In early June 1854, eight members of the Southern Utah Indian Mission left Harmony to visit Toquer, chief of the Paiute Indian band living on lower Ash Creek. Chief Toquer's tribe referred to themselves as Paiute, Toquit, or Toquart Indians. They lived and cultivated a small piece of ground along Ash Creek in a small valley called Toquer, which means black in Paiute. Their homes were tents of leaves formed over a framework of cane and willows. In response to Chief Toquer's friendly reception, the missionaries promised to return. They returned in 1857, several families built homes near Toquer's village along Ash Creek.
Chief Toquer was considered by early settlers as an enlightened Indian, a friend with clean habits. He showed great love and concern for his people, encouraging them to learn and grow with the times by welcoming outsiders into their land. This monument is dedicated to the man our city named after - Chief Toquer.
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