Recorded in the Utah County Recorder’s Office on October 5, 1915  

PROVO — It took a year of writing and research, hundreds of phone calls and a trip to California, but Leila Hechtle, of the county Public Works Department, has completed a comprehensive history of three areas in Provo Canyon.

The task began when someone asked how Vivian Park got its name. Hechtle’s research showed the area was named for a young child, Vivian McBride, whose mother, Melissa Duggins McBride, operated a grocery store and post office along Provo’s east bench. The store was visited by William (Billy) Ferguson, who owned a hotel cafe called Billy’s Place near the present-day Frazier Park in Provo Canyon. Ferguson commented on young Vivian’s beauty and said he intended to name a park after her.


Vivian Park probably had its beginning when J.S. Capt. J.H. Simpson described the area in 1859 as being the “first sufficiently wide place from the mouth of Provo Canyon for ox teams to corral.”  It would be almost 30 years later, on May 15, 1888, that the federal government would issue a land patent to William W. Ferguson for 160 acres of ground, which covered the area from what would be Nunn’s Park to Vivian Park.

Billy settled at what is now Frazier Park, which is a far cry from his birthplace in Scotland. He homesteaded 160 acres and put up a house, a barn for his stock, a place for grain, wood and coal during the winter, and pens for a cow, pig, and chickens.

His home became known as Billy’s Place and served as a hotel and cafe for travelers passing through the canyon. He provided nice beds in the warm house and a warm barn and feed for the livestock. It is said that visitors at Billy’s Place often marveled at his expertise in preparing good food, and at his “special room,” where he kept all manner of flowers, even during the cold winter months.

Ferguson deeded most of his land to L.L. Nunn in December 1896, just a few months before his untimely death. Nunn was working to establish an electrical transmission plant, and had established the Telluride School of Engineering in the canyon.

On Feb. 18, 1896, a massive snow slide swept down the canyon walls, destroying Billy’s home and killing him while he slept. Rescuers digging down through the snow found Ferguson in his bed, with his dog, Belle, beside him.  Courtesy of the Daily Herald