The Alan K. Engen photograph collection is one of the University of Utah's premier ski collections. The Engen collection documents the history of skiing in Utah in detail, and touches on the many aspects and evolution of the sport of skiing.
Alan Engen has diligently collected and organized ski images ranging in subject matter from the origination of skiing, to Utah's first skiers, the development of ski jumping in Utah, organization of ski clubs and schools, to "Utah's" 1948 Olympic Ski Team, and notable University of Utah skiers. In compiling this extensive history of skiing, Alan Engen drew heavily from his personal collection of family photographs. As a result the Alan Engen collection focuses much attention on the Engen brothers, Sverre, Alf and Corey, all of whom played a fundamental role in the development of the sport of skiing in Utah. In addition to highlighting the Engen brothers, the Engen collection also focuses on other Utah ski pioneers and notables, and the development of ski resorts throughout Northern Utah, including Alta, Brighton, Snow Basin, Solitude, and others.
The majority of the Alan K. Engen collection is organized into books by subjects and dates. In addition to photographs and slides, many subjects addressed in the books include extensive notations, essays, and relevant lists of skiers and awards. The first eight books have been kept in their original order as received from Alan Engen. The images are well identified with names and dates. Most of the descriptions found in the inventory were taken directly from the captions provided on the back of the photographs. The Alan K. Engen collection is not fully processed. Additional information may be found in the Alan K. Engen Papers (Accn 1601).
A complete inventory of these photographs is available at Photograph Regiser P0413.
Copyright (c)2001, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah