| HOW CACHE VALLEY CITIES GOT THEIR NAMES
|
(and a few other tidbits)
(History of Utah city names taken from John
W. Van Cott's book, Utah Place Names, 1990;
Idaho city names taken from http://www.rootsweb.com/~idfrankl/towns.htm)
All populations are from the year 2000 census
and found through Wikipedia.
Amalga - pop. 427
Amalga is a small
agricultural community on Hwy 218 three miles west of Smithfield. It was
first settled in 1860 by Hans Jorgensen. When the Amalgamated Sugar
Company built a sugar beet processing plant there, the name was changed
to Amalga. Today it is home to Cache Valley Cheese, which has the world's largest Swiss cheese factory.
Avon - pop. 306
Avon is a small
agricultural community on Hwy 165 eleven miles south of Logan and three
miles southeast of present-day Paradise. It was settled in 1860 and
originally known as Paradise, but was abandoned in 1868 because the
settlers were having trouble with the Indians. Mrs. Orson Smith named
the community in honor of Avon, England, the birthplace of William
Shakespeare.
Benson - pop. 1,451
Benson is eight miles
northwest of Logan. In 1870 the Charles Reese and Israel J. Clark
families settled there from Logan. On May 3, 1871, the settlement was
organized by Moses Thatcher, an apostle of the Mormon Church, and Bishop
William B. Preston of Logan, a Mormon elder. Bishop Preston suggested a
name honoring Ezra T. Benson, a presiding elder of the Mormon Church in
that area (and grandfather to Ezra Taft Benson, prophet and president of the LDS church).
Cache Junction - pop. 37
Cache Junction is ten
miles northwest of Mendon, near a spring. The site was initially settled
by Sylvanus Collett in 1867. The town was established in 1890 as an
outgrowth of Benson and it became an important railroad junction on the
Union Pacific Railroad. Originally this area was divided into Petersboro
No. 1 and No. 2. No. 2 became Cache Junction. The railroad no longer
uses the stop but a cafe and a few local residents still remain.
Clarkston - pop. 688
Clarkston is on
Clarkston Creek at the junction of U-142 and U-170. It was settled in
1864-65 by a group including Israel Justus Clark, an Indian interpreter.
The town was named by E. T. Benson in honor of its founder. Clarkston
was one of the early Utah towns that assumed an earlier name of
Stringtown because the first homes were built along the only existing
road. Clarkston is most noted for being the last residence of Martin Harris, one of
the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. He is buried in Clarkston, where an annual pageant
commemorates his life.
Clifton, ID - pop. 213
Clifton was named for
the many jagged cliffs in the nearby canyons. It is the birthplace of Harold B. Lee, 11th prophet and
president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
College Ward
College Ward is midway between Logan and Wellsville on US-89. In 1877,
just one month before his death, Brigham Young deeded this farmland he
held under his name to local Mormon church authorities to help maintain
the Utah State Agricultural College, now Utah State University, at
Logan. In 1879 the first settlers were permitted to move onto the land
and start constructing their homes. This was the beginning of a new
community, College Ward.
Cornish - pop. 259
Cornish is on Hwy 23 and
Hwy 61, four miles north of Trenton and three and one-half miles west of
Lewiston. Early names were Ransom, Trenton, and Cannon. In 1907, the
railroad changed the name from Cannon to Cornish in honor of William D.
Cornish, vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad at that time.
Cove - pop. 443
Cove is seven miles
north of Richmond. In 1863 Goudy Hogan relocated his house from Richmond
to the area near the mill that was built on High Creek in 1862. Hogan
became one of the first settlers of Cove. The settlement was in a
geographically protected area and was first called Coveville.
Franklin, ID - pop. 641
Settled in 1860,
Franklin is the oldest town in Idaho, which wasn't discovered until 1872, when a
new survey was conducted that found Franklin, which supposed itself to be part of
Utah, was actually located in Idaho. Named after LDS Apostle Franklin
D. Richards. Franklin's town celebration, Idaho Days, are held the last weekend
in June.
Hyde Park - pop. 2,955
Hyde Park is five miles north of Logan on US-91. It was
settled in April 1860 by William Hyde, Robert Daines, and others. The
settlement was named for William Hyde, the first presiding Mormon church
elder and bishop in this area.
Hyrum - pop. 6,316
Hyrum
is eight miles south of Logan on Hwy 163, Hwy 101, and Hwy 242. The name was
suggested by David Osborn when plans were made to build another city
nearby that was to be named Joseph. The towns would honor both Joseph,
the Mormon prophet, and his brother Hyrum. The city of Joseph never
materialized. Hyrum is home of Hyrum Dam State Park, which offers fishing, water skiing, and camping.
A huge herd of elk winter at Hardware Ranch up Blacksmith Fork Canyon. The ranch is part of a wildlife
management area, and sleigh rides are offered that take visitors into the herd.
Lewiston - pop. 1,877
Settlement began
in 1870. It was named Lewiston to honor William H. Lewis, the first LDS
bishop appointed to administer the new Lewiston branch in 1873. The name
"Cub Hill" was assigned to the first post office in order to
avoid confusion with another town in Utah, but this name was only used
for a short time.
Logan - pop. 42,670
Logan
is at the mouth of Logan Canyon on US-89, 91. The city has several name
sources. The most prominent is that Ephraim Logan, a mountain man with
Ashley's group, and a member of Jedediah Smith's party, lost his life in
the 1820s along the river. The settlement was later named for the river.
