Cache Valley Centennial & Home Coming Celebration ~ Index
Newly settled sections of the Intermountain West were wont to have a history. Cache Valley had celebrated the fifty year mark in 1906 for the first settlement of the Cache Valley at Maughan's Fort (Wellsville), and later in 1907 they had the celebration for the creation of Cache County. The year 1909 was also a big year for celebrations in the valley. This being the jubilee of the peramant occupation of Cache Valley. So it was in this same vein that the Cache Chamber of Commerce, along with the various D.U.P. camps and others decided to sponsor the first centennial celebration in the valley. Using the discovery of Cache Valley and its ties back to Jim Bridger as the reason, and this leading to northern Utah being called Bridgerland today, they all had their beginnings back in early 1922-1923.
One by one the various communities in Cache Valley celebrated their golden jubilee's. So by the early 1920's, with motor cars, electric lights and power, telegraphs, telephones, trains in both steam and electric types, well the valley wanted a reason to celebrate and spread the good word of the advancements this new country had achieved. And so they did.
Folks from Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo and points both north and south, all came. Many drove their new automobiles into the valley, making for very dusty conditions on the roads into and out of Logan, Utah. A big parade down Main Street, speeches of all kinds and demonstrations of the modern way of life were all present and accounted for. It is, in my opinion, that this compilation by the Cache Chamber of Commerce, M.R. Hovey being the secretary of the organization, is the spit upon which the whole 1924 centennial celebration turned. As it was published in a local Logan, Utah newspaper, the installments were a perfect platform with witch to keep Logan and indeed the whole Cache Valley in the minds of people all along the Wasatch front.
A full two day event, held on July 24th and 25th, 1924 the Logan tabernacle hosted many fine speeches, the county fairgrounds had agriculture programs and events, it also provided camping accommodations for the many visitors, the hotels being full of dignitaries and motels not fully developed as yet. Programs were printed, coins or tokens (as above by the Cache Valley Banking Company) were struck, ribbons for the remaining pioneers still living were issued by the year they arrived in Cache Valley and also very proudly worn.