South Jordan Hosts Immersive 9/11 Exhibit Featuring Ground Zero First Responders
Marking a quarter-century since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, South Jordan City and the Major Brent Taylor Foundation are hosting a free, immersive public exhibit at the USU Bastian Agricultural Center. Titled “Utah Remembers: The 9/11 Project,” the multi-day event runs through Monday, offering visitors a detailed timeline of the attacks alongside firsthand accounts from individuals who were at Ground Zero.
Bringing Ground Zero Realities to Utah
The exhibition brings firsthand accounts to the mountain west. The installation serves as an educational platform. For younger visitors—many of whom were not yet born when the attacks occurred—the exhibit provides critical context regarding the attacks and the subsequent war on terror.
Among those sharing their testimonies is New York City Transit Authority first responder Hector Soto. Reflecting on his arrival at the disaster site after the towers collapsed, Soto shared the profound shock of the environment. All the training I took couldn’t prepare me for what I was about to see,
Soto recalled. When I actually got there, my jaw was just on the ground. It’s like, what just happened here?
Soto also recounted the harrowing emotional toll of witnessing families desperately searching for missing relatives amid the wreckage. There was a huge crowd, and it was just immediate relatives to the people that worked in the towers, and they were looking for their loved ones, and it was tough to see,
he noted. Through his participation, Soto hopes younger generations come away from the exhibit with a deeper understanding of what happened and why it matters.
Connecting Remembrance With Community Action
Beyond historical preservation, “Utah Remembers: The 9/11 Project” is designed to mobilize the community through active service and professional engagement. The event features a dedicated space where nonprofit and service organizations can showcase their ongoing initiatives and recruit volunteers.
Complementing the volunteer recruitment is a professional career fair. This segment highlights vital public service sectors, including military, medical, fire, police, civic, and educational professions.
Visitor Information and Legacy
The exhibit is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Monday at the USU Bastian Agricultural Center, located in South Jordan, Utah. Admission is entirely free and open to the public.
As twenty-five years pass since the attacks, exhibits like this ensure that the human cost of that day remains visible. What are your thoughts on how communities should preserve the history of 9/11 for future generations? Let us know in the comments below.
