Area:
1,171 square miles;
population:
70,180 (in 1990);
county seat:
Logan; origin of
county name: derived
from the French verb
cacher, "to
hide," because early
trappers in Cache
Valley concealed their
pelts and supplies
for safekeeping;
principal cities/towns:
Logan
(32,762), Smithfield
(5,566), Hyrum (4,829),
North Logan (3,788),
Providence (3,344),
Wellsville
(2,206), Hyde Park
(2,190), Richmond
(1,955), Lewiston
(1,532), Nibley (1,167);
economy: manufacturing,
trade, education,
agriculture, dairying;
points of interest:
Hyrum
Lake State Park,
Utah
State University
(Old Main, Nora Eccles
Harrison Art Museum)
Cache
National Forest,
Logan Canyon, Hardware
Elk Ranch, Beaver
Ski Resort, Ronald
V. Jensen Living Historical
Farm, Logan LDS Temple,
Logan LDS Tabernacle,
Wellsville LDS Tabernacle,
Logan Historic District.
Cache County, located
in the northern part
of the state, is bordered
by the Wasatch Mountains
on the east and a
spur of the Wasatch,
the Wellsville Mountains,
on the west. The Bear
River flows through
the northwestern corner
of the county where
the Little Bear, Blacksmith
Fork, and Logan rivers
add their waters to
it. Cache County was
formed in 1856 by
the territorial legislature
and its boundaries
were redefined in
1864 when part of
Cache became Richland
(Rich) County.
Northern Utah was
part of the Plains
Culture area and,
later, Shoshoni territory.
Between 1824 and 1855
Cache Valley was repeatedly
visited by trappers
and explorers. Among
the early trappers
in the area were James
Weber and Jim Bridger
in 1824 and Peter
Skene Ogden and James
Beckwourth in 1825.
Settlement of Cache
Valley by the Mormons
began in 1855 when
a group organized
by Bryant Stringham
drove a herd of cattle
into the valley on
29 July and camped
at Haw Bush Spring,
later known as Elkhorn
Ranch. Because the
winter of 1855-56
was very severe, the
cattle were driven
back to the Salt Lake
Valley. Peter Maughan,
sent to Cache Valley
in 1856, founded a
permanent settlement
called Maughan's Fort,
which became the present
town of Wellsville.
More settlers began
to arrive and five
towns (Providence,
Mendon, Logan, Richmond,
and Smithfield) were
settled in 1859.
The Utah Northern
Railroad between Brigham
City and Logan was
completed in early
1873 and was later
extended into Idaho.
A branch line from
Brigham City to Corinne
then tied Cache County
to the transcontinental
line. The railroad
provided jobs for
Cache residents and
also opened new markets
for their farm produce,
especially grain and
dairy products. By
1880 national market
trends had begun to
affect the local farm
economy. Advances
in dry-farming techniques
and canal and reservoir
construction increased
farm production, fruit
and vegetables became
cash crops, and the
building of grain
elevators in the 1890s
allowed Cache farmers
to store grain until
prices improved. The
county's sheep herds
grew from 10,000 in
1880 to 300,000 by
1900, and dairy cows
numbered 16,000 by
1910. Commercial creameries,
flour mills, woolen
mills, and knitting
factories developed
around Cache's booming
turn-of-the-century
farm production. Today,
Cache County continues
as the state's leader
in dairy products
and also as a major
producer of hay, alfalfa,
and grains.
The founding of Utah
State University (USU)
in Logan as a land-grant
agricultural college
in 1888 provided the
key to the county's
future. USU's scientific
research, agricultural
extension services,
and experimental farms
have benefited farmers
in every part of the
state. With some 12,000
students currently
enrolled, USU has
grown to be the county's
largest single employer.
Course offerings now
include almost all
academic subjects,
and the university
has become a major
cultural resource
for the community
and state. A variety
of manufacturing firms,
retail trade outlets,
and service providers
(including government
services) contribute
to Cache County's
diversified economy
in the twentieth century.
Linda
Thatcher
