October 16, 2011 Street) were built by a construction company owned by a church member. "Belle London had been in town already for five years, so I assume they knew what they were doing," he said. Kent Powell, historian with the Utah State Historical Society, says a* is possible. As in all groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had a wide spectrum of people, he said, and the avoidance of alcohol was given greater emphasis in the 20th century. He also says there were church members who played a role in the location of brothels in Salt Lake City. "It was more out of practical considerations," Powell said, explaining that . the thinking was, "It's going to happen — the best thing we can do is control where it is." Liberal lawlessness Another myth deals with the Ogden City election of 1889. "It was the first time the city government fell into the hands of the Liberal Party, and it's been suggested that lawlessness increased — that when that government took over, activities in 25th Street went unpoliced," Holley said. "I haven't found any evidence to back that up." Any increase in crime was likely due to an increase in population, he said — not the election of officials who weren't LDS. "Ogden was in the middle of a real estate boom. ... For the first time you have, beyond the annual Mormon immigration, a huge influx," he said, noting that population doubled in just 10 years. "With a much bigger jopulation, you're going to lave more accommodations — saloons, bordellos, gambling houses." Val Holley Cleaning up It's a myth that 25th Street was cleaned up in the 1950s, said Holley. The federal government tried to get prostitution off the street during World War II, he said, in an effort to stamp out the venereal disease that plagued the military in World War I. In National Archives documents about the Federal Security Agency's division of Social Protection, and the University of Minnesota's collection of the American Social Hygiene Association's field reports, Holley found that undercover studies were done near Utah's military installations, to see where soldiers were at risk. "It was their job to communicate that information to the military, and to city officials, and county and state officials," he said. "They started arresting women rather indiscriminately, without proof that they'd committed crimes, and without proof they had venereal disease." Holley says that during Special Collections at WSU celebrating 40th anniversary It's been 40 years since Weber State University's Special Collections was started with a gift of rare books. Now it's a treasure trove of more than 40,000 books, plus 370 manuscript collections and 160 photo collections. Many of the items document the history of Davis and Weber counties. To celebrate the collection's 40th anniversary, the library is showing images and artifacts that haven't been seen in years. "Treasures Brought to Light" opens on the top floor of Weber State's Stewart Library, with a reception at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Hetzel-Hoellein Room. The exhibit is open during regular library hours, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, through Nov. 30. A few items may only be seen in Special Collections, which is open 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free. "This is the largest exhibit we've ever done. There will be approximately 200 photographs, and probably another 200 to 300 artifacts," said Sarah Langsdon, associate curator of Special Collections. "We'll probably have four or five scrapbooks out, and allow people to flip through them, so they're not looking at everything through glass or at pictures on walls." Library visitors can browse through a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about locals serving in World War I, or look for the names of family members in the index. There will also be a scrapbook about the founding of the Ski Patrol at Snowbasin. An evidence book from one of Ogden's famous extortion cases of the early 1900s will also be on display, as well as an old whiskey crock. — Becky Wright 251