This monument erected in honor of these pioneer men and their families who on September 15, 1856 founded the first white settlement in Cache Valley then known as Maughan’s Fort now known as Wellsville, Utah
Peter Maughan Mary Ann Weston Maughan Charles W. Maughan Hyrum Maughan Willard Maughan
George W. Bryan
Zial Riggs Emeline Knox Riggs Egbert Z. Riggs Celia K. Riggs Robert K. Riggs Delia K. Riggs
John Maughan Sarah M. Davenport Maughan Sarah A. Maughan Mary A. Maughan
William H. Maughan Barbara Morgan Maughan Ruth M. Maughan
Francis W. Gunnell Polly Ann Edwards Gunnell Francis C. Gunnell Sarah E. Gunnell
Wells Fargo Bank now occupies the site of the Thatcher Brothers Bank and Opera House, which was constructed in 1890. The Thatcher Brothers Bank was the first one to open in the valley. The Opera House was located on the second floor and could seat 800 people. Theater and opera productions as well as political and civic gatherings continued here until the afternoon of April 17, 1912, when fire broke out and progressed until it destroyed the entire structure. This Chicago School style building was then constructed in 1915 and has housed banks, the Eccles Hotel, and a mortgage & loan company. This building, with its massive terra cotta stone base and the massive detailed cornice is an impressive commercial structure
This building was built in 1914 by one of Cache Valley’s leading merchants and prominent citizens, George W. Thatcher. It is a large, two-story, dark red brick building with typically large, rectangular windows of a very regular pattern. The cornice is prominent but not dominant. It originally housed one of the valley’s most distinctive women’s department stores, Shamhart and Christensen’s. The land upon which the building is situated was originally owned by Luna Young, daughter of Brigham Young, wo married George W. Thatcher.
This property was owned in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s by Luna Young Thatcher, a daughter of Brigham Young by his first wife. Luna Young Thatcher owned the entire corner and, by all reports, had the area beautifully landscaped. In 1912 the Logan Rapid Transit Company, which was created by David Eccles, was in need of additional space for their Main Street depot. In 1915 L. Y. Thatcher sold this corner of the block to the Ogden-Logan-Idaho Railroad for $12,000. The Ogden-Logan-Idaho Railroad became the Utah-Idaho-Central Railroad in 1919. Shortly after World War I, the railroad company began to decline, though it took 20 years to dissolve completely. The previous railroad depot is still standing, although with some façade alterations, and now houses three separate businesses.
This large, two-story, brick building is one of Logan’s early examples of commercial architecture, with some Victorian embellishments added. The building was constructed in 1902 by George W. Thatcher. KVNU, the first radio station in Logan, got its start in the area above the entrance to the theatre; this is also where the local Republican Party held its first meetings. The building was originally build to house the Studebaker Wagon Company. George W. Thatcher and some associates decided that Logan needed a grand theater; eleven years later the Capitol Theatre was completed. In its day, it was used for grand performances and was one of the finest facilities of its kind. After the 1950’s it was primarily used for movies. A $6.4 million renovation has restored the ornate interior in spectacular fashion. The theatre now presents musical, theatrical and world-class opera performances.
This furniture store is the oldest one in Cache Valley. It began in the 1880’s under the name of Enoch Lewis & Sons, but in 1890 this family business went into partnership with William Edwards who later became the sole owner and whose name the business bears today. The local newspaper carried this report about the owners on December 25, 1892, “These gentlemen… have the latest improved furniture, picture frames and moldings. They can handle plate and window glass of all kinds and sizes and put them in at reasonable figures…” The original facade is now covered with siding but the building has been nicely redecorated. The building still advertises a sign saying “Fine Home Furnishings Since 1880”.
Birthplace of Pioneer Pilot Russell L. Maughan Russell L. Maughn was born in this house on March 28, 1893. The house was built by his father and later remodeled.
Maughan served as a fighter pilot in France in World War I, coming within an ace of being and ace. In World War II he served as a Colonel in the English Air Force in Britain. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He died on April 21, 1958 and is buried in the Logan City Cemetery.
Peter Maughan, his grandfather, crossed the plains in a covered wagon with the Mormon exodus, and later founded the first settlement in Cache Valley, Maughan’s Fort, now Wellsville.
Grandfather required months to trek across a third of the country. Grandson crossed the nation in the light of a single day.
First Dawn to Dusk Flight Across America
Colonel Russell L. Maughan of Logan, Utah made the first daylight flight across the continent on June 23, 1924. Flying solo in a Curtis PW-8 pursuit aircraft, Maughan, then a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Service, left Mitchell Field, New York, at dawn and arrived at Crissy Field, San Francisco, at 9:40 p.m., P.S.T, one minute before official dusk.
Winging his way to destiny, Maughan flew from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in 21 hours 48 minutes and 30 seconds, averaging approximately 150 miles per hour. His actual in-flight time was 18 hours and 20 minutes.
Having made two previous attempts, which were aborted because of engine failures, Maughan’s successful flight illuminated the imagination of people everywhere. Hailed as a world hero he set both pattern and precedent for generations to follow.
His flight of fancy and faith had become a reality. And in a few short years others have broken the sound barrier, flown to the moon, and orbited the earth in a fantastic sequence of adventures of the human spirit.
But in 1924 the dawn to dusk flight across America was a “Maughanumental” achievement.
