What’s Wrong With “The D”?

The Iconic “D”: A Century of History

For more than a century, the giant white “D” on St. George’s Black Hill has been one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks.

Origins of the St. George “D”

The tradition dates to Feb. 19, 1915, when students from what was then the St. George Stake Academy — commonly called Dixie Academy — gathered to build the letter on the hillside west of town. Civil engineer Leo A. Snow surveyed the site and laid out the design, which measures roughly 100 feet tall and 75 feet wide. Nearly 100 students helped haul rocks into place and whitewash the massive letter.

A Symbol of Unity: The Creation of the “D”

The project grew partly out of spirited competition between graduating classes, which had been painting their class years on St. George’s Sugarloaf. School leaders hoped a permanent “D” could become a symbol shared by the entire student body rather than another source of class rivalry.

Celebrating Tradition: D-Week and Community Involvement

Maintaining the “D” eventually became a centerpiece of the school’s annual D-Week, with generations of students, alumni and community members hiking the hill to give it a fresh coat of whitewash.

Evolving Illumination: Upgrading the “D” Lighting

Lighting was later added, and the system was upgraded to full-color lights in 2018.

Utah Tech Spokesperson Jyl Hall says it's a work in progress with an older system.
"The system we use to operate the lights for the D on the Hill is antiquated, so we are testing options to make the process of changing the color of the lights more efficient. As part of the testing process, we are turning lights off and on. We are working as quickly as possible to find a solution."

In 2022, the Dixie Hillside “D” was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing a St. George landmark that has endured since 1915.