In 1930, Dr. Walter P. Cottam, co-founder of the Nature Conservancy and chairman of the Botany Department at the University of Utah, began using campus land for plant research.

The original legislation mandated that the arboretum "provide resources and facilities for cultivating a greater knowledge and public appreciation for the trees and plants around us, as well as those growing in remote sections of the country and world."

With the growth of the arboretum, the University of Utah hired Richard Hildreth as a full-time director to initiate meaningful interpretation of the collections and to develop educational programs emphasizing practical horticulture and plant identification.

Jr. and Richard Hildreth led the efforts to have the university dedicate 150 acres at the mouth of Red Butte Canyon for a regional botanical garden.

The site provided an outstanding opportunity to showcase horticultural collections and to interpret the richly diverse natural area.