The White River Valley is a true place name that fits the description. Describing the natural water source which tumbles down from the snow melt high in the Flat Tops the White River passes through town. The original inhabitants of this valley, the Utes, named this river after its appearance by evoking the white steam that hangs above the surface of the river: “smoking waters.”
Many landmarks here were named for the explorers, trappers or settlers who were honored much later. Both the Danforth Hills and the Town of Meeker were named for the reservation agents and Powell Park for the trapper. The tradition of using the names of people who preceded us continues today and one can test it out by listening to the directions most any longtime resident gives even to a house in town. The old family names still remain important to locals. Most all of the western landscape can be traced back into time by not only the name of a person, place or thing but denoting the year as well.
By Dolly Viscardi
