Arts and Humanities Commons^™

“Singular And Beautiful City”: Nineteenth Century English Travel Literature And Venice, John Sheehan

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Joseph Mallord William Turner was one of England’s most noteworthy artists in the early nineteenth century. Turner’s works, which included both domestic and foreign views, are known for expressing light and atmosphere in a unique way unlike other artists of the time. Turner took liberties with the topographic arrangements of the cities and landscapes that he painted, which again differed from many of the artists who preceded him. His foreign works were especially well received by critics and buyers alike in England. In 1815, many English artists including Turner set out for the newly reopened continent, with the intent of …

History Strikes Back! The Portrayal Of Greek And Roman History In Hollywood Films And How It Furthers The Discussion Of History, Ethan P. Frost

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In an article published in 2009, Robert Rosenstone expressed disappointment in two films he played a role in developing the Reds (1981) and the The Good Fight (1984). He expressed regret the films did not reach his expectations as a historian. As a result, he wondered whether there was a point in historians being involved in the making of historical films.

This thesis focused on six historical films set in ancient Greece and Rome. The six films are Alexander the Great (1956), The 300 Spartans (1962), and 300 (2006) for Greek history; and The Last Days of Pompeii (1935), The …

Orson Pratt And The Expansion Of The Doctrine And Covenants, Brian C. Passantino

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a faith that is distinguished by its religious texts. The nickname "Mormon," that has been applied to adherents of the faith, comes from the name of its most cherished canonical book, the Book of Mormon. Aside from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, Latter-day Saints accept two other books of scriptures – the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants. These four books constitute the authorized scriptures of the faith, or as they refer to them, "the standard works."

My thesis focuses on the book entitled the Doctrine …

Racial Conflict In Early Utah: Mormon, Native American And Federal Relations, Raelyn M. Embleton

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This website is for teachers to gain information and sources about Utah history during the early territorial period, specifically relating to conflicts between Mormon settlers, Native Americans, and federal officials. The content and site were designed with the C3 curriculum in mind, as such, at the bottom of this page you can find a downloadable Inquiry Design Model Blueprint. As you teach students this information, the compelling question to have students focus on is: “Does culture and the interaction of cultures shape the development of place?” Each event highlighted on this website is related to the other and demonstrates how …

The Historical And Familial Context Of Benjamin Franklin Riter, 1859-1925, Ian Keller

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Benjamin Franklin Riter was born in Salt Lake City on 31 August 1859.1 His parents had traveled to Utah in 1847 as part of the Latter-day Saint migration.2 He worked with doctors and druggists in his youth, and grew up to be the manager of a small chain of drug stores. The Riter Brothers Drug Company was incorporated in Logan in 1891 and remained in business at least until 1918. The pharmacy operated five stores: two in Utah, at Garland and Logan, and three in Idaho, at Preston, Montpelier, and Franklin. They kept prescription records, which were pasted into four …

Nature & Nation: The Civilian Conservation Corps In Zion And Bryce Canyon National Parks, Valerie Jacobson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

CCC experiences have been written about other camps and areas across the United States, however, an in depth look at the CCC involvement in Zion and Bryce has not been attempted. The CCC camps in Zion and Bryce created a mark on the landscape through the projects and improvements, but also left a mark on the “boys” who were in the program. The experiences and projects the young men did with the CCC altered the land in the parks in southern Utah. The changes included new or improved trail systems in the park, better roads and maintenance, soil and erosion …

Innovation In Intelligence: An Analysis Of U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Modernization During The Occupation Of Haiti, 1915-1934, Laurence M. Nelson Iii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing modernization in military technology and methodology occurred during the beginning of the twentieth century. These changes had a direct effect on how U.S. Marines practiced military intelligence during the occupation of Haiti from 1915- 1934. The use of military intelligence had an impact on the outcome on the occupation but was not the only factor that contributed to U.S. military victories. My thesis explains that the improvement of intelligence methods used by Marines in Haiti occurred as a result of outside influence, changing circumstance in Haiti, and individual agency. Major failures had occurred that allowed resistance to grow unchecked …

The African American Community In Ogden, Utah: Teaching Local History Within A National Framework, Michelle Braeden

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Historical Background:

