| DATE 08/30/2004 10:01 AM |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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This is part of an occasional series by the Sanpete Country Travel and Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance on the people and places along U.S. Highway 89. Mt. Pleasant Named “Preserve America” Community |
| Mt. Pleasant City has been designated as a Preserve America community by First Lady Laura Bush. It is believed to be the first Utah city to earn the honor.Bush is the honorary chair of Preserve America, a White House initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve cultural and natural heritage. A letter from Bush was sent to Mt. Pleasant’s elected officials and citizens this month, congratulating the city on its new designation. In the letter, Bush said that Mt. Pleasant’s preservation efforts and enjoyment of its historical and cultural resources is an important part of the country’s heritage. “You honor our nation’s past and inspire and educate for the future,” the letter states. “As your community shares its story with residents and visitors, you set a great example for others.”
Monte Bona, a member of the Mt. Pleasant City Council, says “We are very happy to be designated as a Preserve American community. This designation reflects a community-wide effort over a long period of time to restore historical buildings and to honor our Mormon Pioneer heritage.” Bona adds that Mt. Pleasant has been a Main Street Community since 1994, which part of the National Main Street Program. The federal initiative involves the government working with communities across the nation to revitalize their historical or traditional commercial areas and save historical commercial architecture. Preserve America was started in January. The program recognizes and designates communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization, and encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs. The initiative’s goals include a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities. Benefits of designation include White House recognition, a Preserve America Community road sign, a listing in a Web-based Preserve America Community directory; inclusion in national and regional press releases; official notification of designation to State tourism offices and visitor bureaus; and enhanced community visibility and pride. # # # |
| For more information Contact:Monte Bona Sanpete County Travel and Heritage Council (435) 462-2502 |
The unique landscape features a geological wonderland that has been the backdrop for feature films including; “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,” and “Jeremiah Johnson.” While traveling through the picturesque scenery, you might recognize a scene or two. Included in the heritage area is the birthplace of Utah outlaws, Butch Cassidy and Matt Warner. Matt was a lifelong friend and a gang member alongside of Butch. Many movies were filmed in the scenic Under the Rim District of the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area.
In the later part of the 1800s the Mormon pioneers began their great relocation to the west. They trekked 1,400 miles from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake. This mass-Exodus brought about colonization in Utah, Nevada, the southwest corner of Wyoming, the southeast corner of Idaho, southeast Oregon, and a large portion of southern and eastern California.
