Secured in a catacomb of stone within a mountainside of Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon, the Granite Mountain Records Vault of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints safeguards one of the world's largest collections of filmed genealogical records.

Some 200 feet above the canyon road, the row of giant portals and the concrete building that protrude out of solid granite are only a hint of what lies behind the stone.

A network of tunnels that reach nearly 700 feet into the mountain stores more than 2.3 million rolls of microfilm, the equivalent of about 6 million 300-page volumes. It also shelters 180,000 sets of microfiche, each set containing about 900 images.

"There's no other facility like this in the world," says Wayne Metcalfe, director of Field Services and Support in the Church’s Family and Church History Department. "No other organization has anything that compares to it." The vault’s films date back to 1938 when the Genealogical Society of Utah began using microfilm. Initially, only 12 rolls were created, but as microfilm technology improved, the collection grew, and so did the need for a controlled storage environment.

Construction of an edifice that would house the records began in 1960, with hard-rock miners hoisting themselves on platforms up the granite wall, drilling and blasting their way into the mountain. The vault was completed and officially opened in 1966, and its collection has since expanded to contain records from 105 countries.

Vault manager Wayne Crosby says few visitors are allowed inside, but not because of any secrecy surrounding the structure.

"The reason is to ensure that we maintain the environment of the vault," Metcalfe explains. "This collection represents a lot of money, time, and effort. We want to ensure its long-term preservation."

Crosby explains a framed floor plan that hangs from the corrugated-steel lining of the tunnel wall. The plan maps out how the facility is separated into two sections, one for storage, the other for production.

From there he moves to a central corridor that connects six storage vaults. The temperature drops noticeably.

According to Crosby, careful measures to safeguard the film include monitoring the climate inside the vault and keeping it at 60 degrees Fahrenheit and 30 percent humidity—ideal conditions for long–term film storage. In addition, a computer monitors an extensive air–filtration system designed to protect the microfilm from contaminants.

Entering one of the storage vaults, he encounters rows of metal cabinets 25 feet wide, 15 feet tall and approximately 200 feet long facing each other. Each cabinet contains row upon row of drawers filled with 35mm and 16mm microfilm rolls.

"These records are from all parts of the world," Crosby says. Opening a drawer, he selects a labeled box, carefully removes the roll, then holds the film up to the light. It’s an original negative of a registry record from Germany, filmed in 1968.

Crosby leads the tour from the protective storage area to the vault’s production center, where skilled staffs are busy inspecting and cleaning film. They’re also making copies of microfilm and microfiche records. On any given day, workers create nearly 1,000 rolls of microfilm and 1,000 sets of microfiche.

According to Crosby, this reproduced film replaces older, well–worn records and provides copies that can be distributed for genealogical research. Originals remain in the vault. Although the copies are used primarily by the Church’s Family History Library in Salt Lake City, they also are distributed to other nonprofit organizations, including family history societies and academic institutions.

Even without the reproduction of microfilm and microfiche, the number of records in the vault is constantly growing. Currently, 275 cameras in 44 countries are filming additional records that will be added to the vault’s collection.

This global effort by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints includes working closely with governments and archivists to secure permissions and to strictly observe privacy laws and accepted standards for filming and records preservation.

For example, the Church does not pursue the filming of records of living individuals. Records are generally of persons who have been deceased for 100 years or more.

In light of today’s automated records systems, Latter-day Saints join genealogical groups worldwide in looking forward to more efficient, electronic preservation technologies.

"There has not yet been a technology developed that ensures the long-term preservation of digitized or electronic data," says Metcalfe. "Once that technology is available we'll no longer depend on microfilming." But regardless of the available technology, the Granite Mountain Records Vault, says Metcalfe, "is a remarkable testament to the perseverance and dedication of thousands of people who have preserved the records and others who have later filmed those records, thus protecting the few priceless traces of individuals’ lives on this earth."