Settlement of Benson
Before Benson was settled, this part of the county was used as a herd ground; in fact, the land west to Newton and as far north as Weston, was used for grazing of livestock, mostly cattle. A number of the cattle herds from Logan were grazed here.
In the early spring of 1871, a number of families began to build their homes in the east side of the river. These first families were Charles Reese, W. G. Reese, Charles A. Reese, George Thomas and his son George Thomas (Was President of the University of Utah); Isreal J. Clark and sons, Cy, Edmund and John Clark. The following year Jeremiah Hatch located in the west side. This area was also known as Riverside and King (King post Office)
Jim Bridger after a rendezvous in the Cove area bravely rode the wild rushing river through Benson to the Great Salt Lake where he thought he came to the Pacific Ocean. He assumed the salty water was sea water. When the early white settlers arrived in Cache Valley they learned that Native Americans claimed the valley floor as their hunting and fishing grounds. This being so the early settlements were near the mountains. Benson then was settled late compared to other cities in the area. The Bear River serpentine nature and rushing current ( it was before the cutler reservoir) made it difficult to cross. Benson was first settled in three distinct areas. one group settled in the southwest portion, one across the river to the north and the third group was eastern part.
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