Utah History (The Vault)

I am fascinated with history! Even more so when it involves my personal family history. As a Realtor I have been in thousands of homes across the Wasatch Front. So I wanted to combine my to passions and write a blog that will provide interesting information about the growth history of Salt Lake County & housing trends through the mid to late 1800s, 1900s and now 2000s. I hope you find it as exciting as I do and enjoy this journey with me.

Growing up here in Salt Lake County I have seen our valley grow enormously over the last 50 years. I have personal roots in Liberty Park and Sugarhouse areas of Salt Lake City. Boy, has it changed since I was a child! I hope that providing a little slice of my experience, from a local’s point of view, will help those who are looking to buy a home and those who are relocating to Utah to learn about our great community. It’s rich history and possibly what to expect in housing when looking for a home in certain zip codes. We will uncover myths and misconceptions about our valley and have a lot of fun along the way!

The start of my adventure was meeting our new Salt Lake County Recorder Rashelle Hobbs. She is new to her office and came to speak at our Salt Lake Board of Realtors Government Affairs Committee. She and I have an innate desire to know more about our local history. She set up an appointment for me to meet with Kenneth “Rich” Richmond, Division Administrator Salt Lake County Recorder’s Office. He was AMAZING! Rich might as well be an encyclopedia of information. It’s all just in his head! Okay, honestly I thought that going down to the recorder’s office would be a dull experience. NOT in the least! Did you know that we have a VAULT there? No kidding! They keep all the original plot maps from pioneer days there. I got to see and hold them! The writing is so tiny! He actually has to use a magnifying glass to read what was written!

Fun fact! We don’t need to keep your Warranty Deeds when we purchase real property like you need to keep the title to our car because we live in a Race to Record State. The recorder’s office is required to keep the chain of title publicly available. So, while I was with Rich we did a deep dive into my grandparent’s home at 464 Harvard Ave, Salt Lake City, UT84111. Stay tuned for more information on what I found out!