Finding a specific life story in the Salt Lake Tribune obits shouldn't feel like a high-stakes scavenger hunt, but honestly, sometimes it does. You’re looking for a grandfather's legacy or maybe checking on a distant cousin, and suddenly you’re staring at a paywall or a search bar that refuses to cooperate. It's frustrating.
Most people think these records are just buried in a dusty basement or locked behind a massive fee, but that’s not really the whole story. The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s "paper of record" since 1871. That is a massive amount of history.
The Digital Shift and Legacy.com
If you're looking for something recent—like from the last few years—you aren't actually looking on the Tribune’s main news site. Not really. They partner with Legacy.com. Basically, every obituary printed in the physical paper gets mirrored over there.
It’s a bit of a weird setup. You start at sltrib.com, click "Obituaries," and boom—you’re on a different domain. But here’s the kicker: the search filters there are surprisingly touchy. If you misspell a middle name or get the death year off by just one, the system acts like that person never existed.
Pro Tip: Try searching only by last name and the month of passing. Less is usually more when dealing with these databases.
Tracking Down the "Old Stuff" (1871–2004)
What if you’re doing genealogy? That’s where things get cool—and a little more complicated. For the older Salt Lake Tribune obits, you have to head over to the Utah Digital Newspapers archive.
The University of Utah hosts this, and it’s a goldmine. You can search every page of the Tribune from 1872 up to about 2004. It’s free. No credit card, no "create an account" nonsense. Just raw, scanned pages of history.
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Seeing an obit from 1920 is a trip. Back then, they didn't just list survivors; they told stories. They talked about the "protracted illness" or the specific pioneer trek the person made. It’s a level of detail we’ve kinda lost in the modern, per-line pricing era.
The Cost Factor: Why They’re So Expensive Now
Have you tried to place an obituary lately? It’s not cheap. For 2026, the baseline for a Salt Lake Tribune obit starts around $285.
That usually gets you:
- A single photo (color online and in print).
- About 12 lines of text (roughly 30 characters per line).
- Online placement on Legacy.com "indefinitely."
If you have a lot to say, it adds up fast. Every extra line is about $5.00. If you want the notice to run for a second or third day, they usually give you a 25% discount on those subsequent days, but you’re still looking at a significant bill.
Families often struggle with this. Do you cut out the mention of the grandkids to save fifty bucks? It’s a heavy conversation to have during a week that’s already miserable.
Why the Tribune Specifically?
Utah is unique because of the "two-paper" history. For decades, you had the Deseret News (often seen as the LDS-aligned paper) and the Salt Lake Tribune (the secular alternative).
Because of this, many Utah families would actually publish in both. If you can’t find a relative in the Salt Lake Tribune obits, check the Deseret News. They shared a Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) for a long time, so their archives are often intertwined in libraries, even if their editorial voices were worlds apart.
Dealing with the "Missing" Record
Sometimes, you know someone died, you know they lived in Salt Lake, but the obit is nowhere.
- Check the Funeral Home: Nowadays, many families skip the newspaper entirely because of the cost. They just post the full bio on the funeral home’s website for free. Search for the person’s name + "Salt Lake" + "funeral."
- The Social Media Factor: In 2026, "Facebook Obits" are a real thing. The Tribune even offers a package where they push the notice into the newsfeeds of people in the local area.
- Utah State Archives: If you need a legal record and not just a tribute, the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service is your best bet. Death certificates are public record after 50 years.
Final Thoughts for Researchers
If you’re stuck, don’t just keep hitting refresh on the search page. The Salt Lake City Public Library (the main branch downtown) has the Tribune on microfilm for the years that aren't digitized yet.
The staff there are basically wizards. If you have a specific date, they can usually find the scan in minutes.
To get the best results when searching Salt Lake Tribune obits online today, start with the widest possible date range. Don't assume the obituary ran the day after they died. Sometimes it takes a week for the family to get the wording right or for the Sunday edition (which has the highest readership) to roll around.
Actionable Next Steps:
- For recent deaths: Search Legacy.com directly using only the last name and "Utah" to bypass buggy site-specific search bars.
- For genealogy: Use the Utah Digital Newspapers portal (newspapers.lib.utah.edu) for free access to 1871–2004 records.
- To save money on a new listing: Write the text in a simple notepad app first to count your lines. Keep the "flowery" language for the memorial service and use the newspaper space for the essential dates, survivors, and service times.