![Rural Utah at a Crossroads. The logo features a view in Utah County of fields, apartment and industrial buildings, and the Spanish Fork Canyon in the distance.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2daf45d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1080x1080+0+0/resize/280x280!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe8%2F7d%2F1f0d062a4544ba63df908189f08e%2Frural-utah-at-a-crossroads-instagram-post-20240511-182529-0000.png)
Every rural person and place has a story. Change is part of that story. "Rural Utah at a Crossroads" is a new series of short stories about life in the smallest parts of Utah, told in participants’ own words. Listen to UPR to hear stories from the rural communities in our state that explore how we've adapted and inspire us to think about what's next.
"Rural Utah at a Crossroads" is part of Crossroads: Change in America, a traveling exhibition created by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives that provokes fresh thinking and sparks conversations about the future and sustainability of rural communities. Utah Humanities is touring Crossroads to eight rural communities in Utah from September 2023 to December 2024. As part of the exhibition tour, Utah Humanities and Utah Public Radio are partnering with exhibition hosts to interview local residents about their experience in rural Utah.
"Rural Utah at a Crossroads" is a collaboration between UPR, Utah Humanities, Wasatch County Library, Utah State University Eastern, Silver Reef Museum and Washington County Historical Society, Brigham City Museum of Art & History, and Utah State University Blanding.
Crossroads: Change in Rural America is made possible in Utah by Utah Humanities. Crossroads is part of the Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
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Retired Maj. Gen. Lynn Stevens discusses how education has had a profound effect on his life and his journey from growing up in a two-room house to becoming a retired army general.
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Joshua Knight, a floral designer in Heber City, Utah, shares his experience as an out gay man starting a small business in rural Utah.
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Former Utah House Representative Bradley King reflects on his time working for rural Utah and how his community's economy is changing.
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Scott Anderson, a retired Thiokol employee, tells of the company's relationship with the community and the impacts of growing diversity.
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Leeds resident Danielle Stirling discusses being a newcomer to her community and the changes her family farm have experienced.
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Dakota Mair discussed his family's long history in rural Utah, and expressed concern about the community's changing identity due to development and outmigration.