Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics & Public Service

The Utah History Encyclopedia was published in 1994 as a joint project of the Utah State Historical Society and the University of Utah Press with funding provided by the Utah Centennial Commission. It includes more than five hundred entries written by two hundred seventy historians and writers on a variety of subjects, places, individuals,  and events in Utah history.  In his letter published on the back of the dust jacket of the volume,  Governor Leavitt wrote: “Utah is a state rich in history and tradition. In 1896 Utah became the nation’s 45th state.  This book, supported by a grant from the Utah Centennial Commission,  provides fascinating information about Utah’s first 100 years of statehood. From the Utah War to the Utah Jazz,  from Philo T.  Farnsworth to Flaming Gorge,  this reference work describes the people, places and events that have shaped this state and made it what it is today.

The Governor’s Olympic Photograph Collection contains 4,900 color images in both a print and digital format. The Utah Governor’s Office assigned photojournalists to follow Governor Leavitt and Lt. Governor Walker and document their participation in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.  A few highlights of the collection are images of President Bush’s visit to the games, athletes competing in various events, and the opening and closing ceremonies.  The images are available to the public through the Research Center of the Utah State Archives and the Utah State Historical Society.  A formal description is as follows: “Five talented photojournalists shot thousands of photographs documenting the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The photographs capture the Games from the vantage point of the Utah Governor’s Office as photojournalists tracked the activities of Governor Michael Leavitt and Lt. Governor Olene Walker.  The Governor and Lt. Governor met with President George W.

All twenty-nine county histories in the Utah Centennial County History series were published during Michael Leavitt’s administration. Funding for the county history series was provided by the Utah State Legislature in 1991 and the first volume published in 1995 and the last in 1999.  The Division of State History was given the assignment to administer the project. The county commissioners, or their designees, were responsible for selecting the author or authors for their individual county histories, while the Division of State History provided technical and editorial assistance.  All twenty-nine counties participated and completed their histories. A History of Utah’s American Indians was also included in the series.