Photo courtesy of Greater Zion Pioneer Park
You heard it here first: St. George, Utah, is about to boom. So get there before everybody else does. The largest town in Southwest Utah is slowly and comfortably embracing its growth at just the right pace. A quiet community of less than 90,000 people, St. George is best known for its proximity to the great outdoors, especially Zion National Park, but it s turning into a worthwhile destination in its own right.
The story of St. George is much like other Utah cities. It was founded as a Mormon settlement, but eventually developed its own identity. While other parts of the state see snow-capped mountains throughout the year, St. George has a warm, desert climate that along with a history of cotton production earned the nickname Utah s Dixie. The tag is a source of local pride, but has obvious complications, reflected in movements currently underway to rename the Dixie Convention Center and Dixie State University.
Young men from Lehi’s Eaglecrest 3rd Latter-day Saint Ward stand in front of the Payson Utah Temple on May 31. The Payson temple was one of eight temple stops along the group’s bicycle “Tour de Temples,” covering more than 300 miles from Lehi to St. George, Utah.
Ryan and Kristin Kirby
A line of young men and a few adult leaders on bicycles, all in matching white shirts, black shorts and helmets, pedaled triumphantly into sunny St. George with sore muscles and fatigue Wednesday afternoon.
As the group rolled to a stop near the St. George Utah Temple, another youth walked among them, aiming a water gun and squirting cool liquid on each rider.
The battle is called the “Miracle at Gapyeong.” The heroic incident took place on May 25, 1951, in South Korea when a small battalion of 240 brave young soldiers from small-town southern Utah Latter-day Saint homes found themselves suddenly under attack by 4,000 Chinese and North Korean soldiers. It was a terrifying and completely unexpected attack. They were given the understanding that they were to provide artillery support to allied soldiers positioned ahead at the North Korean enemy line. But there were critical miscommunications and in fact, there was no buffer between the Utah soldiers and the enemy.
They were shocked and terrified to discover that they were being directly attacked, and drastically outnumbered. The battle is accurately described as “a ferocious hand-to-hand battle fought in the early morning darkness.” At dawn, Lt. Frank Dalley and Captain Ray Cox led their Latter-day Saint battalion into battle. They courageously fought their way through the Gapyeon