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History of Museums in Utah
Taken from the Utah History Encyclopedia. (Links Added)
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Two organizations have been instrumental in museum developments; they are the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) and the Sons of Utah Pioneers (SUP). The DUP was formally chartered in 1901 and sought to find a permanent home for its pioneer collections, starting a fund-raising effort toward this goal in 1911. With their own resources and additional state support, construction of the Pioneer Memorial Museum near the State Capitol Building was completed in 1950. The state-owned building is occupied on a 99-year lease. According to art historian Dr. Robert Olpin, "they own and maintain one of the most extensive pioneer art collections in the nation." The DUP is organized by counties, and is further divided into "camps," many of which maintain small one-room relic halls in towns throughout the state.

The Sons of Utah Pioneers was organized in 1933. Its "collection" began in 1934 and was actually attributable to the Horace Sorensen family, who provided substantial funding and space. The Sorensens assembled an important collection of pioneer vehicles, railroad stock, equestrian equipment, structures, guns, etc., which was located in the East Millcreek area of Salt Lake City, where it was known as Pioneer Village. The collection itself was deeded to the SUP in 1955, and was later sold to the owners of Lagoon Amusement Park in Farmington, where it has remained since 1976 as a commercial attraction.


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