Beginning in 1869, the newly built Union Station in Ogden Utah became a major terminal for the transcontinental railroad. Around that same time George Pullman began recruiting emancipated slaves as employees on his luxury railroad cars. As a result a sizeable number of African Americans began working on the railroad. Many African Americans found residence in Ogden since it was a major railroad hub. As a result a small African American neighborhood that was six blocks long and two blocks wide formed in the city.[1] Businesses and organizations formed to support the emerging African American community within …

Europa's Bane Ethnic Conflict And Economics On The Czechoslovak Path From Nationalism To Communism, 1848-1948, Mathias Fuelling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethnic conflict and its relationship with economics is a difficult subject to understand, both for moral and historical reasons. This thesis was written with a mind to the effects of these forces on the functioning of political systems. Through study of the Habsburg empire it was discovered that industrialization and competition over economic opportunities drove speakers of different languages to establish themselves as distinct ethnic communities who held conflict between each other as a virtue. This conflict and the creation of a nationalist narrative by communities of Czechs and Germans contributed to the breakup of the Habsburg empire. Conceptions of …

Communities Of Memory: The Utah History Fair And The Utilization Of History And Memory, Nicholas Andrew Demas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utah's students, grades 4-12, create projects for the Utah History Fair, Utah's National History Day affiliate program. As far as the rigors of youth academic prowess are concerned, National History Day and the Utah History Fair are amongst the top in the nation. Within the myriad of projects created by Utah's participating students is important information about what aspects of the past captures students' attention and why they choose to research their selected topics. Through a careful examination of student topics from 1981-1984 and 2009-2012, this project taps into what students comprehend about the past. Further inspection into why students …

Stephen C. Rowan And The U.S. Navy: Sixty Years Of Service, Cynthia M. Zemke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis is a career biography, and chronicles the life and service of Stephen Clegg Rowan, an officer in the United States Navy, and his role in the larger picture of American naval history. The author has utilized mainly primary sources, including a journal kept by Rowan himself (transcribed from a microfilm copy of a handwritten journal, 900+ pages), and the Official Records of the United States military branches that were kept during the course of the Civil War. Rowan's wartime experiences and the contributions he made during the Second Seminole War, the Mexican War, and the Civil War form …

Just "Helling Around": Prohibition In Cache Valley, Utah, Kara Lyn Parker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Busy dance halls, exploding bottles, back room exchanges, and car chases: the Prohibition Era was doused with excitement. In rural Cache County, Utah, in the thick of prohibition years, a thirsty customer cautiously entered the rural residence of a known illegal brewer. The seller firmly shook his client’s hand and calmly took his order. When the customer ordered some simple beer, the brewer sent his son to fetch some bottles. The son, after heading upstairs, poked his head back down, and asked his father, “Dad…do you want me to get the beer out of the crock that the cat got …

From "Stalinkas" To "Khrushchevkas": The Transition To Minimalism In Urban Residential Interiors In The Soviet Union From 1953 To 1964, Ksenia Choate

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the shift from the rule of Joseph Stalin to that of Nikita Khrushchev, people in the Soviet Union witnessed dramatic political, economic, and social changes, evident even in such private aspects of life as residential home interiors.

The major architectural style of Stalin's era, known as Stalin's Empire Style, was characterized by grandeur and rich embellishments. The buildings' interiors were similarly grandiose and ornate. By endorsing this kind of design, Stalin attempted to position himself as an heir of classical traditions, to encourage respect for his regime, and to signal his power. When Nikita Khrushchev became the country's leader …

History Steps Off The Page: The Past In The Future, A Case Study Of How The Mormon Battalion Is Making History Interactive, Allyson Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis addresses the presentation of the Mormon Battalion's history in three interactive forms. The Battalion served in the U.S.-Mexican War between 1846 and 1847. In 2008 a group known as Battalion Trek chose to rehike the original trail as closely as possible. The three chapters of this thesis address the reenactors who planned and completed the rehike, the blog they kept as they did so, and a program which allows those interested to learn more about the trail. Analyzing what such presentations have to offer is important as history moves into the hands of the public and as the …

