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Iosepa event postponed, but memory of Pacific Islanders’ settlement remains

Most years, people gather to eat, pray and remember at the one-time Tooele County settlement.

(Trent Nelson | Salt Lake Tribune file photo) Lina Ahquin puts a lei on a historical monument, as Hawaiian descendants gather to clean the graves of their ancestors on Saturday, May 26, 2018, as part of the annual celebration in Iosepa, a ghost town that was a settlement for Native Hawaiians who immigrated to Utah in the early 20th century. This year's celebration, previously set for May 28-29, 2022, has been postponed due to concerns about COVID-19.