The Utah Division of State History is sponsoring a free public conference this Friday with optional paid tours to Iosepa and Delta.
The “Deep Roots, Many Voices: Exploring Utah’s Multicultural Past” conference will offer something for patrons with an academic background in history as well as people with an interest in history, said Geoffrey Fattah, communications director for the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts.
Dr. Pam Perlich, director of demographic research at the University of Utah’s Policy Institute, will deliver a keynote address, “Utah’s Hidden Diversity: Decoding Evidence from the Census.”
Additional conference topics will cover settler-Native American relations, immigration in early 20th-century Utah, German World War II prisoners of war at Ft. Douglas, Latinos in early Cache County, Jewish pioneers, Chinese railroad workers, the disability rights movement in Utah, Utah’s Japanese-American World War II internment camp, and more.
Tours to Iosepa in Tooele County’s Skull Valley and the Topaz Museum in Delta will take place on Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, respectively. Dr. Benjamin Pykles of the LDS Church History Department will speak about the South Pacific Islanders who settled Iosepa at the Ft. Douglas Military Museum at 9 a.m. Saturday prior to the bus departure at 10 a.m. People can register at www.fortdouglas.org for $50 per person. As of Wednesday, there were 50 spots still available on the tour.
The tour to Topaz Museum, which documents the Japanese-American World War II internment camp in Delta, will follow a similar schedule on Oct. 10.
This year will mark 63 years the state has held a history conference, making it one of the longest-running conferences in the department, Fattah said.
“We do it because Utah has a passion for its history and its heritage, so we hold this conference as a way to kind of help build on great works of people who have built a great body of works for Utah’s history,” he said. “We’re always discovering more things about Utah’s past. This conference is a great opportunity to share those new discoveries and have robust discussions about history.”
The conference will take place at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center, located at 1335 W. 3100 South in West Valley City. The event will offer nearly 60 presentations, documentaries, panels and a free lunch. All attendees must pre-register online at history.utah.gov. Attendance will be capped at 400.
As of noon Wednesday, 347 people had registered for the conference, Fattah said.