Capitol hosts 'Utah Drawn,' showcasing state's history in maps

SALT LAKE CITY — To the casual observer, the maps show a progression of redrawn lines and name changes. But when Stephen Boulay presents them, the story of Utah's complicated history emerges.

Every year, a new display is curated in the halls of the Utah Capitol. This year, 40 rare maps line the halls of the Capitol, a collection showing the history of North America from the first vague outlines by European explorers to the shape of modern America.

"Utah Drawn: An Exhibition of Rare Maps" is Boulay's passion project that details how Utah became a territory and then the 45th state.

Boulay studied at Colgate University in New York, where he became fascinated with history and collecting historic maps. He has been collecting maps for 35 years, with Utah becoming his focus when he moved to the state some 30 years ago.

"Paper is easy to move, and you find stuff all over the world," Boulay said, noting that he's found maps in places as far away as Russia and England.

"A lot of times people don't know what they have," he said. "There was one that I found at a shop in London, which is on original linen, which is for a mining claim in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and I paid five bucks for it."

Boulay estimates the value of his collection at $200,000, and it continues to expand through connections he's made with maps and antiquities dealers around the world.

The maps on display at the Capitol tell an ever-shifting story of U.S. and Utah history.

"You find things that tell the story of new geographic understanding of what’s there: 'There’s a river, there’s a lake, there’s a mountain'; and then political expression: 'We are part of Mexico, we are part of Spain, we are part of Colorado, we are next door to Missouri,'" Boulay said.

The maps of Utah span a stretch of history from its earliest explorers to its pioneer settlement and throughout a continuous process of appeals to the nation to achieve statehood. The maps showcase disputes between Spain and Mexico, as even other territories in the young American nation.

"One of the maps has all the original (Native American) names of the creeks coming into the valley," Boulay said. "I want to get a copy of the treaty map at the end of the Mexican-American War."

Boulay detailed the history of Stockton as a mining hub created with the intent of being removed from Mormon influences of Salt Lake City, and how the earliest plans for the area projected it would become a major commercial center.

Stockton even became the first city in Utah with electric lighting, he said, and experienced a brief boom before settling back down.

Boulay detailed how the lines continued to be redrawn, with Nevada at one point gaining a large portion of Utah territory to prevent Utah and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from gaining control of a large silver deposit.

Boulay describes the display as one of great educational value.

"I was pretty active in my kids' school. I used to pull together six or seven of the most interesting maps and show them to kids in sixth and seventh and eight grades," he said. "Kids know what Utah looks like, and then when you show them this, a kid never ever forgets this."

After spending years showing his collection of map at his children's schools, Boulay set up a display at the University of Utah. It was through his connections with the chairman of the university's history department that he met members of the Utah Division of State History. He reached out to state officials to present his collection on display at the Capitol.

"Utah Drawn" features Boulay's collection, as well as the Utah State Historical Society, LDS Church History Department, L. Tom Perry Special Collections at BYU, and the University of Utah's J. Willard Marriott Library and American West Center.

The exhibit will be on display at the Capitol through late summer.

For more information, visit history.utah.gov/utahdrawn.

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