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Show Uornp, Hews Filo liox 6310 Lincoln, Neb. 60506 Steeo, Wilson honored here at Utah Statehood banquet Highlight of the Statehood Day Banquet, held at the SunDowner Restaurant last Wednesday evening, even-ing, was the paying of special tribute to two Moab area residents who have had a tremendous impact on Moab's history. Charles A. Steen, discoverer of the famed MiVida uranium mine in the Big Indian Mining District, and Butes E. Wilson, former Superintendent Superin-tendent of Arches National Monument Monu-ment and first Superintendent of Canyonlands National Park, were applauded by the two hundred people attending the banquet after introductions by master of ceremonies cere-monies Sam Taylor. Steen's discovery of the vast Big Indian uranium ore deposits in the early 1950's led to the uranium boom which saw Moab's population jump from around one thousand to over 6,000. Special mention was made of Mr. Steen's service to the community; his insistence that the uranium milling facility constructed to handle ores from the new mining area be built in Moab, and his generosity to churches and schools in Moab. The now-famous Charlie Steen served a four-year term on the Grand County Board of Education during its most difficult years of growth and expansion; and served two sessions in the Utah State Senate. "Much of a derogatory deroga-tory nature has been written about Charlie Steen's service in the Utah Legislature, but those writers knew little about what they wrote," Taylor said. He mentioned in particular that Mr. Steen had been a strong legislator who was a key figure in the creation of the Utah Parks and Recreation Commission and its network of State Parks. Tribute to Bates Wilson centered around his extensive exploration of the area which eventually became Canyonlands National Park, and for development planning of Arches National Monument Monu-ment during the Mission 66 development program, when the first paved roads were built into Arches. It was Mr. Wilson who brought this area to the attention of Washington, and through his untiring efforts that Congress finally established Canyonlands, Taylor said. Mr. Wilson retired from federal service a number of years ago, and has lived in Professor Valley, north of Moab, where he and his family engage in a successful farming and ranching operation. |