Celebrating Our Heritage
Malad Valley was settled in the 1860s by Welsh pioneers who brought their Welsh
traditions with them. One important tradition was an annual eisteddfod, patterned
after the music and poetry contests held in Wales for over 900 years. Malad
Valley’s eisteddfod was an annual cultural arts event held in Malad and Samaria on
alternating years. Judges came from as far away as Salt Lake City to choose the
best vocal and instrumental numbers and poetry recitations. The eisteddfod was an
all-day event with people coming from all over Oneida County. The custom
continued until 1916 and World War I.
In 2005, after a 90-year break, the Malad Valley Welsh Festival became a reality
and brought back the pioneer history and some of the traditions of that early
eisteddfod in Malad Valley.
According to researchers at Brigham Young University, Malad Valley has the
largest per-capita concentration of people of Welsh ancestry outside the country of
Wales. The Malad Valley Welsh Festival is bringing back the music, poetry,
history, and language so important to the history of Malad Valley.
