Bicknell

Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 327.HistoryBicknell 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.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6sqkm, all of it land. It is situated at an altitude of above sea level, in the Rabbit Valley in south-central Utah. The Fremont River flows through the valley, which lies between 11305ft Thousand Lake Mountain to the north and 11317ft Boulder Mountain to the south. Fishlake National Forest is to the north, and Dixie National Forest is to the south. The Capitol Reef National Park Visitors Center is 17mi to the east.