The Reverend Michael J. McGivney of St. Mary's Church, New Haven, Connecticut,founded the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization of Catholic men, in1882. The society took its name from its efforts to help immigrants from theOld World, represented by knights, make the difficult transition to the NewWorld, discovered by Christopher Columbus.

Father McGivney created a benefit system for widows and children which hasevolved into a comprehensive modern insurance program. His vision prefiguredthe contemporary order of the Knights of Columbus, structured with four degreesof membership, distinctive ceremonial and attire, and loyal dedication to theAmerican Catholic heritage. In 1993, 1.7 million Knights functioned in 11,000councils worldwide. Tuxedo-clad with capes, chapeaux, and swords similar tothose worn by Columbus, the Knights often form honor guards at religious andcivic celebrations.

The concept of Knighthood expanded into every state of the Union by 1905. TheKnights arrived in Denver, Colorado, in 1900. From there a contingent ofthirty-six came to Salt Lake City on 8 September 1901 to establish Council 602,the first council west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1902 thirty Utah Knightschartered a train to Spokane, Washington, and Butte, Montana, for theinstitution of councils in those locales. Thirty-five charter members initiatedCouncil 777 in Ogden on 21 June 1903. Delegates from Salt Lake, Ogden,Pocatello, Reno, and Boise met to adopt by-laws at the first territorialmeeting on 2 May 1905.

Mayor John Welsh served as first Grand Knight of Council 1129, founded in ParkCity on 3 June 1906; and Mayor James D. Stack became first Grand Knight ofCouncil 1136 in Eureka the following month. Maintaining a tradition of serviceto the diocese, Utah Knights financed a diocesan history to commemorate thededication of the Cathedral of the Madeleine on 15 August 1909. They conducteda three-million-dollar War Fund Campaign in 1918, and throughout the years havesupported the goals of each diocesan bishop.

St. Anthony Council, formed in Price in 1926, assisted the Catholic Church inCarbon County. Between 1961 and 1983 twelve additional councils wereestablished in Utah. Membership statewide numbered 1,500 in 1993. Knightsgather annually for an outing at Lagoon, held for the first time in 1908. In1980 Provo Council 1136 raised a permanent steel cross above Dominguez Hill inSpanish Fork Canyon to mark the entry in 1776 of the Dominguez-Escalanteexpedition, which represents the first recorded Catholic presence in Utah.