Tag Archives: Box Elder County

Beaver Dam, Utah

07 Monday Apr 2014

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Beaver Dam is an unincorporated community in Box Elder County, Utah, United States.

Beaver Dam was settled in 1867 by people from Providence and Deweyville, and named for the numerous beaver dams along nearby Willow Creek.

In 1868, the first co-op dairy in Utah was established there.

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Jim Bridger, the famous mountain man, has been given credit for being the first white man to enter the Bear River Valley.  Whether he came down the river on a boat or entered from Cache Valley on horseback, he no doubt passed through Beaver Dam.  In August and September of 1843, the famous explorer John C. Fremont also traveled through the Beaver Dam area.  The Mormons were the next to arrive, driving cattle through the easy oasis in the hills to the lush pasture land of Cache Valley.

The first permanent settlers of Beaver Dam came in 1867 or 1868.  Early settlers came to the area from Providence in Cache Valley to engage in stock raising.  They enclosed a small field containing about 72 acres located just north of the present day Beaver Ward Chapel and proceeded to make a ditch in which to carry water to their land for irrigation purposes.  The settlement was known as Beaver Dam because of the numerous and sizable beaver dams built in the small creek that passes through the area.  The Brigham City Cooperative Dairy was established above Beaver Dam about this time and was also an influence in attracting settlers to this area.

In the 1880’s the people of Beaver Dam found that the surrounding hillsides and rolling valleys could be used for dry farming.  This new industry brought more settlers. In 1881 Jarvis Johnson moved from Brigham City and was  influential in building in the area.

In 1898 the residents of Beaver Dam erected a very commodius Church building.  Much of the actual cash for the building was paid by the Hansen family, and many ward members paid their share toward the building by plowing and doing other work for the Hansens up by the dairy.  Though remodeled two major times since then, this same church building is being used by the Beaver Ward today.

An unfortunate incident in the history of the town was the installation of a pumping plant to draw water up to irrigate 500 acres of land north of town.  The project cost many thousands of dollars, but later proved to be too expensive and unsuccessful.

In recent years agriculture has become less important to the Beaver Dam economy.  Its beautiful location in a somewhat secluded valley close to both Tremonton and Logan have made it a desirable location.  In 1996 the citizens of the Beaver Dam and Collinston area had the area zoned to help preserve its open pastoral setting.(*)

“Tractor Row”

Brigham City, Utah

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

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(Information from Wikipedia)
Brigham City is a city in Box Elder County, Utah. The population was 17,899 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Box Elder County. It lies on the western slope of the Wellsville Mountains, a branch of the Wasatch Range at the western terminus of Box Elder Canyon. Brigham City saw most of its growth during the 1950s and 1960s, but has seen a struggling economy and stagnating growth since then. It is near the headquarters of ATK Thiokol, the company that created the solid rocket boosters for the Space Shuttle.

Brigham City is known for its peaches and holds an annual celebration called Peach Days on the weekend after Labor Day. Much of Main Street is closed off to cars and the festival is celebrated by a parade, a car show, a carnival, and other activities. The The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) recently completed building a temple in downtown, which is the 14th in Utah.

Mormon pioneer William Davis first explored the Brigham City area in 1850. He returned with his family and others a year later to create permanent homes. Brigham Young directed Lorenzo Snow to create a self-sufficient city at the site in 1853. Snow directed both religious and political affairs in the settlement, eventually naming it Box Elder in 1855. Brigham Young gave his last public sermon there in 1877 shortly before his death and the name of the town was changed to Brigham City after the church president. In 1864, the cooperative movement began in earnest with the creation of a mercantile co-op store and was an important element of the United Order of Enoch. Other industries were added, and the Brigham City Co-op is widely recognized as the most successful of the Mormon Co-op ventures. Economic hardships brought an end to the Co-op in 1895, though the Co-op had first started selling businesses off in 1876.

World War II brought a major economic boost to the city. The federal government created Bushnell General Hospital on Brigham City’s south side to treat soldiers wounded in the war. Locals sold supplies and food to the hospital while hospital staff patronized local businesses. After the war, the hospital’s buildings were used as Intermountain Indian School. Many young Native Americans attended the boarding school until it closed in 1984, although the Intermountain “I” on the mountain is still visible in tandem with Box Elder High School’s “B”. The facility has left its mark in a number of other ways, with most of the buildings still standing. Some have been converted into businesses and condos, while others remain empty.