GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 3: Western United States
Utah: UT-9

Catholic Church. Diocese of Salt Lake City. Archives
27 C Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84103

Phone: See website (Directory)
Email: See website (Directory)

 

Hours: See website

Access: Some restrictions apply

Copying facilities: Yes  

 

History: The Vicariate Apostolate of Colorado and Utah, 1868-1871, the Archdiocese of San Francisco, 1871-1887, and the Vicariate Apostolic of Utah, 1887-1891, included all territory within the State of Utah. The Diocese of Salt Lake was erected for the State of Utah, 1891, which was renamed the Diocese of Salt Lake City, 1951. The Salt Lake City Diocese reported 5,500 baptized Native American Catholics, 1999. Salt Lake City and its predecessors have administered the following missions and parishes in Utah serving Native American Catholics:

1910-1930s (closed)	Uintah Valley Mission (Ute)
1937-present	St. Helen Church (Ute), Roosevelt
1950-present	Holy Spirit Mission (Ute), Duchesne, Uintah and Ouray Reservation
1959-present	Sacred Heart Mission (Navajo), La Sal
1981-present	St./ Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Mission (Ute), Fort Duchesne, Uintah and Ouray Reservation
1982-present	St. Nicholas Mission (Ute), Blanding

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans: 

Inclusive dates: ca. 1886-ongoing  

Volume: Over 3.0 cubic feet

Description: The records at the Diocese of Salt Lake City Archives were not arranged according to a classification scheme when reviewed by a Marquette University archivist in 2006. Consequently, the description is by record type. 

 

/1 “Bishops’ Papers”

Inclusive dates: Between ca. 1886-ongoing

Volume: Few letters possible 

Description:

A. Bishop Lawrence Scanlan (1843-1915), Vicar Apostolic of Utah, 18861891, Bishop 1891-1915 B. Bishop Joseph Sarsfield Glass (1874-1926), C.M., 1915-1926

B. Bishop John Joseph Mitty (1884-1961), 1926-1932

C. Bishop James Edward Kearney (1884-1977), 1932-1937

D. Bishop Duane Garrison Hunt (1884-1960), 1937-1960

E. Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal (1910-2000), Auxiliary Bishop, 1951-1958; Coadjutor Bishop, 1958-1960, Bishop, 1960-1980

F. Bishop William Kenneth Weigand (1937- ), 1980-1993

G. Bishop George Hugh Niederauer (1936- ), 1994-

 

/2 “Sacramental Records”

Inclusive dates: 1870s-present

Volume: Several entries

Description: Diocesan database in electronic form accessible by person or in card form arranged alphabetically by person.

 

/3 “Parish Annual Reports”

Inclusive dates: 1915-1981

Volume: Several reports

Description: Arranged first by type, then alphabetically by community, and there under chronologically by year; includes East Carbon, Good Shepherd Church (with Monticello, St. Joseph Mission), Monticello, St. Joseph Church (with Blanding, St. Nicholas Mission and La Sal, Sacred Heart Mission), Roosevelt, St. Helen Church (with Duchesne, Holy Spirit Mission, Fort Duchesne, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Center, and Whiterocks), and Price, Notre Dame de Lourdes Church (with Monticello, St. Joseph Mission):

A. Canonical Reports, 1937-1972, several within 3 volumes; re: sacramental data

B. Financial and Statistical Reports, 1915-1926, 1937-1974, 1978-1981, several within 10 volumes and 4 folders; re: ethnographic, financial, and sacramental data

 

/4 “Religious Community Files” 

Inclusive dates: 1955-1966

Volume: .02 cubic foot (2 folders)

Description: Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement (Garrison, New York), Our Lady of the Atonement Convent, Roosevelt:

A. Correspondence, 1955-1956; 1 folder; re: establishment of facility

B. Statistical reports, 1955-1966; re: attendance and sacramental data from youth religious education program for Ute Indians

 

/5 “Diocesan Office of Native American Ministry and Intermountain School” 

Inclusive dates: 1944-1995, undated 

Volume: 3 cubic feet

Description: The Diocesan Office of Native American Ministry was established in 1983 and closed in 1994.

A. Intermountain Inter-Tribal/ Government Indian School (Brigham City, Utah), 1957-1997, 2.0 cubic feet

1. Intermountain Inter-Tribal School, 1965-1997, 2 folders; re: history, student handbook, course catalog, map, booklets, brochures, and clippings

2. American Indians [general], 1965-1970, 1991, 1 folder; re: ephemera

3. Navajo Indians [general], 1968-1972, 1991, 1 folder; re: printed materials, including prayers and religious songs

4. Catholic Indian Student Center, 1957-1973, 1 folder; re:

a. Annual reports, 1970-1971

b. Budgets, 1969-1970

c. Correspondence, 1959-1975; correspondents include: Diocesan Office of Education, U.S. Department of the Interior, Intermountain School Superintendent, DCCW [Diocesan Council of Catholic Women], re: Christmas party sponsorship, Catholic Indian Council, and Martin Wall (Seminole, Florida; re: school closing)

d. Statistical report, 1968-1969

e. Sacramental records (e.g. baptisms, marriages, burials), 1957-1973

f. Enrollment list of Catholic students, 1972

5. Protestant Indian Student Center, 1959-1977, 1 folder; re: history, program plan, budget, and calendar 6. Miscellaneous Intermountain Inter-Tribal School, 1957-1982, 1 box; re:

a. Literary magazines, 1970-1971

b. Yearbooks, 1957-1982

c. Photograph album, 1970s

B. Native American Ministry Office, 1 cubic foot

1. History of Native American Ministry, 1944-1995, 1 folder; re: history, student handbook, course catalog, map, booklets, brochures

2. Convocation of Missionaries, 1957, 1 folder; correspondence to/ from Bishop Hunt and attendance roster

3. Reports, 1954-1990, undated, 1 folder; re:

a. Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians, 1956-1977

b. Catholic Indian Apostolate, 1983-1984 undated

c. Navajo Reservation maps, 1954

d. Diocesan survey, 1990

e. Report from Rev. Joseph Clark to Bishop Joseph Lennox Federal, 1960

f. Budget, 1970-1972; re: Indian Council and Catholic Indian Programs, Brigham City

4. Correspondence, budgets, and financial reports, 1983-1994, 1 folder; correspondents include Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. (Potawatomi)

5. Correspondence, dates unknown, 1 folder; re: personnel

6. Office of Native American Ministry Newsletter, 1984-1994, 1 folder; renamed Windwalker, 1989-1994

7. Native American Commission, dates unknown, 1 folder; re: mission statement and organization

8. Native American liturgies, 1983-1995, 1 folder; re: programs and clippings

9. Tekakwitha Conference, 1980s, 1 folder; re: correspondence, clippings, programs, and photographs

10. News Clippings, dates unknown, 1 folder; re: Intermountain Catholic, Salt Lake Tribune, and Our Sunday Visitor

11. Photo albums, 1980s-1990s, 2 volumes; re: Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Mission, Fort Duchesne, St. Helen’s Church, Roosevelt, and the Tekakwitha Conference

 

/6 “Diocesan Newspapers” 

Inclusive dates: 1899-ongoing

Volume: Few articles  

Description: Occasional articles on American Indians and Catholic evangelization in the diocese are included throughout:

A. Intermountain Catholic, Dioceses of Salt Lake City and Denver, 1899-1920

B. Intermountain Catholic, Diocese of Salt Lake City, 1920-ongoing

C. The Diocesan Monthly, Diocese of Salt Lake City, ca. 1923

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

new2006/rev2019