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Once called “Stringtown” due to the early homes being strung along a single road and the Weber River, Riverdale was also known as “Jack Thompson’s Settlement” and “Union” before the name of Riverdale was given to the town.
The first settlers in the community were James Graham, his sons George and Robert, and other members of the Graham family. They farmed in the area as early as 1850. Elisha Lane located nearby, as did William Farley, and Rufus Allen. Other early settlers of Riverdale included Adam Fife, Alexander Patterson, Warren C. Child, Thomas Slater, Richard Woolsey, John Child, John C. Thompson, William Stimpson, Myron Barber Child, and George Ritter.
Daniel Burch built a grist mill along the eastern bank of the Weber River in 1853. John Taylor, an LDS apostle, purchased and expanded the mill in 1858. Other industries began establishing, including match manufacturing (by Hugh Findlay, who later served as the settlement’s first teacher), a blacksmith shop, and a canning factory.
The town of Riverdale was finally incorporated on March 4, 1946.
