GREEN RIVER — Green River residents Wiley and Toni Morgan’s 20-year plus dedication to the city’s pond and garden tours has been recognized with a plaque along Uinta Drive.

The Green River Pond and Garden tour has been a staple in Sweetwater County for over two decades and has grown every year.

The plaque was dedicated and a tree was planted on Uinta Drive in honor of the Morgans earlier this week. The Morgans, along with good friends Lamar and Eileen Green, founded the Green River Pond Club.

How It All Started

It all began back in 1989 when the Greens designed their backyard with several wooden tiers and a large pond was placed at the lower tier of the backyard.

The Greens invited the Morgans over to see the new pond, and Wiley loved the water feature so much he wanted to give the community a vision of backyard ponding.

“Wanting to share the ideas of planning and care of garden ponds, it didn’t take long for the creation of the Green River Pond Club,” Pond Tour Organizer Lyneen Murphy said.

Once the club was formed and members were ready to share their ideas and gardens with the community, the next step was creating the Green River Pond Tour.

“The Morgan’s were fierce promoters of the pond tour and you knew the Morgan’s garden would be on every garden tour,” Murphy said. “We could always count of Wiley being in the middle and helping with all aspects of our garden tour.”

The community suffered a great loss when both Wiley and Toni passed away, Murphy said.

“The Morgans were essential in educating and showcasing local garden homes,” Murphy said.

Participants sold raffle tickets to raise money for a memorial plaque and tree for the Morgans during the tour this year. The fundraiser was a big success resulting in the plaque and tree dedication this week.

It’s only fitting that a tree be planted in honor of two Green River residents who loved beautifying the city.