WELLSVILLE, Cache County — The American West Heritage Center is very good at portraying what Utah life was like during the 19th century, but it's really lousy at something else:

Timing.

A year ago, the heritage center announced with much fanfare its "Dream Catcher" capital campaign, designed to raise $150 million for new projects at the center. The showcase was plans for an ambitious new "interpretive center" where visitors would experience life as seen through the eyes of the Shoshone tribes living in the area at the time.

Twelve months later the campaign has raised . . . well, nothing.

"We geared up right at a very difficult time," said center director Rhonda Thompson. "A lot of people were interested, but with the stock market the way it was they couldn't do much."

So now, with the economy showing signs of life, the center is gearing up for capital campaign part deux.

"We're just starting up," Thompson said. "We've been working with our (congressional) delegation. We're moving along with it."

With the prospect of a center celebrating its history and culture, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation is watching the proceedings (or lack thereof) with great interest.

The Shoshones are at a significant period of their history. Last March, they dedicated 26 acres of land they had purchased near Preston, Idaho, where the Bear River Massacre occurred — American soldiers killed 250-350 men, women and children at the site, "a military disaster unprecedented in Western history," according to a site marker.

The tribe now has 439 members, making it the largest it has ever been since the massacre, tribe director Bruce Parry said. And in addition to the interpretive center, the American West Heritage Center is helping the tribe purchase 100 more acres at the massacre site, as well as a $1 million monument to be placed there.

"It's something that's needed," Parry said.

Unfortunately, something else is needed too: money.

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The heritage center is already constantly strapped for cash. Currently it covers 1/3 of its $1.5 million annual operating budget through ticket sales, relying on sponsorships and donations for the rest (the Deseret Morning News is one such sponsor).

Thompson and her staff just completed an exhaustive planning process, which projects that with increasing attention and an improving economy, ticket sales should cover 75 percent of costs within five years.

"The money has been very tight — and we acknowledge that it's been tight for every non-profit across the country," Thompson said. "But we feel very positive about the future."


E-MAIL: aedwards@desnews.com

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