Will Bagley papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 1937

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Will Bagley papers (1836-2008) contain manuscripts, correspondence, articles, notebooks, health diaries, journals, drawings, postcards, notepads, newspaper clippings, pictures, speeches, manuals, and reference guides. The majority of this collection revolves around his five published books, Blood of the Prophets, Frontiersman, Gold Rush Saints, Kingdom in the West, and Scoundrel's Tale. In addition to his writings, Bagley's papers contain a great deal of his endeavors at Evans and Sutherland, where he was employed for twelve years as a technical writer for the company. This collection also includes other editorial and research work which he did for different newsletters and journals.

Dates

1836-2008

Creator

Bagley, Will, 1950-2021 (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 Sketch

William Grant “Will” Bagley was born on May 27, 1950 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Cassandra Margene Bailey and Lawrence Miles Bagley. When Will was a child, the Bagley family moved to Oceanside, California, where Lawrence Bagley was a city planner and then mayor. Bagley was raised in the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but as he grew to adulthood he questioned its theology. In 2002, he told the Ex-Mormon Conference that he was a “heritage Mormon.” Will Bagley graduated from Oceanside High in 1967. He studied at Brigham Young University, transferring to the University of California Santa Cruz after a year. There, he studied with Page Stegner and John Dizikes. He graduated with a BA in History in 1971.

Bagley had a lifelong interest in the outdoors and in music. In college, Bagley built and piloted a raft down the Mississippi River as an independent study, the first of two such trips that he chronicled in his book River Fever: Adventures on the Mississippi, 1969-1972 (2019). For several years after returning to Utah, Bagley pursued a career in music, recording an LP called “The Legend of Jesse James.” In 1978, Bagley married Janis Johnson and after the birth of his daughter in 1980, Bagley left the music industry and began working as a technical writer in the computer industry. Bagley and Janis Johnson divorced in 2001 and in 2003 Bagley remarried to Laura Bayer.

In 1990, Bagley began writing history, and his first book, A Road from El Dorado: The 1848 Trail Journal of Ephraim Green, was published in 1991. Bagley wrote many works of history for all ages, including the 1996 children’s book This is the Place: A Crossroads of Utah's Past, a collaboration with his brother, artist Pat Bagley, and the column “History Matters” in the Salt Lake Tribune, which was published between 2000 and 2004. Bagley was also a prolific editor, serving as editor of the Kingdom in the West series for the publisher Robert A. Clark from 1997 until 2019; serving on the executive committee of the Journal of Mormon History; and editing two volumes for the Utah, Mormons, and the West series sponsored by the University of Utah and the Tanner Trust. He also performed historical research for the National Park Service and the Oregon California Trails Association. Bagley also communicated about history in other mediums, notably appearing frequently on Doug Gabrizio’s Radio West program at KUER and serving as a consultant for the 2007 PBS documentary The Mormons.

Around 1990, Bagley began researching the Mountain Meadows Massacre, publishing his most well-known word, Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows, in 2002. The volume was well received by historians but received criticism from groups affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The study received numerous awards, including the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and the Caughey Book Prize from the Western History Association.

Bagley served on a number of organizations throughout his career, including: Western Writers of America, Utah Westerners, Friends of the Marriott Library, Oregon California Trails Association, Utah Rivers Council, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, Western History Association, Mormon History Association, the Utah State Historical Society, and others. Throughout his career, Bagley published more than 25 books and hundreds of articles related to the history of Utah and the West.

Will Bagley died on September 28, 2021. (Biographical note adapted from obituary.)

Extent

41.5 Linear Feet (104 Boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Will Bagley papers (1836-2008) consist of manuscripts, articles, correspondence, speeches, conference papers, newspaper clippings, notebooks, journals, health diaries, manuals, reference guides, notepads, drawings, postcards, and pictures. Bagley is a historian who has published five books and currently resides in Salt Lake City. He was employed as a technical writer for Evans and Sutherland and has worked as a country musician, carpenter, public speaker, writer, editor, and publisher.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Will Bagley (boxes 1-73) in 2001.

Donated by Will Bagley (boxes 74-92) in 2005.

Donated by Will Bagley (boxes 93-98) in 2008.

Donated by Will Bagley (boxes 99-104) in 2009.

Separated Materials

See also the Will Bagley photograph collection (P1097) in the Multimedia Division of Special Collections.

Processing Information

Processed by Brandon Rasmusson and Jennifer Sessions in 2003.

Addendum processed by Charlotte Hansen in 2005.

Addendum processed by Roger V. Paxton in 2009.