Forty Years Later: A Monument Still Speaks

At the southwest corner of 4000 West and 3500 South, tucked neatly on the lawn of the Harmon Building, stands a quiet but powerful reminder of West Valley’s pioneer past. For forty years now, the Daughters of Utah Pioneers monument has marked the place where generations of children once gathered to learn, grow, and build the bonds of a strong rural community.

Erected in the early 1980s through the tireless efforts of Stella Peterson Frahm, Enid Woodbury, and members of the Valley West and Julia Eldredge DUP Camps, the monument was designed to preserve the memory of the Monroe and 59th District Schools—two historic schoolhouses that educated Granger’s children from 1882 to 1977.

The granite and brick marker, crowned with a replica of the school’s bell tower, stands not just as a tribute to the buildings themselves, but to the generations of teachers, students, and families who helped shape the heart of early Granger.

Originally, organizers hoped to place the monument where the schools once stood, now the site of a car dealership. But with the future of that space uncertain, the Harmon family generously offered a permanent home across the street, donating the land, design assistance, and funding to help bring the project to life. Community members contributed as well, driven by a shared determination to keep the memory of West Granger School alive.

Inscribed on the bronze plaque is the story of how a frontier settlement turned into a thriving community—beginning with makeshift classrooms in pioneer homes, followed by the first one-room schoolhouse in 1882, and eventually the iconic two-story West Granger School with its beloved bell tower. That bell may have gone silent decades ago, but the monument ensures its story continues to ring out for new generations.

Four decades later, this monument has become a cherished landmark—an enduring link between past and present. For those who pass by, it's a reminder that education, heritage, and community are values worth remembering. And for those who remember the schools themselves, it's a promise kept: the song of the school bell will never be forgotten