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Show Used as a medium of exchange Utah's first printing press printed currency in 1849 ByQUIG NIELSEN The first printing press in Utah printed paper money. In January of 1849 the currency, as a medium of exchange, was printed on a simple wooden press built by Truman O. Angell. In August of 1849 a small hand-operated, wrought-iron wrought-iron press arrived in Salt Lake City. With it came type, type cases, glue, stationery, ink and nearly 1,900 bundles of newsprint William W. Phelps had been commissioned by Mormon leader Brig ham Young, who knew the importance impor-tance of having a printing press in Utah, to acquire a larger and iron press. Phelps raised the money in New York and Boston and while in Boston made the purchase. pur-chase. The press, built by Adam Ramage, cost less than $100. The press arrived in Winter Quarters in November 1847 and sat for 18 months awaiting shipment west. Higher priority was given to the transporting of people to the Utah Territory. When the larger Ramage press finally arrived in Utah, it took over the printing needs. It was housed in an adobe home just west of the Lion House and was used to print stationery, all kinds of forms, messages from the First Presidency of the Mormon Church and small commercial jobs. The first newspaper in Utah, the Deseret News, was run on the Ramage press on June 15, 1850. The pioneer Ramage printing press is on display in the LDS Museum of Church History and Art across from Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. Source: Records of the LDS Museum of Church History and Art. (Quig Nielsen is an information officer of the Museum Mu-seum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City.) |
