History of the Watkins Family Farm in Alpine, Utah.
Bridle Up Hope is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to inspire hope, confidence, and resilience in young women through equestrian training. The Foundation is located on this beautiful land, which has a long and intriguing story of finding hope amongst challenges. It all started with Robert and Mary Watkins, who left England and settled here in 1854 to farm with horses, sheep, and cattle.
Their son, Joseph William Watkins, continued the tradition, but sadly died of pneumonia on his 34th birthday in 1888 in a small cabin on the southeast corner of this property by the lower spring. He left his wife, Dorthea Beck (“Tear”), and five small children. Their son, Oscar, built the little farmhouse just north of this sign in 1909 with his wife, Nannie. They had 10 children, one of which was Bernell Watkins, who was born in 1910.
Bernell and his wife, Hertha, had three children – Eldon, Elsa and Carlos – and ran a turkey farm on this property. After Hertha’s unfortunate death from bone cancer in 1965, Bernell married Loraine Pierce. Loraine’s son, David Pierce, continued the Watkins farm – thus five generations of family living and farming here.
The Foundation is grateful to David Pierce and his wife, Kathryn, for selling the precious family land as well as donating an additional 118.7 acres of mountainside (known as Smooth Canyon) to the Foundation. The Foundation also expresses sincere appreciation to many others who have generously donated to make this land a special place of hope.
Bridle Up Hope – The Rachel Covey Foundation.
