Archives West Finding Aid

The Uintah County chapter of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers was organized on 12 August 1928 at the home of Lula Osher Winn in Vernal, Utah. Nine women, led by Mrs. Winn, made up the membership. Within two years, Camp Vernal (local chapters of the D.U.P. are called "Camps") had grown to the point that it was split into two groups. Camp Tokawana was formed in 1930. With the growing population of the Uintah Basin and the increasing interest in local history, further subdivisions were necessary. Camp Thornburg was established in 1931, followed by Camps Sacajawea and Escalante in 1932, and Camps Anna K. Bartlett, Porter Merrell, and Eleanor Caldwell in 1936. Three more camps, Buena Vista, May Ruple, and Utahna were subsequently added.

Besides the collecting and storing of local history, the Ashley Valley D.U.P. has been actively involved in many community projects. One project has been the location and registration of historic sites, and the placment and dedication of monuments at ten sites in Uintah County. The D.U.P. also collected local histories and folklore, organized them into a book form, and financed the publication of the history of Uintah County, Builders of Uintah, for the Utah state centennial celebrations in 1947. Perhaps their most lasting achievement, however, is the Pioneer Museum, now located across Fifth West street from the Uintah Stake Tabernacle in Vernal. Recognizing the need for a museum dedicated to local history, in the late 1940s the Ashely Valley D.U.P. chapters began negotiations with the Uintah Stake of the LDS Church for title to the old tithing house, known as the Little Rock House. The Uintah Stake, which owned the property, wanted to tear it down because the local leadership considered the building an eyesore. The D.U.P., with the aid of the Uintah County Commission, acquired title to the property and with a great deal of effort by local volunteers, turned the historic building into a Pioneer Museum. It was dedicated in September 1953. The museum building was later moved to its present location.