Photos sought for a book about Orem

OREM — Jay Buckley is embarking on a treasure hunt, only the loot isn't gold doubloons or gem-encrusted crowns. It is old black-and-white photographs of Orem that have been buried in photo albums or forgotten on dusty attic shelves.

He's hoping to gather 200-plus high-quality photographic remembrances of the past and turn them into a visual memory for Utah County's second-largest city.

"There's lots of people in my neighborhood who moved to Orem in the 1940s (so) they can tell me about the certain fruit stands, restaurants, but they don't have any images," Buckley said. "I'm just trying to see if we can get past that."

The project would result in a small, photo-dominated book published by Arcadia Publishers, a national company that publishes remembrances from towns, cities, counties and historical areas.

So far, the South Carolina-based publishing house has produced more than 5,000 books.

"(Arcadia books make) the local history available to residents in a way that often it hasn't ever been," said Hannah Carney, acquisitions editor for the Mountain West. "In Utah, people are very concerned about local history and are very knowledgeable. In many cases there is a history book on the area, but there might not be a photo history."

A book about the San Rafael Swell was just released, one about Ogden is in the writing stages and several others, about early San Juan County, Zion National Park and the Green River and Gunnison Valley, are still in the earliest stages, Carney said.

Buckley, who's on the city of Orem's Historical Preservation Commission, as well as an assistant professor in Brigham Young University's department of history, is starting his search in larger collections.

He is hoping to find old-timers in the community who have evidence of the city's growth, from orchards and Geneva Steel to commercial development and the soon-to-be Utah Valley University.

"I'm doing this because I like Orem," Buckley said, noting it's all volunteer work with no desire for financial compensation. "I want to help preserve the photographic history of the community."

Photos should be from the 1860s to the 1950s, showing life as it was in Orem, and in good enough condition that they would scan well.

Professional collections and services are available that could help with restoring poorer-quality pictures, but that becomes a more financially intense project than Buckley or the Orem commission could afford.