Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 327.

History

Bicknell was originally called Thurber, or Thurber Town, for A.K. Thurber, who in 1879 built the first house in the area. In 1897 the town moved to a new location due to sandy soil and poor water conditions. In 1914

Thomas W. Bicknell Thomas Williams Bicknell (September 6, 1834 – October 6, 1925) was an American educator, historian, and author. Early life and career Thomas W. Bicknell was born in Barrington, Rhode Island to Harriet Byron Kinnicutt (September 1, 1791 – D ...

, a wealthy eastern author, historian, and Education Commissioner for

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, offered a thousand-volume library to any Utah town that would rename itself after him. The town of Grayson also wanted the library prize, so in a compromise in 1916, Grayson took the name of Blanding, Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, as a tribute to her parents. The two towns split the library, each receiving 500 books.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. It is situated at an altitude of above sea level, in the Rabbit Valley in south-central Utah. The

Fremont River The Fremont River is a long river in southeastern Utah, United States that flows from the Johnson Valley Reservoir, which is located on the Wasatch Plateau near Fish Lake, southeast through Capitol Reef National Park to the Muddy Creek near Ha ...

flows through the valley, which lies between Thousand Lake Mountain to the north and Boulder Mountain to the south.

Fishlake National Forest Fishlake National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in south central Utah. The namesake for the forest is Fish Lake, the largest freshwater mountain lake in the state. Wildlife Animals that inhabit this forest are elk, shrews, deer, b ...

is to the north, and

Dixie National Forest Dixie National Forest is a United States National Forest in Utah with headquarters in Cedar City. It occupies almost two million acres (8,000 km²) and stretches for about across southern Utah. The largest national forest in Utah, it st ...

is to the south. The

Capitol Reef National Park Capitol Reef National Park is an American national park in south-central Utah. The park is approximately long on its northsouth axis and just wide on average. The park was established in 1971 to preserve of desert landscape and is open all ye ...

Visitors Center is to the east.

Distances

* northeast of

Bryce Canyon National Park Bryce Canyon National Park () is an American national park located in southwestern Utah. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon, but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern ...

* southwest of

Price A price is the (usually not negative) quantity of payment or compensation given by one party to another in return for goods or services. In some situations, the price of production has a different name. If the product is a "good" in the c ...

* west of

Moab Moab ''Mōáb''; Assyrian: 𒈬𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Mu'abâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒁀𒀀𒀀 ''Ma'bâ'', 𒈠𒀪𒀊 ''Ma'ab''; Egyptian: 𓈗𓇋𓃀𓅱𓈉 ''Mū'ībū'', name=, group= () is the name of an ancient Levantine kingdom whose territo ...

* south of Provo * south of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

* northeast of

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

Area sites

Bicknell Bottoms Bicknell is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Bicknell, (born 1956), English actor * Bennet Bicknell, (1781-1841), US Representative *Clarence Bicknell, (1842-1918), British pastor, botanist and esperantist *Darren Bickn ...

wildlife habitat and fish hatchery ( SE) * Boulder Mountain (, SE) *

( E) *

Fruita Schoolhouse The Fruita Schoolhouse is a historic school building located in Fruita, Utah, United States. Description The Behunin family, early settlers of the Capitol Reef area, donated the land in 1892. For over a decade the school had a dirt roof and in 1 ...

( E) * Teasdale Tithing Office and Granary ( SE) *

Thousand Lake Mountain Thousand Lake Mountain is a mountain in northwest Wayne County, Utah, Wayne County, Utah, United States, just northwest of Capitol Reef National Park and north of Boulder Mountain (Utah), Boulder Mountain. Description Thousand Lake Mountain is su ...

(, NNE)

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Bicknell has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.Climate Summary for Bicknell, Utah
/ref>

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 353 people, 126 households, and 95 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 757.9 people per square mile (290.0/km²). There were 143 housing units at an average density of 307.0 per square mile (117.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.17%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.28% Native American, 1.98% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.57% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.12% of the population. There were 126 households, out of which 38.1% had children under 18 living with them, 62.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.23. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.9% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 22.9% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 97.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,750, and the median income for a family was $34,500. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $20,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $13,457. About 12.5% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those aged 65 or over.

References

External links

Wayne County History @ Capitol Reef Country website
{{authority control Towns in Utah Towns in Wayne County, Utah Populated places established in 1879 1879 establishments in Utah Territory