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The big letter U on the mountain for Uintah in Weber County, there’s another Uintah U in Vernal.
See other hillside letters on this page.
The Mountainside “U”
Looking east you will see a large white “U” on the side of the mountain. This “U” cemented a bond between the residents of the small community of Uintah and played an important role in its history. The creation of the “U” has been celebrated each year through U-Day that continue to tie the community together.
During the years 1919 and 1922 trouble at the little schoolhouse in the valley began to build between the principal and the older youth; erupting when the principal shot William Lloyd Bybee, 19, a student who died from the wounds. That incident divided the town in 1922, Golden Albert Kilburt was hired as the new principal and he worked to bring the town back together and reunite Uintah.
Kilburn came up with the idea of putting a “U” on the side of the mountain. The “U” would represent the town of Uintah, the word United, the state of Utah, and the United States. Working with Claude Elliot Stuart, Sr., Bishop Charles Fernelius, local scout troop #34, and the land owners Joseph ). and Byran L. Bybee, the mountainside “U” became a community project where they could all work together to become united again.
After 83 years of deterioation and vandalism, the community rebuilt the large “U” in 2005 under the direction of Cheryl Barnum Prescott, James LeRoy Martin, and Mike J. Keyes.