About Cache County
Cache County was formed in 1856 by the territorial legislature. Its boundaries were re-defined in 1864 when part of Cache was split to form Richland (Rich) County. Northern Utah was part of the native Americans’ Plains Culture area, and later was Shoshoni territory.
- Settled: Mormon William Gardner became the first Anglo-American permanent settler in 1852. Brigham Young called Peter Maughan to establish a new settlement in the Cache Valley, and in 1856, he established Maughan’s Fort, Cache Valley’s first permanent white settlement, later christened Wellsville.
- Origin of Name: Early trappers originally called the area Willow Valley. Cache Valley is named after the “caches” of furs that trappers temporarily buried in the area, later to uncover and transport to the large fur markets in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Known for: Jim Bridger recommended that the Mormons settle in Cache Valley, rather than in Salt Lake Valley. He suggested Cache Valley because of its abundant fresh water. Cache Valley is often used synonymously to describe the Logan Metropolitan Area, one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US, per capita.
- Notable Features: Logan is the county seat of Cache County, home of Utah State University, Utah Festival Opera Company and a wide diversity of urban services, but is known for maintaining its own distinctive feel, which is very different from the rest of the state.
- Location: Cache County lies on Utah’s northern border, abutting southern Idaho. Along its western border are the Wellsville Mountains and the Bear River Mountains span its eastern boundary- both ranges are branches of the Wasatch Range. Cache Valley overlaps into southern Idaho, reaching to north past Preston.
- Population 2020 Census: 133,154- sixth largest county by population in Utah
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