BY
C L IN T
P U M P H R E Y
A N D
J I M
K I C H AS
For anyone who has ever struggled to find a parking place at a crowded trailhead in Utah’s backcountry, it is hard to believe that there was ever a time when the state’s scenery was inaccessible and unknown to many Americans. This was exactly the case, however, when representatives of civic clubs from ten Utah counties descended upon Richfield in September 1930. The resulting organization, which became known as the Associated Civic Clubs of Southern Utah, declared its aim “to develop Southern Utah and its resources . . . thereby developing and benefiting the entire state.” They laid out four initiatives by which to achieve this goal: [t]o attract tourists and homeseekers; to call the world’s attention to the wealth and beauties; to work for good roads and transportation; to broadcast by every conceivable means what Southern Utah has to offer in scenic wonders and partly undeveloped agricultural and mineral resources; and to work unitedly for such purposes.1 The plan—a combination of marketing and infrastructure improvements—was so ambitious and far-reaching that it could not be carried out solely by the Associated Civic Clubs of Southern Utah or any other single group, for that matter. Instead, these aims required significant contributions from leaders across the spectrum of business and government, including good roads promoters, highway boosters, state agencies, and local commercial and civic groups, many of whom came to see United States Highway 89, with its proximity to both major cities and national parks, as a backbone for Utah’s tourist economy.
3 N O . I 8 5 U H Q
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cooperative boosterism along U.S. Highway 89
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From tire tracks to treasure trail:
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