According to John Hanks, PGHS principal, the story of the G began in 1920. Then-principal David Gourley asked the student body if they would rather have a G on the school or on the mountain. They preferred the mountain, Gourley said, in the “G Mountain Documentary.”

Students then gathered rocks from the Battle Creek and Grove Creek sides of Little Mountain to form the block G. In the years following, students would have “G Day” each year to whitewash the letter and help maintain it.

“The ‘G’ has been marking Little Mountain for over 100 years. On 10 May 1920, the principal of Pleasant Grove High School released students who were ‘in good standing’ to hike to the site and construct a block G to represent the school. The boys (63 of them) scaled the mountain carrying rocks to form the letter and the girls prepared lunch,” reads a Facebook post on the Pleasant Grove Historic Preservation Commission page. “It was placed 150 feet high on the mountain, and its dimensions were 120 feet wide and 20 feet thick. The site of the letter and its design had been previously surveyed by Mayor JJ Hayes.”

Then, in 1978, the G almost disappeared. It had badly eroded and some citizens wanted the letter removed to preserve the mountain environment. In the end, though, citizen groups came together to save the landmark.

Courtesy Drew Armstrong

“In 1986, erosion problems returned. This time the renovation included erosion control above the letter, landscaping and placement of four-inch steel mesh interwoven with three-inch wide white aluminum strips secured to a concrete perimeter. The ‘G’ was then made a permanent, 136 by 102-foot letter,” the post reads.

According to Scott Darrington, city administrator, the cost to restore the letter is expected to be $700,000. That cost covers the demolition and rebuild. “It is intended to use a more solid surface as opposed to the mesh system that is in place today. The plan is to rebuild it in the early fall. When that time comes there will be calls for volunteers to help,” Darrington said.

Students, staff and faculty at the school are taking the lead with fundraising efforts. In the next couple of weeks, a plan will be rolled out to solicit donations. A major push will be made on during Pleasant Grove’s annual Strawberry Days celebration, according to Darrington.

“The city is setting aside $100,000 from the general capital fund in order to help backstop the project if fundraising comes up short,” he said. Restoration will not begin until funds are raised.

To learn more about the project and the “G,” residents can watch the “G Mountain Documentary” on the Pleasant Grove Sports Network channel on YouTube. Donations can currently be made to Alpine School District Foundation, PGHS G Mountain Fund.