Ogden Valley ( Shoshone: Ink-ah-we-in-da, “Red Pass Basin”) is a high mountain valley and ski resort community in Weber County,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, United States. The population was 6,855 at the 2010 census. Planning in the valley is managed by a special county-level planning division, the Ogden Valley Planning Commission. The valley is a popular vacation and tourism destination with three ski resorts, Pineview Reservoir, Causey Reservoir, and national forest lands. Despite its name, the city of Ogden is not located in the Ogden Valley.

History

Peter Skene Ogden entered the valley on May 16, 1825 with a band of trappers employed by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

. William Kittson was in the group as well and drew a map of the area. They were trapping beaver as part of the company's campaign to eliminate all the furbearing animals between British-controlled territories and U.S. territory in order to keep American fur hunters from entering the Oregon Country. The HBC band left the Valley a few days later, but returned on May 25 after American trappers drove them away from Mountain Green at Deserter Point. In 1849 Captain

Howard Stansbury Howard Stansbury (February 8, 1806 – April 17, 1863) was a major in the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. His most notable achievement was leading a two-year expedition (1849–1851) to survey the Great Salt Lake and its surroundings ...

of the U.S. Army explored the valley during an expedition to Northern Utah with

Jim Bridger James Felix "Jim" Bridger (March 17, 1804 – July 17, 1881) was an American mountain man, trapper, Army scout, and wilderness guide who explored and trapped in the Western United States in the first half of the 19th century. He was known as Old ...

. Stansbury described the area as a "most lovely, broad, open valley" with its "numerous bright little streams of pure running water" a "scene...cheering in the highest degree".

Geography

The Valley has three towns: Eden, Huntsville, and

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

. Only Huntsville is incorporated as a town. Eden and Liberty are census-designated places. The Valley is centered around Pineview Reservoir, which is fed by the North, Middle and South forks of the

Ogden River The Ogden River is a long river in Weber County. Utah, United States. Description The Ogden River's three forks (North, Central, and South) begin in the Wasatch Range in Weber County and converge at Pineview Reservoir, near Huntsville. The ...

. The Utah Geological Survey studied the water resources of the Valley and published their results in 2019.

Community

As of 2020, the Valley has eight churches, a grocery store, two post offices, three gas stations, an elementary school, and a junior high school. The county uses a master plan, published in 2016, as a guide for development. Eden and Liberty share a post office. The Valley has one local newspaper, ''Ogden Valley News.'' Several nonprofit organizations serve Ogden Valley. The Ogden Valley Land Trust preserves open space through conservation easements. The Community Foundation of Ogden Valley distributes funds to charities and causes that help Ogden Valley's community interests. The Ogden Valley Emergency Response Team is a nonprofit emergency preparedness organization that "focuses on public education and awareness to help increase the emergency preparedness". Local businesses are represented by the Ogden Valley Business Association.

Attractions

Three ski resorts are located in Ogden Valley: Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Nordic Valley. The

Wasatch–Cache National Forest Wasatch–Cache National Forest is a United States National Forest located primarily in northern Utah (81.23%), with smaller parts extending into southeastern Idaho (16.42%) and southwestern Wyoming (2.35%). The name is derived from the Ute wor ...

is found at all edges of the valley, with public access points throughout the area. Pineview Reservoir is located at the center of the valley.

References

{{reflist Populated places in Weber County, Utah