Honoring History Historical Marker Dedication There is a fascinating history of the land where SunRiver St George retirement community was built. The area was settled by William Atkin and Rachel Thompson who emigrated to America from Rutlandshire, England, pulling a handcart to Utah in 1859. Naming the area Atkinville, the village boasted three limestone homes with a boating and fishing pond. It quickly became a favorite recreation destination until it was mostly destroyed by a major storm and flood in 1906. In 2004, a camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers (DUP) was formed in SunRiver by residents who are descendants of Utah pioneers. This group was named the Atkinville Camp in honor of the first pioneer residents of the area. They are donating a plaque to honor the legacy of the Atkins family pioneers; which will be dedicated Sat, April 30th at 11am at the Atkinville Wash Park ( 1211 Copeland Drive, St George). Parking is available at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1483 Angel Arch Drive). You can choose to watch the program indoors in the Church chapel via Zoom, or walk to the park to attend in person. There will be limited seating at the park; come early or bring a camp chair. All are welcome to attend and learn more about the history of this fascinating spot in St. George. Special guest will be Ralph Atkin, greatgrandson of William Atkin. DUP is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to preserving our Utah area pioneer history through collecting histories, photos, artifacts and dedicating monuments in communities throughout the world where historical events took place. The Atkinville DUP Monument will be Historical Marker #591 and is funded by donations from DUP members. The land for the monument and materials have been provided by the City of St. George. For more information about DUP see isdup.org or contact Lorraine Rice, Captain of DUP-Atkinville Camp, loriannrice@gmail.com 16 l www.swmlife.com
DUP Captain Lorraine Rice (L) and Julia Nielson(R) former Captain and artist of Atkinville homes
