The resigning of the previous director for Helper’s Mining and Railroad Museum, Jason Huntzinger, left the need to fill the position. During the city council’s Sept. meeting, it was announced that the position would be filled by Jade Finlinson.
Councilwoman Malarie Matsuda stated that she believes Finlinson will be an amazing director and she comes with a lot of great skills and work history.
“We are so fortunate that Jade is here and loves Helper,” stated Matsuda.
Finlinson moved to Helper permanently last October, though she had been visiting for many years before that. She grew up in Provo and would drive through Helper often, but did not stop. When she began visiting friends here, Finlinson was amazed by the community and stated that she loves the museum.
Previously, Finlinson met Huntzinger before beginning to volunteer on exhibits at Helper’s museum, conducting some of the research and assisting in other tasks. She was impressed with the work that Huntzinger did with the photographs, bringing them from the archives and creating great exhibits.
“I’m an archivist, so I see everything as being the history of the area,” shared Finlinson. “The museum is supposed to be a place for gathering and understanding history.”
Finlinson hopes to continue the work that Huntzinger began, along with help from his employees and volunteers. She stated that there are only a few rooms left to refine as they are almost all full at this point.
Her goal is to have more, though she also wishes to see if there is a way to organize the museum and create a new or revised system for organizing documents, topics, etc. The ultimate goal, according to Finlinson, is to know what she has in order to create exhibits that tell stories.
Finlinson began the position last week. She has a Bachelors Degree in history, focused on American History, as well as a Master’s Degree in library and information studies.
She has worked in library special collections and archives at UCLA and a few museums in Los Angeles either as an intern or a fellowship, though she has also worked as a professional archivist as well.
Beginning on Sept. 20, the museum will transition to its fall and winter hours. These will be Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.