Utahn travels to all US state capitals, presidents' gravesites

Utahn travels to all US state capitals, presidents' gravesites

(David Bond)


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DRAPER — After traveling over a 40-year span, a Draper man recently reached his goal of visiting all 50 state capitol buildings and all the U.S. presidents’ gravesites.

David Bond grew up in Washington D.C. and developed a love of American history and patriotism while spending time at many of the historical sites in the area. He said he often visited Capitol Hill as well as local military parks and battlefields.

“I just kind of grew up liking that stuff,” Bond said. “I think my mother kind of instilled in me patriotism and the love of country... History was a subject I liked.”

Bond first visited a U.S. president’s gravesite in 1975 and made a goal to visit all 39 of the deceased president’s graves, as well as all 50 state capitol buildings. Bond said his wife was from Utah and they would often make road trips across the country so she could visit family. During those trips, he would make detours to visit the historical sites.

“We went to a lot of the out-of-the-way places for the tombs because they’re not necessarily on the interstates,” he said. “The capitals are all tied in somewhat to the interstate system… But the graves are wherever the guy was buried and that can be quite off the beaten track.”

Bond said most of the state capitol buildings have the same dome architecture as the nation’s capitol building. However, he said some of them have unique designs. He said Ohio’s capitol building has a flat dome and “looks like a pill box sitting up there” and Alaska’s capitol is an office building.

Bond said some of the presidential gravesites were also unique.

David Bond at his 50th state capitol building, the Hawaii Capitol. Photo Credit: Courtesy of David Bond.
David Bond at his 50th state capitol building, the Hawaii Capitol. Photo Credit: Courtesy of David Bond.

“One that I thought was interesting was Chester Arthur’s grave,” he said. “He is buried near Albany, New York, and he has a big metal angel with wings kind of wrapping around his tomb. I thought that was quite interesting. (Abraham) Lincoln had a big memorial and his tomb is located within the memorial. He’s buried in Springfield, Illinois.”

Bond moved to Utah in summer 2007 and kept his love of historical sites. He completed his bucket list when he visited Hawaii on Feb. 26 and took a photo of his 50th state capitol building.

“My wife, unbeknownst to me, had made a sign when we got to the 50th state and she had me hold up the sign,” he said. “I think it’s interesting to have goals and try to accomplish things. People have their bucket lists, I guess, and this seemed to be a goal that I could accomplish. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed learning about each president and seeing each part of the country. Each part of the country has its own uniqueness about it.”

Bond said after completing his goal, his children proposed going to visit all the U.S. national parks.

“I told them I’d too old for that,” he said with a laugh.

Bond has also visited the gravesites of all the presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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Faith Heaton Jolley

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