Cedar High seniors, supporters join in bringing lights to iconic ‘C’ on Cedar Mountain

Written by Jeff Richards
September 23, 2023

CEDAR CITY — The iconic letter “C” on Cedar Mountain was lit up for the first time on Friday night, during Cedar High School’s homecoming football game.

The newly whitewashed “C” is visible above the football field as Cedar plays Pine View, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 22, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Football team captain Koden Lunt joined principal Terri Sanders at midfield at halftime as the crowd loudly counted down to zero.

As Lunt pushed down on a large cardboard plunger that was just for show, Sanders activated the actual switch using a phone app, thereby turning on the 70 recently installed lights that now outline the “C”.

Cedar City News caught up with project organizer Lunt on Thursday afternoon up on the mountain, just before dozens of seniors and adult volunteers showed up to help whitewash the newly laid concrete that now covers the massive “C” on the hillside.

“I just was looking for a good project to do for my senior football service project,” explained Lunt. “I decided that there’s not much better to do than lighting the C.”

Lunt said many people, including local business owners, generously contributed time, money and resources toward the project. 

“I’ve been so amazed at the community response and how excited everyone was to see this project happen,” Lunt said. “Within just a few days, I had reached my financial goal to cover supplies. From there, it was just getting in touch with the right people that could help make it fall into place.” 

“I’ve had tons of help with everything,” Lunt added.

Interestingly enough, the landmark monogram was originally a different letter: an “A” that stood for the middle word in the name of Branch Agricultural College, forerunner of the educational institution now known as Southern Utah University.

Cedar High School students and adult volunteers gather to whitewash the “C”, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 21, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Shauna Lund, Iron County Schools, St. George News / Cedar City News

According to Branch Agriculture College’s 1915 yearbook, its students had arranged rocks to form a large “A” on Cedar Mountain the previous fall.

“It was on the 22nd of October that we built the ‘A’ on the mountain side,” the yearbook states. “We built that letter as an expression, to all who behold it, of the loyalty and high esteem we have for our school.”

Cedar High assistant principal Eric Fieldsted noted that Branch Agriculture College became College of Southern Utah in 1953. Six years after that, in 1959, the “A” on the hill was converted to a “C,” and Cedar High School has been maintaining it ever since.

For more than 60 years, countless students over multiple generations have kept the tradition of whitewashing the “C” during homecoming week of their senior year.

“There’s a lot of history behind the C,” Lunt said. “Lighting it for the first time for homecoming was the perfect time to add to that CHS history!”

The C itself, which measures approximately 80 feet across and 120 feet tall, can be readily seen from throughout the Cedar Valley. It is a short walk downhill from the “C” Overlook that is part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Iron Hills Trail System.

Fieldsted announced the project during the halftime of Friday’s football game, saying, “As was said before with the placement of the A, It is our aim to keep the surface of our C bright, as a reminder to us all to live our  lives as bright as the C, living efficient lives of service to our fellow men.”

Football player Koden Lunt and Cedar High principal Terri Sanders prepare to light the “C” for the first time, Cedar City, Utah, Sept. 22, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Fieldsted also acknowledged and thanked several people for their assistance and contributions, including Josh Nelson with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Matt Topham with Rocky Mountain Power, Klyn Gleave with Gleave Concrete, Jared Bradshaw of Bradshaw Electric, Ray Bulloch with Bulloch Dirt Works, along with the staff at Infowest. 

“This would not have happened without them, as well as the numerous other donors who are identified in the handout in our programs, as well as on the banner at midfield,” Fieldsted said, adding, “Please support these wonderful local businesses who put so much back into our community.” 

As part of the pregame festivities, Nelson, Gleave, Bradshaw and Bulloch were transported to the Reds Stadium field by two helicopters. After disembarking, they shook hands with Lunt at midfield and handed him the game ball.

“Everyone went above and beyond to get this thing done,” Lunt said afterward, thanking again everyone who helped. “It was such a great thing to watch and be a part of.”

Cedar went on to defeat Pine View 28-15, capping off an eventful and successful homecoming week.

Lunt said that although the lights that lit up the C on Friday were regular plain white bulbs, they will soon be upgraded to ones that can be programmed to change to different colors.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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