Editing Bicknell, Utah (section)

==History==
[[File:BicknellUtah.jpg|thumb|right]]
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, Utah|Blanding]], Mr. Bicknell's wife's maiden name, as a tribute to her parents. The two towns split the library, each receiving 500 books.<ref>{{cite book | last = Van Cott | first = John W. | title = Utah Place Names | year = 1990 | publisher = [[University of Utah Press]] | location = Salt Lake City, Utah | page = 31 | isbn = 0-87480-345-4 }}</ref>