Dawn House papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1839

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Dawn House papers (1825-1997) contain correspondence, articles, articles of agreement, notes, magazine excerpts, religious/political cartoons, symposium materials from Brigham Young University (BYU), court materials, an essay House wrote concerning the McLellin papers, and news clippings primarily regarding the Mark Hofmann case. The majority of the collection regards the Mark Hofmann forgery and murder cases which took place in Utah. In 1986, House was assigned to cover stories on the White Salamander letter. This letter is a document regarding the foundation of the Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The White Salamander letter presents the idea that a white salamander, instead of an angel, spoke to the LDS Church founder Joseph Smith Jr. Mark Hofmann forged certain LDS Church documents regarding the White Salamander letter and sold them to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS Church) and the LDS Church.

Dates

1825-1997

Creator

House, Dawn (Person)

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.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Note

Dawn House (b. 1947), formerly known as Dawn Tracy, served as a reporter for the Daily Herald located in Provo, Utah, from 1975-1983. She later became a reporter for The Salt Lake Tribune from 1983-1992. She was nominated by The Salt Lake Tribune twice for the Pulitzer Prize: in 1986 for her stories on the Mark Hofmann forgery and murder scheme, and in 1999 for a series on polygamy investigative stories. House began working as the news editor for The Salt Lake Tribune in 1992 and is currently working in that position. She also received a Bachelor of Arts degree from BYU in 1970 in communications.