Logan celebrates 150 years
Cache Valley residents celebrated Logan’s 150th birthday with music by the American Festival Chorus and a speech from Latter-day Saint apostle Gary E. Stevenson.
Sunday marked Logan’s official anniversary, recognizing its formal incorporation on Jan. 17, 1866.
Like many Utah towns, Logan was originally settled by Mormon pioneers sent by Brigham Young. The ferocious winter of 1955, however, drove any potential settlers back to the Salt Lake Valley. In 1856, Latter-day Saint member Peter Maughan returned to Wellsville, which was later followed by the settlements of Providence, Richmond, Mendon and Logan.
Although Wellsville may have had a head start, the construction of the Logan Tabernacle and establishment of Utah State Agricultural College in the late 1800s led Logan to become the most populous region in all of Cache Valley. Stevenson, a Utah State University graduate raised in Cache Valley, praised Logan for its devotion to family values and neighborliness.
“I believe that our community life in Logan is enhanced because the principles of love, mercy, compassion and understanding that are taught in our homes are taught in our communities,” he said. “I think we have this ‘family ethic’…in spades in our community.”
Caitlin Hengge, a senior double majoring in nursing and human movement science, has lived in Logan almost all her life. She loves it for its friendliness and upstanding atmosphere.
“It’s so safe here,” she said. “Everyone is really family-oriented and nice. I left my wallet on a bus once, and I got it returned to me with no money stolen. That doesn’t happen everywhere. It’s just a Logan thing.”
It’s a Logan thing that is apparent even to newcomers. Freshman Kalee Tyson is going on her second semester at Utah State, but she, too, has recognized the “family ethic” Stevenson praised in his speech.
“The people of Logan that have lived here for a long time and had their families here have really cultivated a place where the students feel welcome and safe, but families also feel like they can have a life here,” she said. “It’s just a very friendly place.”
Community events throughout the year will celebrate the city that residents have come to love. This month will serve as a kick-off for the year’s festivities. Star Coulbrooke, Logan’s first ever poet laureate, introduced her “Poems for the Sesquicentennial” at a presentation on Tuesday. Broadcast recordings of Sunday’s celebration and Coulbrooke’s reading will appear on community television later this month.
Later in the year, residents can look forward to the Logan Library’s historical photo display, April’s music festival and Logan’s first annual Pickleball tournament in October.