Peter Maughan located the site in the spring of 1859 and it was
originally known as Logan's Fort. Another claim is that the settlement
was named for a friendly Indian chief named Logan. There is also a
letter on file (see Utah State Historical Society. Unpublished Archives
on Geographic Names) from a Mrs. Roberts stating that the town was named
for her father's old ox because her father asked Apostle Hyde to do so,
and he publicly consented.
Logan Parks & Recreation
www.ci.logan.ut.us/parksrec/
Logan Virtual Walking Tour
www.untraveledroad.com/USA/Utah/Cache/Logan/
History
http://historytogo.utah.gov/logan.html
www.media.utah.edu/UHE/l/LOGAN.html
Mendon - pop. 898
Mendon
is seven miles northwest of Wellsville. It was initially settled
by Alexander and Robert Hill, and William Gardner and was known as North
Settlement. Apostle Ezra T. Benson was asked to name the new community
and he renamed it Mendon for his birthplace in Massachusetts. Another
reference states that Apostle Heber C. Kimball named it for the town,
Mendon City, New York, where he and Brigham Young were living at the
time of their conversion to the Mormon Church.
Millville - pop. 1,507
Millville is three
miles southeast of Logan, where the first sawmill in Cache Valley was
built. The settlement was subsequently established in 1860. Prior to
that, one or two individuals had taken up land in the vicinity and the
area was known as the Elkhorn Ranch.
Mount Sterling
Mount Sterling was a
small settlement one mile south of Wellsville at the mouth of Wellsville
Canyon. The community was absorbed into Wellsville.
Newton - pop. 699
Newton was an outgrowth
of Clarkston, northwest of Logan at the junction of Hwy 218 and Hwy 23. It
was a farming community originally called New Town to separate it from
Clarkston. The name was soon shortened to Newton. Two miles north of Newton is the Newton Reservoir with
primitive facilities but great fishing of perch, bluegill, sunfish, and rainbow trout.
Nibley - pop. 2,045
Nibley is an outgrowth
of nearby Millville, three miles south of Logan. It was named for
Charles W. Nibley, a presiding Mormon elder in early Cache Valley. Officially incorporated in 1935, the
area has a rich history including Shoshone Indians, Elk Horn Ranch being the first Mormon settlement
in the valley, being a part of Millville, then finally becoming its own city.
North Logan - pop. 6,163
North Logan is two miles north of Logan at the mouth of Green Canyon, so
named because the canyon is quite green, with heavy vegetation. The
community had an early name of Greenville, but the name was changed when
it was discovered that there was another Greenville in Utah.
Paradise - pop. 759
Paradise
is nine miles south of Logan on Hwy 165. In 1860, when the first white
settlers saw the green hills and wildflowers, they named it Paradise.
Petersboro - pop. 230
Petersboro was a small
community settled in the 1860s that concentrated on a dry-farming type
of agriculture. It was named for Peter Maughan and was eventually
absorbed into Mendon.
Preston, ID - pop. 4,682
Preston
is the county seat and largest city of Franklin County, Idaho. It was first
settled in 1866 sometime after Brigham Young stopped here on his way to Bear Lake.
He had his driver stop, got out of the wagon, placed his cane on the ground, and said
"There will be a great city built here." Originally called Worm Creek because of
the twisting and turning of the streams in the area, which resembled worms to some, the town
name was later changed to Preston.
Providence - pop. 4,377
Providence was an
offshoot of North Ogden, three miles south of Logan. The settlers who
moved to the site on April 20, 1859, named it Spring Creek, a name they
also used for the creek. The postal service would not accept the name,
so since circumstances for settlement appeared somewhat providential in
nature, the residents decided to use Providence.
Richmond - pop. 2,051
Richmond is at the
junction of US-191 and Hwy 142 north of Logan. It was settled in 1859 by a
group led by John Bair and Nels Empey. Several claims are made for the
name origin. (1) It was named for Mormon church apostle and regional
elder, Charles C. Rich. (2) It was named for the extremely rich soil in
the region. (3) It was named for Richmond, Missouri, where Mormon church
official Orson Hyde had lived.
River Heights - pop. 1,496
River Heights is across
the Logan River south of Logan. It was settled in 1882 as an outgrowth
of Logan and Providence. The community had an early name of Dry Town,
but it was later changed to the present name.
Smithfield - pop. 7,261
Smithfield is six miles
north of Logan. This small town was originally settled in 1859 as Summit
Creek. A small fort was built on the edge of the creek, one cabin of which remains.
The name was soon changed to its present name to honor John
Glover Smith, a Mormon who served as the first bishop. For many years Smithfield was dependent on farming,
a DelMonte canning factory, and the sugar beet industry.
Trenton - pop. 449
Trenton is a small
agricultural community on Hwy 142 and Hwy 23 south of Lewiston. The
community was settled in 1870. The early Mormon bishop, William B.
Preston, suggested the name of his former hometown, Trenton, New Jersey.
Wellsville - pop. 2,728
Wellsville is eight
miles southwest of Logan. The settlement was established in 1856 and was
originally known as Maughan's Fort for Peter Maughan, an early settler.
At a public meeting in the fall of 1859 the permanent name of Wellsville
was decided upon, honoring Daniel H. Wells, pioneer settler, second
counselor to Brigham Young, and a former commander of the Nauvoo Legion.
Weston, ID - pop. 425
By reason of its being
the first settlement over the river on the west side of Cache valley,
it was first called Westtown and later the name was shortened to Weston.
Whitney, ID
Whitney is located on
Hwy 91, southeast of Preston and named after LDS Apostle Orson F.
Whitney. LDS President Ezra Taft Benson was born here and is buried in the Whitney
Cemetery.
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