There are so many reasons Howard Balsley was Moab’s very first Citizen of the Year and one of the only non-Coloradoans to be named Colorado Mining Association’s Man of the Year. Howard’s understanding of the “miracle mineral” uranium helped make southeastern Utah the “Uranium Capital of America.” With business savvy and political acumen, he promoted the Colorado Plateau’s mineral resources in Washington D.C. and championed the interests of the prospectors and independent miners scattered around the region.

Howard Balsley may have been a “citizen of the world” but he was a proud Moab resident. He served as Grand County Clerk and Auditor and was elected Moab’s Mayor, though as a civil service employee he was prohibited from serving. He also served on the Grand County Education Board and Library Board and was an active member of many civic organizations and his church.

Long before email and social media made people-to-people communication so easy, people corresponded in handwritten letters or typewritten correspondence – and the correspondence Howard collected throughout his life reveals deep friendships, long-lasting business partnerships, and a keen sense of humor.

This special exhibit is possible only because Howard Balsley was a fastidious chronicler of Moab’s economic, civic, and history, and through the generosity of Lily Ann Balsley, Howard’s daughter-in-law and Tom Balsley, Howard’s grandson.