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LEHI — The Lehi Historical Society will be unveiling its first historical marker to honor the Lehi rodeo.
Because the Lehi rodeo is one of the city's biggest traditions, Lehi Historical Society director Lara Bangerter said it was the perfect time to unveil the first historical marker right before Lehi's Round-Up Week. Lehi has been hosting rodeos since the 1920s.
"We just thought (the rodeo) would be an awesome one to start with," Bangerter said.
The group will be installing the black aluminum-cast sign that has information and a QR code on it about the history of the rodeo. A short unveiling ceremony for the marker will be held at the rodeo grounds on June 22 at 9 a.m.
"The rodeo is an important event in our community," said Mike Southwick, president of the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo Committee. "It brings us together. I think it's pretty neat it gets to be the first event honored."
The rodeo marker is part of the Lehi Historical Marker Program, which will include 36 different markers honoring people, places or events that contributed to Lehi's history.
The Lehi Historical Society has been working on this program for two years, and it was made possible through funding from HADCO Construction and a parks, arts and recreation grant from the city of Lehi.
Bangerter said she first got the idea for it when visiting Philadelphia in February 2022 and seeing similar signs around the city. With Lehi being one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, "If we're not careful, its history is just going to be wiped away," she said.
"There are reasons people like Lehi, and it's because of the kind of community that was built and made it attractive. So we want to share with the world some of the neat things that make Lehi such a special place," Bangerter said.
When someone understands the history, they take more pride in their community and work harder to protect it and preserve its values, she said.
The 36 markers honor everything from historical stores and pioneer homes to a dedicated postman and the community coming together during the 1983 floods. A new marker will be installed about once a month for the next three years, with the next one being installed at Wines Park, one of the city's oldest parks, in July.
Bangerter said there will be unveiling ceremonies for each of the markers, and the historical society's Facebook group will post updates on the program. T-shirts that have a historical marker logo on the front and locations on the back will be given away each night of the Lehi rodeo.
