Thousands From This Middle East Country Now Live in Utah

A stop for a sandwich in Logan clued me into the fascinating history behind Utah and the people of Iran. It turns out there has been a long-time association with Persia and the universities in the beehive state and many have made their home in Utah. 

The Utah State University and Iran Connection 

I stopped in Logan a couple years ago at Logan’s Heroes where they sell sub sandwiches. On the wall was a back story of a man named Hamid Salehi who had come to Utah from Iran and established the place while attending college. I was curious why. 

It turns out the story of Utah and Iran goes back more than a hundred years. John Widstoe was the president of Utah State early in the 1900s and met a diplomat from Iran at a gathering about best farming practices and they developed a friendship.  

They kept in touch after the conference and this man, Mirza Ali Gholi Khan, was invited by Widstoe to give the schools commencement speech in 1915. It was well received, and a bond was forged. 

The Desert Mountains so Similar to Persia Became More Than a Place to Visit 

Later four of the nephews of the Shaw ended up coming to attend school in Logan. This encouraged others from Iran to attend not only Utah State University, but other schools in the state and exchange programs were set up.

This continued until the Iranian revolution of 1979 that disrupted relations. This also caused many Iranians seeking a new place to live to settle in Utah, a place they were already familiar with. 

Read More: Tunnel Under Cedar City Wasn’t Built For Humans

The Deseret News says that Logan is now home to 10,000 Iranians. So, now you know why northern Utah has that Persian influence. Pretty cool.