Charles Kelly (historian)
Encyclopedia
Charles Kelly was an American historian of the American west whose work focused on activities in the western salt desert of Utah and Nevada during the pioneer period (Bagley, p. vii). Kelly also served as the first superintendent of Capitol Reef National Monument (now Capitol Reef National Park
) in Southern Utah
. Kelly was named an Honorary Life Member of the Utah State Historical Society in 1960. In 1969 he received an Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History.
Kelly was considered a careful rather than a brilliant writer, and his works have been more critically addressed and reevaluated in recent years. He loved western history, especially as it touched Utah, Having seen all that country again I am satisfied to live in Utah, as I believe there is more of interest to see around here than any other place in the world. . . . (Journal of Charles Kelly, Charles Kelly Papers, 1918-1971, Utah State Historical Society, entry dated 24 July 1929)
on February 3, 1889, the son of itinerant Baptist preacher Alfred Kelly and Flora Lepard, Kelly grew up in many areas of the United States. By 1910 Kelly had left his wandering family and enrolled at Valparaiso University
, an independent Lutheran university in Indiana
for three years, but did not complete a course due to lack of funds. Kelly served in the United States army during World War I
. As he had learned as a child to set the type used to print religious tracts, he worked as a printer in several cities, and then settled in Salt Lake City, Utah
. He played the violin and cornet and initially sought a musical career. But Kelly eventually returned to the printing business and became a partner in the Western Printing Company until 1940. Shortly after his arrival in Salt Lake, he married Harriett Greener. They had no children.
Kelly attributed his personal efforts as a painter, and his friendship with the western artist Charles M. Russell, as a source of his interest in western history. Kelly wrote of an 1929 experience:
In 1940, Kelly sold his interest in the printing business and took an unpaid position as sole caretaker of Capitol Reef. The timber and adobe house near Fruita, Utah
, which came with the position, provided Kelly and his wife a home while he researched and wrote. Kelly produced many articles for journals and periodicals, conducted research for projects by other historians, and engaged in a voluminous correspondence with others working in western history, including Dale Morgan
and J. Roderic Korns
.
Kelly's position safeguarding Capitol Reef extended into a twenty-year long second career when, in 1950, he received a civil service appointment as the Monument's first superintendent. During the 1950s Kelly was deeply troubled when NPS management acceded to demands of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
that Capitol Reef National Monument be opened to uranium
prospecting. He felt that the decision had been a mistake and destructive of the long term national interest. Ultimately, however, there was not enough ore within the monument to be worth mining. With the transfer of Park Ranger Grant Clark from Zion National Park
in 1958, Kelly finally received additional permanent help to protect the monument and enforce regulations. The year Clark arrived, fifty-six thousand visitors came to the park.
Kelly retired in 1959 to Salt Lake City, where he lived until his death in 1971. Harriett Greener Kelly died in 1974.
Kelly's early political positions can be viewed as extreme. During the early 1920s, he briefly held a position with the Ku Klux Klan
in Salt Lake and wrote about his anti-Semitic views. He was emphatically unreligious and attacked religion in writing. He blamed this a trait on his father's example:
On a personal level Kelly was considered kind and generous and had a number of loyal friends, but was often described as a misanthrope. In a brief autobiographical piece for Pony Express Courier, he wrote about himself:
Kelly also edited several period journals, including that of Mormon pioneer John D. Lee
(1938), for publication and wrote articles and book reviews related to western history.
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park is a United States National Park, in south-central Utah. It is 100 miles long but fairly narrow. The park, established in 1971, preserves 378 mi² and is open all year, although May through September are the most popular months.Called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s...
) in Southern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Kelly was named an Honorary Life Member of the Utah State Historical Society in 1960. In 1969 he received an Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History.
Kelly was considered a careful rather than a brilliant writer, and his works have been more critically addressed and reevaluated in recent years. He loved western history, especially as it touched Utah, Having seen all that country again I am satisfied to live in Utah, as I believe there is more of interest to see around here than any other place in the world. . . . (Journal of Charles Kelly, Charles Kelly Papers, 1918-1971, Utah State Historical Society, entry dated 24 July 1929)
Biography
Born in Cedar Springs, MichiganCedar Springs, Michigan
Cedar Springs is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan, 20 minutes north of Grand Rapids. Known as "Red Flannel Town", the city is home to an annual Red Flannel Festival...
on February 3, 1889, the son of itinerant Baptist preacher Alfred Kelly and Flora Lepard, Kelly grew up in many areas of the United States. By 1910 Kelly had left his wandering family and enrolled at Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
, an independent Lutheran university in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
for three years, but did not complete a course due to lack of funds. Kelly served in the United States army during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. As he had learned as a child to set the type used to print religious tracts, he worked as a printer in several cities, and then settled in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. He played the violin and cornet and initially sought a musical career. But Kelly eventually returned to the printing business and became a partner in the Western Printing Company until 1940. Shortly after his arrival in Salt Lake, he married Harriett Greener. They had no children.
