About Utah: Story of first KFC shows anything can happen

Colonel Sanders and the Harmans remained close friends until the Colonel died, at the age of 90, in 1980.

Pete and Arline, now both in their 90s, are still alive and living in California. They own and operate more than 300 KFC franchises in Utah, California, Nevada and Washington.

To this day, nearly 60 years later, every KFC franchise in Utah is Harman-run. Much like an aspen tree, they're everywhere, but the roots all trace back to the same source.

And that source is on 39th and State — where the restaurant still bears the Harman name out front, and features a statue of the Colonel and Pete in the courtyard.

It's the only KFC in existence where, without fail, every customer gets the same greeting:

"Welcome to the world's first KFC."

And they're not kidding.

Lee Benson's About Utah column runs Monday and Friday.