No. 893 E. Richard Hart, 2017

File — Box: 80, Folder: 9

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

E. Richard Hart grew up in Provo, Utah. He and his family were liberal Mormons, and he talks about their experience of the conservative Mormon community. Hart's views conflicted with many of his teachers and peers in high school. After high school, he briefly attended BYU but lost his debate scholarship when he refused to debate in favor of the Vietnam War. He then attended the University of Utah, where he studied English and took a job at the American West Center. As a graduate student at the University of Utah, he acquired a passion for research. The first thing he worked on at the American West Center was a project researching Zuni culture. That project began Hart's extensive career working with Native American tribes in the West, which he describes throughout his interviews. Eventually, the Zuni tribe asked him to write a report determining whether they had a land claim or not. Hart's report was the first of many projects he has taken on relating to legal issues in which tribes argue for land rights or water rights, among other issues. Throughout his interviews, Hart details his work with several tribes, the people he worked with and for, and the resources he used to come to his conclusions. He consulted tribes and often served as a witness. Hart also talks about his time working as director of the Institute of the American West in Sun Valley, which became the Institute of the North American West, located in Seattle.
Project: Everett L. Cooley oral history project.
Interviewer: Gregory C. Thompson

Dates

2017

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.