“Where Am I?” Easy in Utah With These Mountain Landmarks

Big Whitewashed Letters  

As you are traveling on I-15 through Utah, if you miss the road sign telling you what city you are driving past, a quick look at the mountains will give you a clue. There is usually a big white letter displayed there that gives you a hint to the city below it. 

This practice of marking mountainsides with a letter began in 1905 with the University of California at Berkeley. They put a big “C” on the side of the hill in a burst of school pride. Other universities soon followed with their own letters. 

Utah Gets In On the Craze

In 1906 students from the University of Utah put a year on the hill to commemorate the class graduating. Other years went and modified it for their year until someone had the idea of putting a “U” instead. They rallied the students and carried cement to the location to make it permanent. 

BYU did much the same only they were going to put “BYU” on the mountain. They started with the “Y” to center it properly. It took so much work that they never put the other letters up there and it has remained the same since. 

Everyone Wants a Letter

In the mountain letter craze, high schools and small towns were soon marking their local hills and mountains up and down the beehive state. It wasn’t just Utah though. Almost every university and high school in the west has marked a hill with their letter. 

This group on YouTube called the Letter Ladies hikes to the different letters and provides some history on each. I think it is a good idea and healthy way to make videos, though the number of views is not overwhelming. 

This is my personal favorite letter on a mountain in Utah. It can be seen driving north on I-15 when passing the town of Leeds. It is understated in its majesty. 

Read More: University of Utah Creates A Mining Disaster For Chile