CALL FOR MATERIALS THE MANTUA HISTORY HARVEST
Help us preserve and share the unique story of the Town of Mantua! We are applying for the USHRAB Archival Project Grant through the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board (USHRAB) to digitize, preserve, and open public access to historical materials that reflect our community's deep roots and diverse histories.
Bring your family treasures to the Mantua Town Hall so we can scan and preserve them for future generations. You keep all of your original items!
What We Are Seeking
We need unique, unpublished historic records of enduring value to document our valley's heritage-including its transformation from an early agricultural settlement into a beautiful mountain reservoir community:
Pioneer & Family Papers: Personal journals, diaries, historic letters, and family scrapbooks highlighting the early Danish settlers who nicknamed our valley 'Little Copenhagen'.
Visual Memories: Old photographs, local business snapshots, home movies, or vintage sound recordings capturing early life, local mink farming, or the construction of the highway through Sardine Canyon.
Historical Land & Water Records: Early town engineering sketches, hand-drawn water rights diagrams, and historic property layouts. We are highly interested in finding early irrigation system documents predating the 1961 construction of the earth-fill Mantua reservoir.
Old Plat & Topographic Maps 19th-century land surveys, early maps of properties built along Halling Creek, or vintage federal maps-such as original prints of the classic 1955 USGS Mantua Topographic Quad Map.
Civic History: Historic ledger books, early church meeting minutes, and civic club records.
Items We Cannot Accept
Per grant funding guidelines, we cannot accept or process the following items:
Published materials (e.g., printed, copyrighted books or newspapers).Physical artifacts or 3D objects (e.g., antique tools, historic textiles, clothing, or physical art).Private items not intended for eventual open research or public access.Commercial entertainment items (e.g., mass-produced sheet music).
Project Timeline & Public AccessCollection & Scanning Phase: August 1 - September 15.
State Review & Funding Approval: Handled by the Utah State Historical Records Advisory Board.
Preservation Work Begins January 15.
Public Access Component All successfully collected and processed materials will be safely stored and hosted via an open digital archive. This guarantees that local history remains accessible to all families, students, and researchers.
Notice of Special Accommodations (ADA)
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing auxiliary communicative aids and services for this meeting should contact the Management Services Department at 629-8701 (TTY/TDD: 711 or 888-735-5906) or by emailing town recorder at sschaefer@mantuautah.gov at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
Notice of Electronic or Telephone Participation
Public meetings may be held electronically in accordance with Utah Code Annotated 52-4-207 to allow Council members to participate via teleconference. The anchor location for the meeting shall be held at the Mantua Town Hall 409 North Main St, Mantua Utah 84324
Other Information
Certificate of Posting
The foregoing agenda was (1) posted on the Utah Public Notice Website created under Utah Code Section 63F1-701. (2) Town of Mantua website, and (3) posted in Town of Mantua City Office on 8/6/2026 by Sherita Schaefer - Town Recorder