Davis Fort

The first families to settle at Box Elder in the early 1850s were moving onto Northwestern Shoshone land — the Newe homeland along the Bear River — and out of fear of the people they were displacing, they built this stockade. Davis Fort was a row of log cabins, named for the settlers' leader, William Davis. They lived behind its walls briefly, abandoning it in the spring of 1852 as the settlement steadied. No attack is recorded; the fort marked a wariness the newcomers carried, on ground that was never rightfully vacant. A sign stands at the site.

What the plaque says

Soon after the first white families settled at Box Elder, they built a temporary fort to protect themselves from Shoshone Indian attacks. The Davis Fort was named after their leader, William Davis and consisted of a row of simple log cabins. The people moved out of the fort in the spring of 1852. This sign has been funded by a grant from the Division of State History with matching funds provided by the Sons of Utah Pioneers, Box Elder Chapter.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Wellsville Mountains — 8.4 mi
  The steepest mountains in North America for their height
• Hyrum State Park — 12 mi
  A family-friendly reservoir at the mouth of Blacksmith Fork Canyon
• Powder Mountain — 16 mi
  The largest ski resort in the United States by acreage — a famously uncrowded "PowMow" now remaking itself under Netflix's Reed Hastings.
• Logan — 17 mi
  A vibrant college town tucked into a stunning mountain valley

More markers nearby

• Box Elder Fort — 0.6 mi
• A Pioneer Home — 1.0 mi
• Brigham City, a Co-op Town — 1.0 mi
• Brigham City Co-op Store — 1.0 mi