Sesquicentennial Celebration

Thanks for visiting the Salt Lake County Sesquicentennial Celebration web site. The first official meeting of Salt Lake County government was held on March 15, 1852. We’ve come a long way in 150 years. We now operate over 150 facilities ranging from community pools and parks to the Southtowne Exposition Center. We also provide hundreds of quality programs and services to the community, including plowing snowy roads, delivering hot meals to the homebound elderly, and managing drug rehabilitation programs for those in need. We are committed to service excellence for Salt Lake County residents.

Salt Lake County’s Sesquicentennial activities began March 14, 2002, when Governor Leavitt signed a document proclaiming March 10 – 16 as “Salt Lake County Government Week” commemorating the County’s 150th year in “business.”

In June I invited all County elected officials, city mayors, and community councils representing the unincorporated areas of our County to donate unique items representative of their office or area in 2002 to our time capsule project. Salt Lake County’s Sesquicentennial Time Capsule is filled with donated items from all 15 cities in the County, unincorporated areas and elected officials. Included are items unique to 2002, such as Olympic pictures, promotional materials, flags and pins, along with scrapbooks, community general plans, maps and T-shirts. Some of the more unique items include a horseshoe from “Chester,” the last equestrian resident in the unincorporated Imperial area, a dog tag from Alta, and chads from the County’s punch card voting system.

On August 21, 2002, the Sesquicentennial Summer Celebration was held. The event featured a display of the time capsule items that had been donated at that time, the launch of this Sesquicentennial Web site, and an invitation for residents to enjoy Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation facilities with two-for-one admission during the week of August 21 – 25.

On Wednesday, February 26, 2003, I hosted employees, elected officials, and community leaders at a dedication ceremony for our Sesquicentennial time capsule, thus concluding our Sesquicentennial activities. The ceremony was held at the site where the time capsule was buried—50 feet east of the flagpoles between the north and south buildings at the Salt Lake County Government Center, 2001 So. State St. The capsule will remain in the ground with instructions to open it in 2052, Salt Lake County’s bicentennial year.

Imagine 50 years from now when the time capsule is opened and its contents are revealed. What legacy will we leave the citizens of Salt Lake County? The prospect is exciting! But there’s no need to wait until 2052 to see what the time capsule holds. I invite you to view the contents of the time capsule for yourself today.

Enjoy!