Fur Trappers and Traders

Hello Friends,

The Fur Trappers and Traders monument is located in Warm Springs Park in Salt Lake City. This marker commemorates the arrival of these explorers  to the Utah Territory.

James Bridger, Etienne Provost, and Jedediah S. Smith were named as the principal leaders on the monument’s bronze marker listing them as discoverers, fur trappers, and traders.

Mrs. George H. Dern, the former Charlotte “Lottie” Brown, who was the Spirit of Liberty Chapter Regent, the past Utah DAR State Regent, and the current First Lady of Utah, unveiled this monument in August 1926.

It was draped with the American Flag in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the arrival of these fur trappers and traders to Utah who were credited with the discovery of the massive Great Salt Lake.

A very special thank you to the State Historian and the Historic Preservation Committee State Chair for their service and  support in the preservation of the DAR Monuments and Markers in Utah.

Preserving Our DAR Legacy,

Kathryn Asay,
Utah State Regent

The Site of a Pony Express Station

Hello Friends,

It is my privilege to work with the members of the Pony Express Chapter and the Sego Lily Chapter on the restoration of a large NSDAR marker commemorating a “Site of a Pony Express Station 1860-1861.” The marker was originally dedicated in 1924 by the Spirit of Liberty Chapter, NSDAR.


Pony Express riders carried mail on horseback 1800 miles in ten days from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. Their ride took them through some of the most desolate country in the Western United States.

Author Mark Twain was purported to be a guest at the Salt Lake Station, one of the most comfortable along the trail that this marker commemorates.

After completion of the street beautification, it is proposed that the marker be placed in a breezeway at the former Salt Lake Tribune Building on 143 South Main Street in downtown Salt Lake City which was the original site of the Salt Lake Pony Express Station.

A special thank you to the State Historian and the Historic Preservation Committee State Chair  for their support of the preservation of the DAR Monuments and Markers in Utah.

Preserving Our DAR Legacy,

Kathryn Asay,
Utah State Regent

Father Escalante

Hello Friends,

The Escalante Marker is located at 10 South Main Street in Spanish Fork, Utah. It is a tribute to the Spanish Priest/Explorer Father Silvestre Valez de Escalante, the first white man to reach the State of Utah on September 23, 1776.

With an early snowstorm and short provisions, Father Escalante and his small band knelt amidst the frozen sagebrush and prayed for guidance to reach California for they knew not how.

Although they did not reach California, they returned to New Mexico by crossing over the Colorado River and climbing the steep cliffs known as the “Crossing of the Fathers” into New Mexico.

The marker is affixed to a six-ton conglomerate boulder that was furnished by the City of Spanish Fork. It was dedicated by the Spirit of Liberty Chapter in 1922 and re-dedicated in 1923 in a formal ceremony.

A very special thank you to the State Historian, the Wasatch Range Chapter Regent, and the Historic Preservation Committee State Chair for their outstanding support in the preservation of DAR Monuments and Markers in Utah.

Preserving Our Historic DAR Legacy,

Kathryn Asay,
Utah State Regent

Liberty Park Drinking Fountain

Hello Friends,

As the Utah State Regent, it is my honor to present the beautiful DAR Drinking Fountain and Monument, that was dedicated in1905 by the Spirit of Liberty Chapter, Utah’s first DAR Chapter. It is currently located in a flower bed within the park.

The Monument is made of splendid Vermont granite and featured two drinking fountains, one for patrons and one for dogs. Upon approval from the Salt Lake City Mayor, the Monument will be professionally cleaned as a part of this State Regent’s Historic Preservation Projects.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to the State Historian Lisa Hoyt, Salt Lake Valley Chapter Regent Janet Otterness,  and Historic Preservation Committee State Chair Cindy Toone for their support of the preservation of DAR Monuments and Markers in Utah.

Preserving Our Historic DAR Legacy,

Kathryn Asay,
Utah State Regent