The Granite Mountain Vault

The storage area has three access tunnels faced with heavy bank vault doors in very strong encasements.

The granite mountain vault.

The granite mountain records vault also known simply as the vault is a large archive and vault owned by the church of jesus christ of latter day saints lds church excavated 600 feet into the north side of little cottonwood canyon. While there are administration offices also located near the vault it s not open to the public. Named the granite mountain records vault it s located 600 feet deep into the rock and designed to withstand a nuclear blast. Granite mountain records vault the world s largest collection of genealogical records is housed in a secure vault located in the mountains near familysearch world headquarters in salt lake city utah.

The vault safeguards more than 3 5 billion images on microfilm microfiche and digital media. The astounding views from the summit of the granite mountain trail come at a price. The main function of the vault is storage preservation and reproduction of genealogical records. The church claims that it houses the world s largest collection of genealogy records.

But views of pointed kaleetan peak deep blue crystal lake the climber dotted tooth and mount rainier dominating the skyline to the south make it all worth it. The granite mountain records vault is a monument to the perseverance and dedication of thousands of people all over the world who collect film catalog index and maintain mankind s tangible proof of existence. The granite mountain records vault was built in 1965 to preserve and protect important family history and historical records. Photo courtesy the church of jesus christ of latter day saints the granite mountain records vault is the official storage unit for 2 4 million rolls of microfilm containing approximately 3 5.

Besides genealogical preservation and storage granite mountain records vault serves as the deep archives for a myriad of church materials including scriptures in every language published large leather bound temple ordinance books that were hand kept through the 1960s materials and minutes from presiding priesthood quorums financial records backup tapes and audio visual masters from legacy to johnny lingo. At this very moment technology is being developed that will ensure the long term preservation of these records in a digital or. The protection the granite mountain records vault affords cannot be equaled in an outdoor structure.