Salt Lake City Adventures

For years I've been attending the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy in Salt Lake City in January. This is always a great opportunity to be immersed in genealogy. 

Salmon are embedded in the floors of the Sea-Tac airport. They meander across the floors and always converge at drinking fountains!

I think this is Mount Rainier

**************

The Institute is similar to a week long course. Each of the 278 attendees chose one of 12 courses to study during the week. Course offerings included:  1-American Research and Records; 2-Bridging the 1780-1830 Gap: New England to the Midwest; 3-German Research; 4-Genealogist’s Guide to the Internet Galaxy; 5-Researching in Washington, D.C. Without Leaving Home; 6-Genealogy Marketing & Business Practices; 7-English Research; 8-Producing a Quality Family Narrative; 9-Forensic Genealogy; 10-Advanced Methodology; 11-Advanced Evidence Analysis; 12-Problem-Solving.

I took the Genealogist's Guide to the Internet Galaxy. Thomas MacEntee, far left, was the coordinator for the course and taught many of the classes. He's a well known genealogy blogger, consultant, and speaker. We had four lectures each day from a variety of instructors. Topics for my classes included 1-Lineage Organizations Online: Resources for Non-Members, too 2-Tips for Finding Stubborn Ancestors in Genealogy Databases  3-Clustering and More: Maximizing Your Online Searches 4- Online Collaboration with Other Researchers 5- Google Tools for Genealogists 6-Managing Your Research Using Google Docs 7- Evernote for Genealogists 8-They're Alive - Searching for Living Persons 9- An Introduction to Genealogy Blogs 10– Creating an Online Family History Workspace 11– Mobile Apps for Genealogists 12– Staying Safe Online 13–Online Federal Records 14- Online State Resources for Genealogy: Beyond Ancestry and Family Search 15- Online Newspaper Research 16- Utilizing Social Networks for Genealogy Research 17- Facebook for Genealogists 18 - Twitter - It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore 19- Sources for Family History Books Online 20- Google Earth

My classmates had interesting backgrounds. Kathleen Hinckley, in the red sweater, uses her genealogy skills to track down missing heirs. You might have noticed above that there was a whole course on forensic genealogy. 

It was VERY cold in Salt Lake City all week. Just a few days before I arrived a huge storm dumped a lot of snow on the mountains and in the city. One evening I walked around Temple Square and enjoyed the beauty of the lights and the snow. 

The fountains at City Creek Center were crusted in ice

While I was in Salt Lake City, I visited with our son and spent a wonderful evening with friends from Dublin who recently moved to the Salt Lake City area. We traded stories about starting over in a new place.  

I usually don't travel light, especially when I'm on a genealogy trip. That 46 is the weight of my suitcase coming home. Maybe it's because I stuffed my long down coat into the suitcase for the trip home :) Express Shuttle is a great way to travel back and forth from the airport - just $8 one way. Can't beat the price!

The Radisson Salt Lake City Downton has the most luxurious comforters and pillows I've ever experienced. I felt like I was cuddling into a cozy nest every night. 

Going home

For pictures of Salt Lake City from previous trips, click on the Utah label

typo corrected February 27, 2016