WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Washington County, Utah)
TOQUERVILLE, UTAH
LOCATION
Toquerville City OfficesPost Office Box 27
212 N. Toquer Blvd.
Toquerville, UT 84774
(435)635-1094
http://www.toquerville.org
19 miles northeast of St. George on State Highway 17.
37° 15' 16" North Latitude, 113° 17' 7" West Longitude
37.2546° North Latitude, 113.2851° Longitude
3,396 feet (1,038 meters) MSL
HISTORY
In early June 1854, eight members of the Southern Indian Mission, led by Rufus C. Allen, left Harmony to visit Toquer, chief of the Paiute Indian band on lower Ash Creek. Their primary objectives were to learn the natives' language and convert some of the tribe to Mormonism. In response to Toquer's friendly reception, the missionaries promised to return, live among the Indians, and teach them how to farm the white man's way. In 1858, several families built log cabins near Chief Toquer's Paiute village along Ash Creek. In 1859, nineteen families were living in Toquerville and by 1864 the community had grown to forty-one families.The town of Toquerville was established in the spring of 1858 under the direction of Joshua T. Willis. The area had been explored in 1852 and again in 1857 to determine possibilities of settlement in the area. Willis led a group of settlers from Fort Harmony and settled in the area. The town was named after Chief Toquer, who befriended the early settlers and resided in the area. The word "toquer11 meaning black, adequately fit the name of the new town in that it was located at the foot of a large volcanic rock mountain. The town included the first cotton gin in the state and the area was also noted for its ideal climate for growing fruits and vegetables.
Originally in Washington County, Toquerville was the county seat of Kane County after Kane County was split off of Washington County. A later realignment in 1883 placed resulted in Toquerville being back in Washington County.
Population
?? in 1858 (8 families)
??? in 1859 (19 families)
259 in 1864 (41 families)
??? in 1900 (50 families)
HISTORIC SITES
Toquerville HomesToquerville Church & Town Hall
Naegle Winery
PHOTOS
Photos on the web:6/8/1979 photo of the springs north of Toquerville
6/22/1915 photo of the Toquerville Bridge under construction
1885 photo of the home of David and Annie Spilsbury and baby Josephine with unknown children in the foreground
9/3/1949 photo of Toquerville LDS bishops on the steps of the old church
1949 photo of Mrs. Dick Higbee and William R. Palmer with pioneer and Indian relics at the Toquerville Homecoming
1949 photo of Mrs. Dick Higbee at the Toquerville Homecoming
1949 photo Mrs. Dick Higbee showing pioneer relics to William R. Palmer at the Toquerville Homecoming
Photo of the Fannie Burke Cottage in Toquerville
Photo of Fannie Burke by her Cottage in Toquerville
Photo of a very young Frances Rosilla Burke, a Presbyterian missionary in Toquerville
Photo of Frances Rosilla Burke of Toquerville
Photo of Frances R. Burke as a little girl
Photo of Frances Burke, a Presbyterian teacher
Photo of Frances Burke as an older woman
Photo of the headstone of Frances Rosalie Burke
Also see the undigitized photos in the Mark A. Pendleton Photograph Collection.
REFERENCES
Wikipedia article about ToquervilleA history of Toquerville from the Toquerville website, 6/1/2020
A history of Toquerville
"A Gazetteer History of Toquerville, Volume III Revised"
A book by Wesley P. Larsen
Toquerville: Privately printed by Wesley P. Larsen, 1999
"A History of Toquerville, Volume 2"
By Wesley Pratt Larsen
In the Larsen papers in Special Collections at the Marriott Library of the University of Utah
"Toquerville, Oasis in the Desert - A History of Toquerville and the Area"
Book compiled and written by Cherrie Gubler Naegle
For the information page, click here.
History of Toquerville
by Rhea Higbee Wakeling
January 1, 1949
Washington County Chapter, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, " Under Dixie Sun".
1950 with 1978 Supplement.
Pages 255-266, Supplement Page 47.
History Ages in Utah Winery
by Irene Brennan
Salt Lake Tribune, August 19, 1974
SOUTHERN UTAH MEMORIES: History of Toquerville
by Loren R. Webb, December 20, 2013
Memories of Toquerville
by Carol Stapley Kemple, 2014
A Short Overview of My Eight Years In Toquerville
by Jon Beatty Fish, 2014
Self-Guided Walking Tour of Toquerville, Utah
by Wes Larsen
Historic Buildings Along Toquer Boulevard (Toquerville, Utah)
by Wes Larsen
History reveals intriguing origins of unique place names in Southern Utah
Article by Ammon Teare, St. George News, 6/12/2021
Toquerville Kane County Seat
Handout at the 9/30/2023 WCHS Field Trip
By Richard R. Kohler, September 30, 2023