What is DUP?

The International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers (nicknamed “DUP” for “Daughters of Utah Pioneers”) is a woman’s organization devoted to identifying and honoring pioneers who came to Utah.

Purpose

“To perpetuate the names and achievements of the men, women, and children who were the pioneers in founding a commonwealth . . .”  This is specifically accomplished by:

  • Preserving old landmarks
  • Marking historical places
  • Collecting artifacts and histories
  • Establishing a library of historical matter
  • Securing manuscripts, photographs, maps, and all such data as shall aid in perfecting a record of the Utah pioneers
  • Commemorating their entrance into the valley of the Great Salt Lake on July 24, 1847
  • Commemorating other events and days which are important in the State of Deseret/Utah Territory
  • Publishing historical material
  • Reviewing the lives of the pioneers
  • Teaching lessons of faith, courage fortitude, and patriotism

Where Can I Learn More?

The ISDUP has a website and a Facebook page.

The website can be accessed at: https://isdup.org/

The Facebook page can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/isdup

Helps for Preparing Pioneer Histories

On the ISDUP website there are instructions for preparing histories under the “Histories” tab.  Each local “camp” also has a historian who can assist in the process.

One of Cheri’s joys has been serving in several camps in Utah and Missouri as the camp historian. In this role she has prepared and shared information about writing pioneers. This has included developing and presenting a half-day, intensive, hands-on workshop and also monthly spotlights on various aspects of researching, compiling, footnoting, and polishing pioneer histories. These presentations have been specifically designed to help the members of DUP to prepare the histories of their pioneer ancestors for submission to the ISDUP Pioneer Memorial Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As of April 2026, during the 125th Anniversary of DUP, the Society substantially completed its pioneer history project to make the histories more widely available. This project has made it possible to search, preview, and purchase copies of the histories through their website. This was a huge undertaking to prepare these histories and make them accessible in this way. If you have pioneer ancestors, you might want to search the online archive and see if their histories are available! You can access the index for these histories here:  https://isdup.org/history/pioneer-index/