(From the Zephyr Archives) The Professor of Professor Valley… by Lloyd Pierson

An excerpt:

He was known as an eternal optimist, a wanderer, dreamer and sometime impractical pioneer. His name was Sylvester Richardson. The west of the post-Civil War era was filled with ambitious men out to conquer the west, get out of the congested east and make a fortune or at least settle down on some fertile acres and lead a better life. Richardson was one of these and despite his sometimes ineptness and over-blown dreams, he left his mark on several parts of the west—the last being the country to the northwest of the La Sal Mountains in Utah. Professor Valley, Richardson Amphitheater, Professor Creek and the Richardson Post office were all named after him. His nickname, “Professor,” was given to him early in life because his peers recognized his apparent encyclopedic knowledge based on a lifetime involvement in many endeavors. It was said that he always had a book under his arm.

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