Explore the Sources
Think Water Utah
Think Water Utah is a statewide collaboration and conversation on the critical topic of water presented by Utah Humanities and its partners. Catch up on Utah’s water stories on the Beehive Archive.
Utah Water Ways
Water ways are the product of both nature and culture; they are built where human beliefs and actions meet the natural world. Explore Utah’s water ways in this essay by Dr. Gregory E. Smoak, produced for Utah Humanities’ Think Water Utah project.
Bear River Watershed Collection
Funded by grants from the Utah State University Water Initiative, this project digitized selected photographs of the Bear River from the 1860s-1990s, records of local irrigation companies, and research on the societal impact of reclamation development in the Bear River Basin.
Western Waters Digital Library
The Western Waters Digital Library (WWDL) provides free public access to digital collections of significant primary and secondary resources on water in the western United States. These collections have been made available by research libraries belonging to the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA) and other academic library partners.
Primary Sources at the USU Library
Utah State University has crafted a unique guide that showcases records and research tips related to the documentation of Water Resources in Utah and the Intermountain West.
Central Utah Project: Capturing Utah’s Share of the Colorado River
In this digital collection of 71 oral histories, stakeholders from the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (CUWCD), Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA), the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and the Ute Nation, join with Utah water users, members of the environmental community and Utah’s political establishment to tell the complex and oftentimes controversial story of the Central Utah Project (CUP). The CUP captures the excess flow of the Duchesne River and its tributaries in the Colorado River Basin of eastern Utah and transfers it to the Wasatch Front through a trans-mountain diversion consisting of pipelines, tunnels, and reservoirs.
Great Salt Lake Wetlands History Project
The Great Salt Lake Wetlands History Project is a joint effort of Westminster College, Utah State University, Weber State University, the University of Utah, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, community partners, and scholar. The project’s aim was to gather oral histories, photographs of material and wetlands culture, and records to document the fascinating history of the Great Salt Lake wetlands (GSLW) and the people who work and play along its shores and marshes as well as to enhance the existing GSLW collections at the four institutions.
L.M. Winsor Papers and Photographs Digital Collection
Luther M. Winsor, born in Hebron, Utah on January 21, 1884, spent his whole life working with water, irrigation, and flood control. With his experience and expertise he was appointed to governmental positions on both the state and national level, and he also served as a consultant to private companies. The bulk of his work with irrigation and flood control kept him in Utah, but he also studied and developed water programs in Chile, Iran, Canada, and much of the western United States. Credit: Utah State University
Utah Construction Hoover Dam Scrapbooks
In 1931, Utah joined Six Companies Inc. to raise the surety required to bid for the Boulder (Hoover) Dam contract. One of the world’s largest dams, Hoover Dam was completed in 1936 at a cost of $49 million. These scrapbooks document through photographs the construction of the dam showcasing UCC’s part in its creation. Credit: Weber State University Stewart Library
Bear River Boa Ogoi: the River is Life
Bear River Boa Ogoi: the River is Life explores how the Bear River is the source of life for Northwestern Shoshone peoples, representing their physical, cultural, and spiritual experiences both in the past and today. Credit: Hyrum City Museum
Socotwa, Glen Canyon Voyage
Socotwa is a trip log of participant activities and photographs from a river rafting voyage through the Glen Canyon area of the Colorado River from June 11-19, 1958. Credit: Southern Utah University
Water Wise Utah
Water Wise Utah is a collaborative University of Utah project led by the Utah Education Network (UEN) in partnership with KUER, KUED, the Utah Museum of Natural History, and the J. W. Marriott Library. Its goal is to raise awareness of critical water issues and encourage water conservation throughout Utah.
Utah River Running Photo Archives
The Utah River Running Photo Archives is part of the S. J. Quinney Ski and Outdoor Recreation Archives at the University of Utah. The river running photo collection includes photos of Glen Canyon, Hatch River Expeditions, the Colorado River, and a variety of historic expeditions.
Great Basin Museum Collection
The Great Basin Museum collection contains an assortment of historical photographs that depict historical events in infrastructure development in the Great Basin Area.
Bear Lake Monster
Explore the origins of the Bear Lake Monster legend in this digital collection featuring folklore items, newspaper articles, interviews and other materials from Utah State University’s Special Collections and Archives. The Bear Lake Monster is a regional legend from the Bear Lake Valley (Utah and Idaho), home to a large, deep lake where the monster purportedly resides.
