Kaitlyn Hart
Life Editor
For many years, Red Hill has been an iconic structure and staple of the ISU and Pocatello community. Whether you’re looking to hike the trail to be mesmerized by the indescribable views of the city once you get to the top, or if your destination is to see the four iconic alumni pillars, the Red Hill is a must-see and must-hike in the ISU community.
“Ever since the pillars were placed up there, they kind of became a landmark,” said Director of Alumni Relations Ryan Sargent.
Students and faculty around ISU are no strangers to the traditions that include the four pillars. It is almost an unwritten law around the university that you cannot really become a “true Bengal” until you take a hike up to the alumni pillars on the Friday of homecoming and kiss someone while touching one of the pillars at the stroke of midnight.
Though many students and Pocatello community members may take the hike up to the pillars every day, many fail to know the history behind the alumni pillars. Unbeknownst to many, they were actually donated by a local funeral home.
“The funeral home burnt down, and the owners had these pillars out in front,” said Sargent. “They donated them to Idaho State, and they kind of sat in storage for a long time until the alumni association paid to put them up on the hill.”
The pillars have a strong sense of symbolism as well, with the four pillars standing for each of the four classes, freshman to senior.
“Three of the pillars are connected on the top, and that is to represent the support of the university,” Sargent said. “Your senior year, the sky’s the limit. You can do anything.”
Last summer, the alumni pillars were renovated. They were repainted, rid of any rust on them and made to look shiny and new to welcome the new and returning students to the beauty and history of Pocatello.
“Clearly, the pillars are an icon of the university and to the community,” Sargent said. “The pillars have become so prominent that we’ve used them in logos in the past and they’ve become kind of a symbol of the university.”
Another renovation and new addition coming to ISU is the reinstallation of the “I” on the hill. The replacement of the “I” was a controversial topic around the Pocatello community this year, based on monetary concerns and whether or not it was worth the cost to put the “I” back on the hill.
According to the Idaho State Journal, the cost to replace the “I” could be up to $300,000.
“It is happening, they have brought in some of the test material,” said Sargent. “It will be colored like the old “I,” so orange with some black and white around it.”
The “I” was taken down a little over 5 years ago over safety concerns because of erosion and the breaking down of the material it was made out of.
The new material proposed by the “I” reinstallation committee features grating that would help prevent undue erosion, Sargent said.
Just last week, a piece of the “I” was put on up the hill to see what the colors and structure would look like from different parts of campus.
The sight of the pillars and the “I” are a huge staple to the community and something that has meant a lot to students and faculty over the years as a symbol of their education and their lives here in Pocatello.
For Sargent, the visibility of the landmarks is an essential part of their importance here on campus.
“The cool thing about the pillars is that they’re visible from almost anywhere on this side of town, so you can see them anywhere on campus,” he said. “…They really are visible and I think that they’re a well-established symbol of the university.”