Growing Wild: Crested Wheatgrass And The Landscape Of Belonging, Lafe Gerald Conner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Crested wheatgrass arrived in North America at the turn of the twentieth century through the foreign plant exploration missions sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture. During the first two decades of the new century, scientists tested the grass at agricultural experiment stations. They determined it was useful for grazing and particularly valuable because it could grow in drought conditions with little or no care and would continue to produce high quality feed even after several years of heavy use. Beginning in the 1930s federally sponsored land utilization and agricultural adjustment programs sponsored the use of crested wheatgrass for …

A History And Cultural Resource Site Recordation Of Ogden Center And The Home Of Truth Cooperative Settlement, Heather M. Weymouth

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of this project was to complete an intensive level cultural resource inventory of the historic property known as Ogden Center and the Home of Truth Cooperative Settlement (Home of Truth). The goal of an intensive level inventory is to identify, record, and determine the extent and significance of a particular historic property. In order to meet these criteria, the site and associated individual features must be thoroughly documented through description, mapping, and photography. In addition to working with the on the ground, physical characteristics of the site, documentary research must be conducted in order to provide a historic …

"Halfway Between Nobody Knows Where And Somebody's Starting Point": A History Of The West End Of Montrose County, Colorado, John A. Hardcastle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The thesis contains interesting and relevant information concerning the impact of the mining and milling industry on communities located within a geographically, socially, politically, and economically defined area in southwestern Colorado. This area supplied a tremendous amount of radium, vanadium, and uranium in successive eras. The author focuses primarily on Uravan, and examines the town's role in the uranium procurement program during World War II. The study of Uravan also provides information on the social structure of a company-owned community. Also examined are the ways in which government policies affected these small communities, and the impacts of the mining and …

The Legend Of The Midwife's Blessing, Rosanna West Walker

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This legend was told by my aunt, Jessie Bradshaw. She was a descendant of Scottish people who settled Wellsville in the 1850s. Her mother, Janet Leatham, died giving birth to another child, and Jessie was reared by my maternal great-great grandmother, Jane Alexander Steele Leatham, who was a midwife. The family members were all devout Mormons.

Montpelier, Idaho's Locomotive Firemen And Enginemen: A Community Of Railroaders, 1900-1920, Kimball M. Fife

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis drew from the records of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, Re-Echo Lodge #195 of Montpelier, Idaho; the U.S. Censuses for the years 1900, 1910, and 1920; and the Montpelier Examiner, 1900-1920. The study focused on the world of railroad firemen and enginemen from the standpoint of the firemen's union members. A special focus examined the locomotive firemen's experiences of working in a predominantly Mormon settlement and the diversity that the railroaders brought to Montpelier.

Locomotive firemen and enginemen who were union members relied on their solidarity as a body of organized labor for protection of …

History Of The Bookstore At Utah State University, Pamela R. Stanger

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

USAC President Joshua H. Paul was in office for only three years (1894-96) but he was instrumental in incorporating many changes in the new College. One of these was to actually publish the 1895 curriculum in catalog form listing each subject with a brief description. Another was the establishment of the College Bookstore.

The Fourth Amendment: History And Development Of The Reasonable Search, Bradley L. Tilt

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The existence of the search and seizure restrictions encoded in the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the result of a two part historical development that took place simultaneously in England and the American colonies. Severe legislative restrictions on the press were largely responsible for the developments in England, while in the colonies it was British tax and trade regulations that spawned the changes. On both sides of the Atlantic, however, the primary catalyst was the government's use of general searches in the enforcement of those laws. It was the continued abuse of general searches despite the public's …

Working On Desert Rails: A Social And Environmental History, Ann E. Vileisis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Focusing on the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway from Grand Junction, Colorado to Green River, Utah, this study examines the working circumstances of nineteenth-century railroad laborers, the ecological limitations of the isolating desert where they worked, and their relations with railroad management and local communities. It begins by investigating the experiences of the railroad surveyors and construction laborers. The study then examines the experiences of workers' response to labor organization in the communities of Green River, Utah and Grand Junction, Colorado. The study identifies ecological changes spawned by the railroad and addresses issues of worker autonomy and labor organization …

