J-L, 1922
Scope and Contents
The Cache County Sheriff's Office correspondence collection is composed of incoming and outgoing correspondence from 1920 to 1925. The letters reflect the two terms of Sheriff Miles L. Peterson, who held office from 1921 to 1926. There are also several letters to and from Sheriff J.H. Barker, who ended his service in 1920. In addition to correspondence, the collection includes bank notes, checks, invoices, receipts, and bills of sale, reflecting the routine business and financial affairs of the sheriff's office. The order of the collection is chronological by year and alphabetical by name of person, business, or agency. Letters from government officials are alphabetized by the appropriate city, county, or state name. (Correspondence from Salt Lake City's police chief would be filed with the Ss, for example.)
Many of the letters are from area attorneys requesting the sheriff to locate witnesses, serve summonses and perform other law enforcement duties related to local cases. Among the more unique correspondence are handwritten letters and notes illuminating the personal stories of Cache County citizens affected by various crimes. One such letter is from a mother asking the sheriff's help in locating her missing son (Box 1, Folder 11). Another series of letters are of an unknown origin, but they appear to be from a woman to her incarcerated husband (Box 3, Folder 13).
Also of note, are some of the local business letterheads included in the collection. Many are highly stylized and reflect the spirit of the 1920s. The Merchants Protective Association's colorful stationary proclaims that "Red Streaks of Honesty Exist in Everybody" (Box 2, Folder 8), whereas the Peerless Handcuff Company's brochure boasts their product "positively cannot become locked in the pocket" (Box 4, Folder 11).
Dates
- Creation: 1922
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Restrictions
Open to public research.
Extent
From the Collection: 4 boxes (2 linear feet)
Repository Details
Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)
scweb@usu.edu