SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's contributions to a national time capsule to be opened 250 years from now were laid out on a table.
"It's a collection of things representing events and individuals that helped shape Utah," said historian Ron Fox, who helped gather some of the items.
The items were briefly on display Wednesday at the Utah State Capitol before they were packed up to be shipped off to the nation's capital for events marking the 250th anniversary of America's founding. On the table were cards of numerous Utah historical figures and their biographies. Those will be printed on cotton so they can withstand the ravages of time.
"We have silver dollars from 1896, the year of our statehood," Fox pointed out. "The silver from many of these coins came from Utah’s mountains. Park City, specifically."
There were old tickets from the early days of Lagoon, Liberty Park and Saltair; collectible pins from the 2002 Winter Olympics and the upcoming 2034 Games; coins from executive branch offices and legislative branches of government; a collection of signatures of lawmakers, the Utah Supreme Court and congressional representatives.
Fox's personal favorite?
"A gold medal that was actually presented to people at the wedding of the rails, May 10th, 1869 in Promontory, Utah," he said.
Utah's tribes will also be contributing items. They will all be packed into a small box that will be Utah's part of the national time capsule. Every state and territory in the United States is contributing something.
Some 4-H students who stopped by the Capitol on Wednesday got a glimpse at the items and were fascinated.
"I thought it was amazing," said Ethan Barton, a Box Elder County student. "I love to see all the things they could see in 250 years from now. I was just trying to imagine what that would be like, what the world would be like."
