WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
THE DIXIE "D"
St. George, Utah
[mesa] on the west side of St. George. It is now outlined with electric lights that are on at night.
HISTORY
The Dixie "D" was the result of a plan to quash conflicts between successive class years of the Dixie StakeAcademy. The Class of 1913 had painted the numerals "1913" on the Sugarloaf rock. The Class of 1914 was
larger and consisted of younger people who thought a "1914" would be more appropriate. So the last digit
changed a number of times. Once the class of 1913 graduated and the Class of 1915 came along, the
competitions became more contentious, sometimes resulting in physical confrontations.
As a result, school officials and student body officers met together and began talking about the possibility of a
program that would bring all the students together and do away with the heavy class rivalry. It took some time,
but out of this effort came the idea of constructing a school letter on one of the surrounding hills and painting
the word "Dixie" on the Sugarloaf in place of any class numerals.
It was decided that the "D" should be located between the first and second ledges of the Black Hill west of
town and at a point directly in line with Tabernacle Street which extends east and west through the center of
St. George. Civil Engineer, Leo A. Snow, surveyed the location, determined the dimensions, and marked the outline
for the "D". It was constructed on Friday, February 19, 1915, by students of the old Dixie Academy.
It has slowly evolved over the years. Floodlights were added around 1941 to light it at night. In 200?, it was
outlined in high-intensity electric lights. And in 2018, the lights were upgraded to a full-color lighting system.
The property where the "D" is located was deeded to the Dixie College Alumni Association on December 13,
1949 by Rudger C. & Leona Cox Atkin and Bill & Lida Cox Prince.
The "D" is whitewashed each year on the Saturday of D-Week.
PHOTOS
 Dixie "D" on the Black Hill |
 WCHS-00356 Dixie "D" with the outlining lights |
 First whitewashing of the Dixie "D" - 1915 |
 Whitewashing the Dixie "D" more recently |
WCHS photos:
WCHS-00357 Photo of the Dixie "D" and telephone microwave reflector on the Black Hill
WCHS-00295 Photos of the new West Elementary School with the Dixie "D" in the background (1956)
WCHS-00110 Photo of the A&W Drive-in in St. George with the Dixie "D" in the background (6/16/1967)
WCHS-00291 Photo of portable classrooms at West Elementary with the Dixie "D" in the background (1987)
WCHS-05491 Photo of Northwest corner of St. George with the Dixie "D" in the background
WCHS-05492 Photo of St. George in the distance with the Dixie "D" and St. George Temple
Other photos:
Old photo of the St. George Tabernacle with the Black Hill and Dixie "D" in the background
Photo of the house at 162 South 300 West in St. George with the Black Hill and Dixie "D" in the background
1918 photo of the Dixie D looking west on Tabernacle St. from just before Main St.
Article from around 1983-1987 with a photo showing the Black Hill and Dixie "D" in the background
REFERENCES
History of the "D" on the "Black Hill" and the "Dixie" on the Red HillThis is the story of the Dixie College "D" Day as told by Mathhew Bentley in 1962
D-Week Traditions Remembered
Dixie State Magazine, Spring 2008
The article on Page 8 describes the beginning and some of the history of the Dixie "D", including photos.
100th Anniversary of the "D"
By Ron Snow, April 18, 2015
Dixie State University's hillside 'D' upgrades to full-color lighting system
Article from the St. George News, 12/8/2018
The “D” on the Hillside - Trail Summary
By By HikeStGeorge