Richmond, Utah

Richmond is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Logan metropolitan area.

History

Agrippa Cooper was the first settler in Richmond in the mid-1850s. In 1859, surveyors visited the Richmond area and determined it to be a suitable area for living, with abundant water that could be used for farming and milling, and land that was fertile for growing crops. Within a few years log cabins, dugouts, and a log fort had been built. In 1860, a sawmill and a schoolhouse were erected. The city was settled mainly by Mormon pioneers, such as Thomas Levi Whittle, John Bair, Stillman Pond, Goudy E. Hogan, and Marriner W. Merrill.

The city was likely named in honor of LDS apostle Charles C. Rich, who had been the Apostle who traveled to the American Falls area of California in 1850 to call the first ten Latter-day Saint missionaries (including Whittle) to serve in Hawaii. Other factors involved in selecting the name may also have been the rich local soil or that Richmond, London was the hometown of some of its English settlers.

In 1860, LDS Church President Brigham Young visited the settlement of Richmond to council and direct the settlement. The Native Americans in the Cache Valley were becoming hostile to many of the Mormon pioneers, and many violent battles had already been fought. Young counseled the settlers to "Move your families and wagons close together, then, if you are disturbed, you are like a hive of bees, and everyone is ready and knows at once what to do." This led the settlers to build a fort named "Fort Richmond".

Richmond was incorporated in 1868.

In 1912, an election was held about adding a Carnegie library. The Richmond Carnegie Library was built on Main Street in 1914.

The town's first two creameries—Cache Valley Dairy and Union Creamery—each produced up to of milk per day in 1902. The creameries were absorbed by Utah Condensed Milk Company in 1904, and then reorganized as Sego Milk Products in 1920. For many years, the plant was the largest operation west of the Mississippi.

The 1962 Cache Valley earthquake, which occurred east of Richmond in the Bear River Range, destroyed many pioneer buildings in Richmond, including the original home of Marriner W. Merrill, and the two-story LDS brick Stake Tabernacle.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with hot summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Richmond has a dry-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dsa" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,051 people, 619 households, and 526 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 654 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.32% White, 0.20% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 1.56% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.49% of the population.

There were 619 households, out of which 49.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.9% were non-families. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.68.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 37.3% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,138, and the median income for a family was $45,500. Males had a median income of $31,743 versus $21,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,312. About 5.8% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Notable businesses located in Richmond include:
* Casper's Ice Cream, founded in 1925, produces more than 360,000 ice cream bar sandwiches daily.
* Cherry Peak Resort, a nearby ski resort.
*Lower Food's, a meat processor.
*Pepperidge Farm, which opened a plant in Richmond in 1974, and produced over one million cases of Goldfish in 2011. In 2023, Pepperidge Farm said they would be initiating a $160 million upgrade.

Arts and culture

Landmarks

Landmarks in Richmond, including the Richmond Fort Marker, the headstone of Marriner W. Merrill, and the Richmond Veterans Memorial. The Richmond Relief Society Hall and the Richmond Tithing Office are museums operated by the local Daughters of Utah Pioneers. The Relief Society Hall is one of the oldest known original Relief Society Halls existing in Utah. Richmond has 17 listed buildings in the National Register of Historic Places and over 45 local historic buildings. The hillside letters "NC" (for "North Cache") are visible on a mountainside east of Richmond at .

Black and White Days

Holstein Friesian cattle were brought to Richmond in 1904, and thrived so well that the town was recognized as Utah's Holstein center. In 1912, a Holstein Cow Show was organized. After a nationwide hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak in 1913 and 1914, the cattle show has been an annual event since 1915. Now called Richmond's "Black and White Days", the show features carnival rides, food vendors, a horse pull, and a parade, and is the United States' longest running cattle show.

Civil Organizations

In 1907, Susa Young Gates, the 4th President of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, organized a camp in Richmond. it was renamed the James and Drusilla Hendrick Camp in 2015.

In 1929, the Richmond Lions Club was organized, and continues to participate in civic events.

Parks and recreation

Parks and recreational sites include Richmond City Grandstand and Baseball Field, a public horse arena with benches, an outdoor shooting range, and the Richmond Community Building.

Education

Education in Richmond is over the Cache School District, with White Pine Elementary on the north side of Richmond. All 7th and 8th grade students in the north end of Cache School District attend North Cache Middle School, and advance to Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, or Green Canyon High School in North Logan, Utah.

Media

In 1971, Richmond resident Arthur Morin and 11 of his children drove 2,700 miles (4,300 km) in a camper to Lehigh Acres, Florida, to compete as finalists in the All American Family competition.

In 2003, part of the film ''Napoleon Dynamite'' was filmed in Richmond's Big J's fast-food restaurant.

In 2006, Richmond resident Sue Morgan was the first woman from Utah to compete in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

In 2020, the Rezzimax Pain Tuner Pro, invented in Richmond, was named "Coolest Thing Made In Utah".

Notable people

* Herschel Bullen, businessman, politician and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
* Dean Detton, American Professional Wrestler.
* Harrison T. Groutage, Artist and professor at Utah State University.
* Paula Hawkins, U.S. senator from Florida; attended high school in Richmond.
* William Jasper Kerr, president of Oregon State University, Brigham Young College, and Utah State Agricultural College and signer of the Utah Constitution.
* Israel Keyes, serial killer.
* Marriner W. Merrill and son Joseph F. Merrill, both members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
* Joseph Monson, architect, member of the Territorial Legislature and two terms in the Utah State House of Representatives, and pioneer of Richmond.
* Stillman Pond, farmer, harness maker, and member of the Second Quorum of Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
*Musician Leroy Robertson taught music at North Cache High School in Richmond.
* Thomas Levi Whittle, Mormon pioneer and early settler of Richmond.

See also

* List of cities and towns in Utah
* Bear River Massacre

References

Further reading

*''The History of Richmond, Utah'' by Amos W. Bair, 1976
*''Richmond: A History in Black & White'' by Marlin W. Stum, 2007
*''Images of America: Richmond'' by Cheri Housley, Marie Lundgreen and Kathy Jones, 2011;
*
Bryce's History Project: Richmond Encyclopedia
' website by Bryce Holt, launched 2021 with monthly updates.

External links

*

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Cities in Cache County, Utah
Cities in Utah
Logan metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1859
1859 establishments in Utah Territory