
Statement on Proposal to Rename the Burr Trail Scenic Backway Dr. Jacqualine Grant 1/14/2025 Utah’s Burr Trail Scenic Backway carries a name rich in local significance and history. The Burr Trail makes its way through the northeast corner of the nation’s first BLM-administered national monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Monument withstood President Trump’s attempt to downsize it in 2017, which means that it would be counterintuitive to name one of its major routes after him. Scenic byways and scenic backways are traditionally named after their intrinsic qualities, which are based on the local archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic values that make them special and unique. They are not usually named to curry favor with Washington DC politicians. The decision to rename the Burr Trail Scenic Backway does not seem to be based on a significant association between Mr. Trump and the region’s archeology, culture, history, natural amenities, recreational opportunities, or scenery, nor does it reflect the hard work and grit that went into building the Pioneer, Indigenous, and other communities that exist in the area today. The Burr Trail Scenic Byway was named after Mr. John Atlantic Burr. He was rumored to have died alone in the desert after attempting a gruesome home remedy to cure himself of a urinary tract blockage. See Steve Allen’s book, Utah’s Canyon Country Place Names, for a full account of the history of the name of Burr Trail and Burr Canyon. Mr. Burr clearly possessed a level of determination and perseverance that few people living today could match. Should his legacy be shared by renaming the Burr Trail Road, it should only be shared with another person of the same caliber and quality of character. We have purposefully not provided the new name of the Burr Trail Scenic Backway as proposed by Garfield County. We welcome the reader to Google what they have proposed. |