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History · Bicknell

Bicknell dates to 1879, and 34% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Wayne County High School. Below: maps from 1952 on and the census since 1940.

1879founded
1on the National Register
34%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0
Quick answers

How Bicknell began

When was Bicknell founded?

1879

Bicknell dates its founding to 1879 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1940.

First census: 362 in 19402020 census: 323147 years
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓

What stands out about Bicknell’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bicknell are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bicknell’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bicknell’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Bicknell came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bicknell.

Read it all →

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, a wealthy eastern author, historian, and Education Commissioner for Rhode Island, 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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bicknell, 1879 to 1952

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879
    FoundingBicknell is established
  3. 20th century
  4. 1941Born hereStan Bastian is born here
  5. 1952On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Bicknell, decade by decade

Today7 recent
The remodeled, part Streamline, part pueblo-style Bicknell Theater and Reel Bites Cafe in the western U.S. state of Utah2022The remodeled, part Streamline, part pueblo-style Bic…2010-1101-BicknellUT20102010-1101-BicknellUT0010 -Bicknell, Ut20100010 -Bicknell, UtBicknell Utah DUP Museum2009Bicknell Utah DUP MuseumBicknell 360 Degrees Pan2009Bicknell 360 Degrees PanPanoramic if Sunglow CG2008Panoramic if Sunglow CGBicknellUtah2008BicknellUtah
On the map

Bicknell on the map, 1952 to 2002

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bicknell. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bicknell on the 1952 USGS mapBicknell on the 1985 USGS mapBicknell on the 2002 USGS map1952Loa 1 SE sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bicknell.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Bicknell

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Wayne County High School
Wayne County High School
Buildings
All 1 listings
Wayne County High SchoolBuilding · listed 1985

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Bicknell, census by census

010020030040019401960198020002020Peak: 373

Between 264 and 373 people in every census since 1940.

9 censuses, 1940–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bicknell’s Wikipedia page.

Questions about Bicknell’s history

What year was Bicknell founded?

In 1879, according to Wikidata. the census of 1940 counted 362 people here.

What is on the National Register in Bicknell?

One place: the Wayne County High School (listed 1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.