And what is exciting, she said, is that placing the markers has been a true grass-roots effort. "The local chapters make the recommendations, do all the research and build the structure. We (the international society leadership) verify the research and provide the plaque."

The society allows up to four new markers a year. Two new ones have been approved for this year. But because many of the markers are placed on roadsides to allow easy access for travelers, another constant challenge is keeping up with changing roads. "When roads have to be widened, the markers might have to be moved. We try to keep them someplace close by, but that's an ongoing challenge," Johnson said.

The monuments are numbered in the order they were erected, explains DUP marker chairman Dawna Thayne. So by looking at the numbers, you get a look at the history of monument building.

The DUP has also produced a booklet that lists the markers by both number and location. "I keep a book in my car," says marker board member Carole Maddux. "When we travel, we love to visit the markers in that area."

The DUP is not the only organization that places markers. Groups have marked trails, Pony Express routes, Lincoln Highway remnants and more. The Utah Trails and Landmarks Association has placed numerous markers. The Sons of the Utah Pioneers also has an extensive marker program, says SUP president Kent Lott.

The SUP has placed more than 175 markers throughout Utah and the West and even as far away as Sparta, Greece (a 1955 plaque honors the lawgiver Lycurgus).

Markers are important "for ourselves and future generations," said Lott. "People will be able to come and look and feel the spirit of history and the heritage of what happened at a particular place. If we didn't do that, it would soon go forgotten."

Markers play an important role in history, said Craig Fuller, an associate editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly. "They are a way to identify an event or person with a place. They give people a physical something to help recall events, helps us understand the past."

People "yearn for a relationship with the past," says Fuller, "it helps them understand who they are today."

"I like to stand here, and imagine all the trees gone," said Beth Atkin, of the marker in Tooele that honors the first settlers in that valley. "I like to think of the view they would have had of the valley, with the lake out there. They must have thought how far away they were from other settlers. They must have wondered what was ahead."

"I stand here," said Maddux of the marker on the site of Brigham Young's last camp in Emigration Canyon, "and wonder how they knew this was the place. From here, you can't even see anything of what was ahead."

"There is great heritage here," said LaRee Sieverts of the tiny Union Cemetery. "It makes you think of the people who first came to the valley and how hard they worked."

The markers give a personal touch to the area, said Johnson. "They help you understand the process of settlement, what the people went through. The markers let us know how they did it and why they did it. So their efforts will not be lost."

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com