The University of Utah, Its Pioneer Heritage

The University of Utah was established as the University of Deseret in 1850. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called Mormons) had arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 and early on had plans to start a university to prepare men and women to be elementary school teachers. Accordingly, the University of Deseret was established. Originally, while waiting for construction of a schoolhouse, classes were held in homes and students paid $8.00 a quarter. The University limped along in various locations and through temporary closures until 1869 when John R. Park was hired as principal (later called President) and a main campus was established. In 1890 President Park negotiated with the Federal Government for land belonging to the U.S. Army’s Fort Douglas in the northeast corner of the Salt Lake Valley. In 1892, the Legislative Assembly changed the school’s name to the University of Utah, and in 1894 Congress deeded 60 acres of Fort Douglas land to the University. (Utah became a state in January of 1896.) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Utah) ( Ison, Yvette 1995, “The Beginnings of the University of Utah,” https://historytogo.utah.gov/beginnings-uofu/)

In 1905 the University of Utah opened a two-year medical program. Students would then attend other medical schools out of state to complete their degrees. In 1942, the School of Medicine became a four-year program. Lyman L. Daines was dean of the two-year medical school in 1941 and Cyril Callister was dean in 1942 when the school became a four-year program offering the medical degree. (https://medicine.utah.edu/internalmedicine/about/history.php) (https://medicine.utah.edu/alumni/about/deans-past).