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Sam Penrod reporting A bill has passed Congress, designating a 250- mile stretch of Highway 89 in Central and Southern Utah as the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area.
The designation comes after more than six years of work, lobbying Congress, but it will mean up to ten million dollars over the next ten years to improve historical areas and bring tourism to the area.
Long before I-15, Highway 89 was the main route from north to south through Utah. Preserving that early history is what the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area is all about.
Monte Bona, Exec. Dir., Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance: "It's basically an economic development initiative that uses heritage tourism as its base."
The designation is 250 miles of Highway 89 from Fairview in Sanpete County, to Kanab in Kane County and the towns and cities in between.
Organizers of the project have been working for years to secure federal funding. They believe highway 89 holds a lot of history and can bring in a lot of tourists."
Monte Bona, Exec. Dir., Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance: "To achieve national designation, you have to show something significant in national history happened there and our thesis is that the best example of how the Mormon pioneers colonized the west, can be found along highway 89 from Fairview to Kanab and the Boulder Loop."
Besides the historical areas of towns and cities that Highway 89 passes through, it will also help recognize the scenic areas and recreational opportunities as well.
Monte Bona, Exec. Dir., Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance: "The idea behind it is to promote the events, to preserve our heritage and attract people here who want to appreciate it and understand it."
From art galleries to historic locations, communities along the highway can apply for matching funds to make improvements and showcase the history along Highway 89.
Monte Bona, Exec. Dir., Utah Heritage Highway 89 Alliance: "In terms of our history what is now the highway 89 corridor was kind of the entity that brought all these communities together."
The money from the federal government is for matching funds, so local organizations will have to come up with half of the money and then get approval from the US Department of the Interior.
There are 27 of these National Heritage Areas in the country.
