The county has never had a historian or archivist on staff. Councilmember Erik Rowland said he’d like to change that starting in 2026.
Rowland said at the Wasatch County Council meeting May 14 he was inspired by the museum in neighboring Summit County, which has a full-time historian.
He said the time for a historian is now, before the county cleans out its storage and prepares to move to a new government building.
“Things are just moving quickly, and unless we have someone who’s dedicated to preserving our history and preserving or helping with this move, stuff will be lost,” he said.
The historian would be responsible for things like digitizing paper archives and photographs and defining best practices for organizing documents and artifacts going forward. They could also curate items for a museum.
Councilmembers said it would be best for the historian to work with people already trying to capture stories and artifacts, like the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The historian would also be tasked with sharing Wasatch County’s story with the community and getting people engaged with and interested in the past, a job Councilmember Luke Searle said could pose a challenge.
“I think that there is this disconnect,” he said. “We think only old people really care about history in the valley, and that's not true.”
The draft job description shared with the council proposed hiring a candidate with specialized training and experience.
But not all the councilmembers thought history needed full-time funding, an estimated $100,000.
Councilmember Mark Nelson proposed archiving could be done by volunteers.
“If there's anything that people would be lined up at the door to help with in Wasatch County, it's this,” he said. “There are lots and lots of people who realize how important this is.”
And Councilmember Spencer Park asked if a new hire could be dedicated to history part-time and use other time for something else, like social media or library work.
Others suggested that Heber and Midway should chip in some money, too, if the county decided to add history to the 2026 budget.
Wasatch County Library Director Juan Lee advocated for hiring a trained historian soon.
“A lot of those who have made the history will not be here next year or in the next five or 10 years, and how those stories are being recorded, kept and made accessible – that’s critical,” he said. “A historian is trained to grab all of those stories, then put them together and offer it back to the public.”
Rowland said he’ll put together a subcommittee to refine the historian’s proposed responsibilities.
His pitch comes amid other community efforts to put the spotlight on the past.
Both Heber and Midway have been installing historic plaques at sites around town, with Heber planning to launch a walking tour in June.
