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Show Recreational developments around beautiful Bear Lake have contributed to Rich County's economy In recent years. ! Rich County Area: 1,034 square miles; population: 2,300; county seat: Ran-dolph; origin of county name: two versions exist - ( 1) named for the fertility of the Bear River Valley ( the county was first called Richland), ( 2) named for Charles C. Rich, a Mormon apostle, in-strumental in the settlement of the Bear Lake area; principal citiesltowns: Randolph ( 730), Garden City ( 270), Woodruff ( 260), Laketown ( 250); economy: agriculture, sheep, recreation; points of interest: Bear Lake State Park, Rendezvous Beach State Park, Randolph LDS Tabernacle. Rich County in the northeast corner of Utah occupies a long, narrow area approximately 18 miles wide and 56 miles in length, extending north of Echo Canyon. It is bordered on the east by Wyoming and on the north by Idaho - with the southern half of Bear Lake extending into the county. Rich is noted for a so- called buffalo jump kill site where game was slaughtered by Early Man. Fur trappers visited the Bear River Valley as early as Donald Mackenzie's first Snake River expedition of 18 18- 19 when Michel Bourdon gave the Bear River its name. The area around the Bear River became a favorite spot for trap-pers, and trappers' rendezvous were held on the south shore of Bear Lake in 1827 and 1828. The Oregon Trail - over which thousands of immigrants to the Northwest traveled - cut through a corner of the county. Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife, Narcissa Prentiss Whit-man, the famous Oregon pioneers, traveled on this trail in 1836. The first white settler in the area, Thomas L. " Peg Leg" Smith, operated a cattle business, trading post, and horse ex-change on the Bear River near present Dingle, Idaho. Brigham Young unsuccessfully attempt-ed to purchase his business in 1848, but Smith remained in the area until 1863 when he be-came discouraged and left. When Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862, Brigham Young became anxious to ob-tain control of the land before non- Mormons did. In August 1863 he called Charles C. Rich to lead an exploring party into the Bear Lake Val-ley to select a site for settlement. The first settle-ment, known as North Twin Creek and later Paris Creek, was made near present Paris, Idaho. Since Bannock and Shoshone Indians also used the valley, Rich obtained their permis-sion to settle there in order to minimize con-flicts. Other settlements were founded, includ-ing Round Valley in 1863; Kennedyville ( Gar-den City) and Laketown, 1864; Woodruff, 1865; Randolph, 1870; and Argyle, 1875. Originally part of Green River County, which was formed in 1852, it became Richland County in 1864; the name was shortened to Rich in 1868, and a final alteration occurred in 1872 when part of Cache County was added to it by the territorial legislature. Harsh winters affected the settlement of the Bear Lake Valley. Woodruff averages only 57 frost- free days a year and holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in the state (- 50 F. degrees on February 6, 1899). Even though much of Rich County is high-land, it also has fertile lowlands that support productive farms and livestock, and three-fourths of the county's land is used for agricul-ture, primarily grazing. Livestock and livestock products account for the greater part of the county's income. The development of Bear Lake as a popular recreation area with resorts, public beaches, and summer homes has helped to diversify Rich County's economy. |