History Of The Forty-Second Parallel As A Political Boundary Between Utah And Idaho, Nancy Bergeson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The original purpose of this paper was to discover why Cache County, Utah at one time taxed towns now located in the State of Idaho. Later, it became apparent that a history of the forty-second parallel was necessary to fully understand the reasoning used by both the Federal and local governments in setting up the political boundaries of Utah and Cache County. Therefore, it was necessary to research the records of the Federal Government, Cache County Government, the LDS Journal History, and diaries of residents of Cache and Bear Lake Valleys, as well as detailed accounts of Spanish and Mexican …

A History Of John W. Young's Utah Railroads, 1884-1894, Marlowe C. Adkins Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This is the story of three narrow gauge, short line railroads. Had fate been kinder, they might have become the hub of a major mountain west rail network. But this thesis will deal with facts, not possibilities, as it investigates the justification, construction, financing, and politics that surrounded these railroads and their location.

The locale was in and near Salt Lake City, Territory of Utah, during the decade between 1883-1894. Both location and time period have significance, for anti-Mormon feelings, within and without the the Territory, were very strong.

The visible cause of the anti-Mormon movement was polygamy.¹ For, …

"Up The Ditch:" The History Of Elsinore, Utah, 1874-1977, Ken Cregg Hansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to examine the settlement and institutions of Elsinore, Utah. The community was founded by Scandinavian converts to the Mormon church in the late Nineteenth Century. Their experience in adapting to the arid region of south central Utah is a chapter in the general movement by the Mormons to settle the Mountain West.

The historical method was utilized to uncover extant documents on the subject. Interviews were held with the oldest citizens of the community and those who had a vast knowledge of the town. A period of three months was spent living in Elsinore …

The Life And Contributions Of Captain Dan Jones, Rex Leroy Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study is an examination of the contributions made by Captain Dan Jones, called the father of the Welsh Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and a pioneer to the Great Basin. Jones was one of the all-time missionary greats, instrumental in converting over 5,000 Welsh people and their introduction into the Utah pioneer society. He operated a steamboat on the Mississippi for the Mormon Church and later a commercial boat on the Great Salt Lake for Brigham Young. Jones headed a steambot expedition in opposition to an attempted kidnapping of Joseph Smith in Illinois. The …

A History Of Mapleton, Utah To 1945, Ralph K. Harmer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mapleton, a small rural Utah community located on the benchlands between Hobble Creek Canyon and Spanish Fork Canyon fifty miles south of Salt Lake City, was settled in the late 1860s and early 1870s by Springvllle and Spanish Fork families who built their homes on their individual farms. These families did not follow traditional Mormon settlement patterns with a City of Zion plat as their guide; their community grew along quite different lines. Its inhabitants never heard a "call" nor did they have their land alloted to them by their church.

The Latter-day Saint Ward, established on the bench In …

A History Of Brigham Young College, Logan, Utah, Arnold K. Garr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Before Brigham Young College was founded in 1877, a variety of schools existed in Utah. The Mormons at first, and later the Protestants and Catholics made significant contributions to education in the territory.

Education has always played an important role in the philosophy of the Mormon church. In the early days of church history, the Mormons founded schools in the places they settled. This policy continued when they settled in Utah.

The Great Depression In Weber County, Utah: An Exercise In Oral History, Mack S. Taft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

By use of oral history techniques, about fifty persons, in eleven occupations, who had lived in Weber County during the Great Depression, who were interviewed concerning their life experiences during the depression. Tape recordings were made and transcriptions were taken from the tapes. These transcripts were presented to each person interviewed for approval. A signed statement granting permission to place transcripts in the Library at Utah State University and The Utah Historical Society was secured from each interviewee.

From this study it became evident: 1. The memory of man is not always accurate in detail information, yet has great capacity …

The History Of Cokeville, Wyoming, Errol Jack Lloyd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cokeville, Wyoming, is situated at the confluence of the Bear River and Smiths Fork valleys in southwestern Wyoming. Settled in 1874, the Cokeville area has experienced much the same political, economic, and social developments typical of other small rural towns in the western United States; but it is unlike neighboring settlements in that it was not dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its early growth.

Depending upon an agricultural economic base, Cokeville has been the center of the Lincoln County sheep industry since the early 1900's. Mining has played a minor part in the economy, …