Kelly attributed his personal efforts as a painter, and his friendship with the western artist Charles M. Russell, as a source of his interest in western history. Kelly wrote of an 1929 experience:
- Prowling the desert for subject material I accidentally stumbled onto the old Donner TrailDonner PartyThe Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
on the Salt Desert. No one here knew anything about it; so I began doing some research, out of curiosity, and found that historical research--especially in this section--was much more fascinating that either of the other two hobbies. (Pony Express Courier, June, 1937, p. 2)
In 1940, Kelly sold his interest in the printing business and took an unpaid position as sole caretaker of Capitol Reef. The timber and adobe house near Fruita, Utah
Fruita, Utah
Fruita is the best-known settlement in Capitol Reef National Park in Wayne County, Utah, United States. It is located at the confluence of Fremont River and Sulphur Creek.-History:...
, which came with the position, provided Kelly and his wife a home while he researched and wrote. Kelly produced many articles for journals and periodicals, conducted research for projects by other historians, and engaged in a voluminous correspondence with others working in western history, including Dale Morgan
Dale Morgan
Lowell Dale Morgan , generally cited as Dale Morgan or Dale L. Morgan, was an American historian, accomplished researcher, biographer, editor, and critic. He specialized in material on Utah history, Mormon history, the American fur trade, and overland trails...
and J. Roderic Korns
J. Roderic Korns
J Roderic "Rod" Korns was a 20th century editor, researcher and historian of the American west. He is best known for West from Fort Bridger: The Pioneering of the Immigrant Trails Across Utah 1846-1850, completed with the assistance of historiographer and author Dale L. Morgan...
.
Kelly's position safeguarding Capitol Reef extended into a twenty-year long second career when, in 1950, he received a civil service appointment as the Monument's first superintendent. During the 1950s Kelly was deeply troubled when NPS management acceded to demands of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
that Capitol Reef National Monument be opened to uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
prospecting. He felt that the decision had been a mistake and destructive of the long term national interest. Ultimately, however, there was not enough ore within the monument to be worth mining. With the transfer of Park Ranger Grant Clark from Zion National Park
Zion National Park
Zion National Park is located in the Southwestern United States, near Springdale, Utah. A prominent feature of the park is Zion Canyon, which is 15 miles long and up to half a mile deep, cut through the reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone by the North Fork of the Virgin River...
in 1958, Kelly finally received additional permanent help to protect the monument and enforce regulations. The year Clark arrived, fifty-six thousand visitors came to the park.
Kelly retired in 1959 to Salt Lake City, where he lived until his death in 1971. Harriett Greener Kelly died in 1974.
Personal Philosophy
While insightful and dynamic as a historian, Kelly was generally regarded as a difficult personality. He was highly critical of those who championed industrial development in the west, including Utah's Governor George D. Clyde, and vigorously defended the preservation of scenic areas in Utah and the intermountain west.Kelly's early political positions can be viewed as extreme. During the early 1920s, he briefly held a position with the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in Salt Lake and wrote about his anti-Semitic views. He was emphatically unreligious and attacked religion in writing. He blamed this a trait on his father's example:
- If I were convinced that I possessed an immortal soul; if I had positive proof of the existence of heaven and hell, and if I were given a choice of abode after leaving this earthly sphere; I would ten thousand times rather spend eternity in an atmosphere of flaming sulphur and brimstone in company with honest sinners than to twang a harp, wear a crown and walk the golden streets of paradise with father and those other religious hypocrites who made life for us a hell on earth. (Autobiography, p. 221, held in Charles Kelly Papers, 1918-1971, Utah State Historical Society)
On a personal level Kelly was considered kind and generous and had a number of loyal friends, but was often described as a misanthrope. In a brief autobiographical piece for Pony Express Courier, he wrote about himself:
- I belong to no organizations of any kind whatever, never go out socially, not interested in politics, and hate radios. I really ought to move to California, but if I did the Mormons would say they ran me out of Utah--so I stay just to spite them. (Pony Express Courier, June, 1937)
Publications
Kelly's first book, Salt Desert Trails, was self published in 1930. Other works include:- Holy Murder (1934), the story of Orrin Porter Rockwell
- Old Greenwood, the Story of Caleb GreenwoodCaleb GreenwoodCaleb Greenwood was a Western U.S. fur trapper and trail guide. Born in Virginia, Greenwood took part in trapping expeditions organized by associates of John Jacob Astor in 1810 and by Manuel Lisa in 1812-1813...
, Trapper, Pathfinder and Early Pioneer of the West. (1936) - Miles GoodyearMiles GoodyearMiles Morris Goodyear was an American fur trader and mountain man who built and occupied Fort Buenaventura in what is now the city of Ogden, Utah. The fort was located approximately two miles south of the confluence of the Weber and Ogden rivers and about one-quarter mile west of the end of...
, trapper and trader in pre-Mormon Utah (1937) and - Outlaw Trail (1938), about Butch CassidyButch CassidyRobert LeRoy Parker , better known as Butch Cassidy, was a notorious American train robber, bank robber, and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang in the American Old West...
and the Wild Bunch.
Kelly also edited several period journals, including that of Mormon pioneer John D. Lee
John D. Lee
John Doyle Lee was a prominent early Latter-day Saint who was executed for his role in the Mountain Meadows massacre.-Early Mormon leader:...
(1938), for publication and wrote articles and book reviews related to western history.