Early Riverton

The people who knew this ground first left the settlers a gift they rarely acknowledged: peace. Ute, Shoshone, and Goshute bands moved through the Jordan River valley with the seasons, wintering near Utah Lake and summering by Bear Lake along well-worn trails the newcomers were free to use. As Mormon families took the land after 1865 — spending their first winters in dugouts along the river — they raised four forts west of the Jordan against an attack that never came. Wight's Fort, English Fort, Fort Herriman, and Cedar Fort stood guard over a danger that never materialized.

What the plaque says

The first known residents of the riverton area were the Yo No Indians, a poor tribe living along the Jordan River. Well worn trails extended from Utah Lake where various tribes wintered, to Bear Lake where they rendezvoused during the summer. Much credit is due for the free use of their byways, exchange of leather goods and furs, relinquishing lands, and their generally friendly attitude. Four forts erected west of the river were never seriously needed for protection. They were: Wight's Fort, north by the Oquirrh Mountains; English Fort at the Bennion Cemetery site; Fort Herriman, 5 miles west of here; and Cedar Fort to the south. Riverton was born of the pioneer spirit that moved men and women independently to reach out and wrestle a living from the harsh, untamed land. Many settlers spent their first year in dug-outs along the Jordan River as did the Yo Nos. In 1855 Abraham Hunsaker, a convert from Illinois and a member of the Mormon Battalion moved his herds across the river to join Jesse Beckstead and Samuel and Thomas Butterfield who were already using the land for grazing. Abraham was the first man to own land and divert water. But, Archibald Gardner was the first to live here and became the largest land owner; so for many years the area was called "Gardnerville". Judge Charles Smith later named the town "Riverton". From 1850 to 1881 most attempts to bring water to the land were inadequate, however, some succeeded. The fertile soil responded, and the permanent expanding settlement was here to stay. Sheep cattle, alfalfa, beets, minerals, poultry, and dry farming all had their heyday and contributed greatly to the growing economy.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Lehi Roller Mills — 9.8 mi
  The flour mill from the movie Footloose
• Bingham Canyon Mine — 11 mi
  The largest man-made excavation on Earth
• Timpanogos Cave National Monument — 13 mi
  Three spectacularly decorated caves connected by hand-carved tunnels
• Thanksgiving Point — 14 mi
  A massive complex with dinosaur bones, gardens, and a curiosity museum

More markers nearby

• The Magnificent Dome Church — steps away
• Riverton Tithing Yard — steps away
• Bluffdale — 1.9 mi
• South Jordan Settlement — 2.7 mi