photographs.

J. Lewis Bird

Carbon County Cookbook - Take a trip back to the 1920s and explore the foodways of Carbon County in this community cookbook that features recipes for Boiled Salad Dressing, Good Raisin Bread, and Mock Lemon Pie.

Our Daily Diary, Topaz Relocation Center - This fully illustrated diary tells the story of third graders at Mountain View School at the Topaz Relocation Center from March 8 - August 12, 1943. An important primary source document for researching Japanese American internment during World War II.

Our Daily Diary, Topaz Relocation Center

Ellis Reynolds Shipp Papers - Collection documenting the history and correspondence of one of the first female doctors in Utah. 

Works Progress Administration Biography Sketches Collection - Interviews with pioneers and other people of note from the WPA. 

Charles Raymond Varley Slides 1868-1986 - This collection of building photos highlights historical architecture of Salt Lake City. See how street views have changed through the decades with photos taken years apart in the same location.

West Side of Main Street

Thanks to the Utah State Historical Society for sharing these new collections!

Clowns in the Mountain West Digital Library

Clowns! Does the idea of clowns fill you with happy thoughts of your childhood visit to the circus, or do you have Coulrophobia or the fear of clowns? Are the clowns in the MWDL happy or terrifying? Let's find out!

It will be no surprise that the Mountain West Digital Library has photographs of rodeo clowns.

This Rodeo Clown from the late 1930s is carrying a doll. From the Uintah County Library Thorne Photograph Collection. 

This clown photo from the Scottsdale Public Library is rather adorable:

Clowns in the 1995 Parada del Sol Parade. From the Scottsdale (AZ) Remembers: Recollections of our Past collection via the Arizona Memory Project

This clown looks very very sad:

Circus Clowns P.1 From the Utah State Historical Society Classified Photograph Collection

Here is a clown musical band!

Clown Musical Band, from the University of Nevada Las Vegas Southern Nevada: The Boomtown Years Collection

What happened to this student at the University of Nevada Reno? Did she make it to Clown College? It looks like she would be a perfect candidate for clown-related higher education.

Betty Dittmer, business major who planned to attend Clown College, from the University of Nevada Reno Campus Images collection

Have we inspired any clown related Halloween costumes? What's your favorite clown photo from a digital collection?

Two new collections from the Utah State Historical Society

The Mountain West Digital Library recently added two great collections from the Utah State Historical Society.

The KUED Topaz Relocation Center Residents Collection contains images of Japanese Americans in the Topaz Internment Camp in Delta, Utah.

Topaz School Children

This collection joins many other digital collections the Mountain West Digital Library has on the topic of the Japanese American experience in the Western States. DPLA recently highlighted some of the many digital resources available for educators teaching the topic of Japanese American internment.

The Al Morton Collection 1930s-1950s features historic photographs of scenic Utah landscapes and national parks, which helped support the early tourism industry in Utah.

Glen Canyon