Sen. John Curtis walked down Kamas’ Main Street Thursday morning around 10 a.m., clad in a checked red, white and blue shirt, sturdy walking shoes and hiking pants.
It was day seven of his 250-mile walk honoring the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Republican said he embarked on the journey to make this year’s Fourth of July special.
“A number of weeks ago, I was contemplating the Fourth, and how it was our 250th and I just said to myself, ‘I can't let this go by like just another Fourth of July,” Curtis said.
So, he decided to walk 250 miles, starting in his mother’s hometown of Dingle, Idaho.
Curtis said it was a natural starting point. The town is just seven miles past the Utah border and a place that holds fond memories for Curtis. He visited the area frequently as a child and heard stories of his pioneer ancestors who settled in the area.
Some of his cousins still live in the town and Curtis said they saw him off.
“They brought some pioneer paraphernalia, and one of my cousins gave me this marble that they found in one of the old homes when they remodeled,” he said. “Nobody quite knows its origin or its age, but symbolically it represents that era to me.”
Over 200 miles later, he passed through Summit County.
Curtis has started each day around 4:30 a.m., enjoying the sunrise as he walks through parts of Utah he’s never visited before. Sometimes locals joined him for a few miles; other times he stopped to chat with elected officials.
At some stops, a lucky few received a pair of red, white and blue socks from the junior senator — each with his name and face stitched into the design.
Much of the route has been in rural areas of the state for safety reasons, so Curtis said he’s spoken with a lot of ranchers and farmers as well. He said they emphasized the value of hard work, diligence and family as well as faith and freedom.
“When we started this walk, we knew we wanted to emphasize the values, not just the founders of our country, but the founders of our state, and the people I've seen are just great examples of those values,” he said.
The walk has also given Curtis time to reflect on almost a decade of serving in Congress. He was elected to represent Utah’s 3rd congressional district — including Summit and Wasatch counties — in the U.S. House in 2017. Then he won the election to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, another Republican, in 2024.
With wildfires raging across the state and drought conditions persisting across the West, Curtis said he has naturally thought about water and the $1 billion President Donald Trump requested to restore the Great Salt Lake.
“I serve on the Environment Public Works (committee), which has a lot to do with it, and we have done a lot,” he said. “We're helping with the $1 billion commitment from the President, but I want to do even more.”
Curtis has also contemplated America’s 250 years and how it relates to today’s political climate.
He said it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the issues facing the U.S. — and to forget the country has faced worse.
Curtis said when he was growing up, inflation was much higher. The country also experienced divisive times during the Vietnam War.
“And yet we made it through those periods because we're a great country, we have a great constitution, we have great people,” he said. “I actually think better days are ahead.”
After passing through the Kamas Valley, Curtis was headed south to Heber City.
He will finish his 250-mile walk on the Fourth of July at the Stadium of Fire in Provo. There, he will say a few words before Independence Day celebrations begin.
