Cache Valley

The Shoshone knew this valley as Willow Valley long before the trappers renamed it. In the winters of 1824–26, Jim Bridger and the mountain men of Ashley's fur brigades wintered here and dug pits to cache their beaver pelts against the spring supply caravan — and the caches gave the valley the name it still carries. For a few years in the 1820s this quiet basin drew a who's-who of the fur trade: Bridger, Jedediah Smith, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Jim Beckwourth, and a dozen more, camped where farm towns stand today.

What the plaque says

Known to the Indians as Willow Valley was renamed by fur trappers and traders in the winter of 1825-1826. James Bridger led the first trappers to a winter encampment near here in 1824 towards December 1825. William L. Sublette, in charge of Gen William H. Ashley’s Mountain Men, ordered many of the seasons furs cached in this vicinity. Those interested in the furs stored to await General Ashley’s Merchandise caravan of 1826, and similar caravans in subsequent years, were William L. Sublette, James Bridger, Jedediah S. Smith, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Etienne Provot, Robert Campbell, James P. Beckworth, David E. Jackson, Louis Vasquez, Jean Baptiste Gervais, Moses Harris, and many others. Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association and Logan City Welfare Committee.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Logan — 0.2 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley
• American West Heritage Center — 4.6 mi
  A living history farm spanning 160 acres of Cache Valley
• Hyrum State Park — 6.9 mi
  A family-friendly reservoir at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon
• Wellsville Mountains — 9.1 mi
  The steepest mountains in North America for their height

More markers nearby

• Logan Temple Marker — steps away
• The First Settlers of Logan — steps away
• Pioneer Mills of Cache County — steps away
• Pioneer Memories of 1866 — steps away