Replica of 'Wilford Room'
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William and Rachel Thompson Atkin had been living in the Salt Lake Valley for only nine years when President Brigham Young called them to uproot their home, family and prosperous business and move to St. George — Utah's "Dixie" — to help in the building of the tabernacle and temple there.
Faithful Latter-day Saints after accepting the gospel in their native England where they married, the Atkins answered the call. In the process, they built a lovely stone home in a location about four miles south of St. George, an area they named Atkinville. William built a room on the side of the home that became known as the "Wilford Room" because it was frequently occupied by President Wilford Woodruff during extended visits to the area.
Today, the home has been replicated by Atkin descendants and is the most recent addition to more than 40 buildings that have been erected or restored in the past six years in Old Deseret Village at This Is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve dedicated the stately structure on the park's east end during a June 23 gathering. A native "Dixieite," Elder Holland is a close friend of the Atkin family. He noted in remarks before the dedicatory prayer that William Atkin's grandson Rudger was president of the St. George Temple at the time he, Elder Holland, was married there to his wife, Patricia.
"Pat wanted me to say to all of her friends that she's in Atkinville this morning," he said. "She's actually in Bloomington, but it's only a good seven-iron shot to Atkinville, and she's down there for a family wedding." (An 18-hole golf course now occupies ground where the original home once stood.)
Elder Holland said he had once touched the stones that composed the original Atkin home. He alluded to an Old Testament incident in the book of Joshua in which the children of Israel, after centuries of wandering, had crossed the River Jordan into the promised land. They were commanded to gather stones and build a monument so that future generations would remember what they had endured and remember the goodness of the Lord to them.
He observed, "It seems to me that that's what we've done here, and I'm grateful to have a bit of my history preserved in this valley and this park, which will be for generations yet unborn."
In remarks on behalf of the family, J. Ralph Atkin said Elder Woodruff, who was the first president of the St. George Temple, was a special friend of the Atkins and became a regular visitor to Atkinville. "William added this side room to the home, which became known as the Wilford Room," he said. "It was built for Wilford Woodruff. There was a six months period prior to the death of President John Taylor. . . in which Atkinville and this room became Church headquarters. All Church mail was sent here. Elder Woodruff was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, and he managed the affairs of the Church from this remote location in Atkinville."
On a wooden flagpole on the replica of the home, members of the Utah National Guard posted an authentic U.S. flag from 1896, the year Utah became a state, to symbolize the love of country that William and Rachel Atkin had. The flag was flown for dedication day only and will be replaced on a permanent basis by a flag flown over the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., said Stephen M. Studdert, chairman of This Is The Place Foundation, who attended the dedication as his last official act before entering the Missionary Training Center this week, prior to assuming his duties as the new president of the California Carlsbad Mission.
E-mail: rscott@desnews.com
