THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT* BY JOEL E. RICKS f
F
in the midst of a glorious celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of Utah's founding by the Mormon Pioneers of 1847, the state of Utah's first governor, the Honorable Heber M. Wells, called a meeting of Utah's most prominent citizens, "for the purpose of taking the necessary steps to organize a State Historical Society." In December of 1897, the first articles of incorporation were adopted. In the enthusiasm of the hour, stirred by the memories of the pioneers and their great leader, these prominent citizens of Utah announced four major purposes of the society: " T h e preservation of manuscripts, papers, documents and tracts of value, the establishment and maintenance of a public library and museum, the dissemination of information and the holding of meetings at stated intervals for the interchange of views and criticism." IFTY-SIX YEARS AGO,
Without money and without a home for the society, the founders were unable to achieve these worthy objectives in full. They did, however, hold annual meetings, and the program of the first meeting, held January 17, 1898, in Salt Lake City, illustrates the sole activities of the society in the early period. This program was as follows: Address by the President of the Society, Franklin D. Richards Address—The T r u e Mission of History, Dr. Ellen B. Ferguson Address—The Utah Pioneers, Joseph T . Kingsbury Vocal Solo—Miss Nellie Holliday. For the first twenty years, despite the devotion of its mem•bers, the society was able to do little more than hold annual meetings and keep alive the hope of better things to come. Then things began to happen. In 1916, the 19th annual meeting was held in * Delivered at the annual meeting of the Utah State Historical Society, October 23, 1953. fDr. Ricks has been a member of the board of control for 28 years, and has served as president of the society since 1949.
