Cache Valley Historical Society

10/07/2026

ATTENTION STUDENTS! We are now accepting applications for two spring semester 2027 scholarships: The Cache Valley History Scholarship and the J. Scott Bushman Scholarship. CVHS will award two $1500 scholarships to undergraduate or graduate students working on a faculty-supervised project relating to the history of Cache Valley. Applications are due October 14. Winners will be expected to present their project at a CVHS lecture next April. See the attached flyer for more information and how to apply.

10/06/2026

Our next lecture of our 2026-2027 series is on Wednesday, October 14, at 7pm at the Logan Library (285 N Main)!

“The Roskelley’s and their Cache Valley Connections” by Richard Saunders.

The Roskelley family has been associated with Cache Valley since before Peter Maughan settled Wellsville. Dr. Saunders, a librarian, historian, and Roskelley descendant, will talk about five generations of the family through stories about the experience of each generation and touching the valley from end to end. From a cougar attack outside Richmond to the operation of the Logan Temple, with careers as broad as international development and as local as teaching at Sky View, Roskelleys have experienced everything Cache Valley offers. Beyond family history, these stories are Cache Valley history.

Dr. Richard Saunders is an academic librarian and former Dean of Library Services at Southern Utah University. A graduate of Utah State University, he holds a library degree from Brigham Young University, a PhD from the University of Memphis with an emphasis on the social history of recent America, and is professionally accredited by the Academy of Certified Archivists.

All CVHS lectures are free and open to the public!

09/01/2026

The Cache Valley Historic Home Tour will not take place in 2026. If you would like to volunteer to assist with planning future tours, open your historic home to the public for future tours, or join the Cache Valley Historical Society Board, please contact current CVHS President Brad Armstrong at [email protected].

09/01/2026

Our first lecture of our 2026-2027 series is on Wednesday, September 9, at 7pm at the Logan Library (285 N Main)!

"The New Mormon Village: Constructing Mormon Cultural Landscapes along the Wasatch Front, Post World War II" by Rebecca Andersen.

Scholars have long defined Mormon cultural landscapes in terms of the agricultural village, with its gridded streets, trees, and open irrigation ditches. What happened to this landscape, especially along the Wasatch Front, when it became a suburban one? Did an identifiable Mormon cultural landscape disappear? Learn about how Mormon cultural landscapes changed following World War II along Utah's busy Wasatch Front, while retaining certain characteristics of the earlier landscape form. A few of the topics we'll discuss include suburban development patterns that exhibited a Mormon twist; houses and yard designs that favored fruit trees and food storage; and suburban shopping malls that catered to Mormon consumers.

Rebecca Andersen is a senior lecturer in the History Dept at USU.

All CVHS lectures are free and open to the public!

05/27/2026

Our final lecture of our 2025-2026 series is on Wednesday, June 10, at 7pm at the Logan Library (285 N Main)!

“Ezra Taft Benson and his Cache Valley Roots” by Patrick Mason.

In many ways, Ezra Taft Benson, who called himself a "conservative conservative," anticipated many of the developments and debates within modern American conservatism. How did his Cache Valley roots influence the political worldview of this influential American, who served as Secretary of Agriculture in the Eisenhower administration and eventually as president of the LDS Church?

Patrick Mason is a professor of religious studies and history at Utah State University, where he holds the Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture. He is the author or editor of several books for academic and Latter-day Saint audiences, and is frequently consulted by the media on stories about Latter-day Saint history, theology, and culture.

All CVHS lectures are free and open to the public!

05/26/2026

Volunteers needed! Do you love history? Do you want to share that love with your community? Then join us!

The Cache Valley Historical Society is looking for volunteers to help us plan this year's Cache Valley Historic Home Tour. We are hosting an informational session this Wednesday, May 27, at 7pm at the Logan Library for anyone who may be interested. We need individuals who can help us plan for the tour, historic homeowners who are willing to open their homes for the tour, and hosts to help during the tour, tentatively planned for this September.

We are also looking for willing individuals to join our board. Meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of the month, September - June, with a planning retreat/social in August.
Send us a message here or an email to [email protected] if you are interested in joining.

The Cache Valley Historical Society hosts a regular lecture series, holds an annual historic home tour fundraiser, provides scholarships, funding, and awards to students at all levels of education, acknowledges historic preservation successes across Cache Valley, partners with organizations across Northern Utah and Southeastern Idaho to share our local history, and so much more.

We look forward to sharing history with you!

05/20/2026

We are saddened by the loss of long-time Cache Valley Historical Society board member Scott Bushman. Scott has made countless contributions to the Cache Valley Historical Society over the years, having held many positions on our Executive Board, helping coordinate the Cache Valley Historic Home Tour, reinvigorating our Historic Preservation Awards several years ago, and most recently running our scholarship program. With his love of history and art, Scott was a wonderful asset to our community. He will be missed.

View Jon Scott Bushman's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

05/13/2026

Join us this Saturday, May 16, from 1:30-3pm in the Logan Library's Community Rooms for a symposium in honor of Kenneth W. Godfrey and his lifelong dedication to the field of history. Godfrey's work as a historian of local topics and for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has influenced many historians, church members, and community members alike.

1:30-1:35 -- Welcome and introductions
1:35-1:55 -- Life story of Ken Godfrey
1:55-2:15 -- Ken Godfrey and USU Special Collections - his research and his papers
2:15-3:00 -- Panel with Philip Barlow, Andrea Radke-Moss, and Alex Baugh chaired by Matt Godfrey.

Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Cache Valley Historical Society and Logan Library.

04/29/2026

Our next lecture is on Wednesday, May 13, at 7pm at the Logan Library (285 N Main)!

“From Oslo to Idaho: Settling Cache Valley” by Devan Jensen

The story of settling Cache County in northern Utah and southern Idaho is important because it illustrates the Latter-day Saint pioneer drive to establish a self-sufficient religious commonwealth in the American West. This is a story of immigration and faith, survival and displacement, irrigation and community building, and tensions between law and belief. It is a story of the cultural heritage of Norwegian immigrants adapting to a new, rugged frontier life.

Born in Logan, Devan Jensen is an award-winning executive editor at the BYU Religious Studies Center. He is the author of about seventy articles. He is the past president of Latter-day Saints in Publishing, Media, and the Arts and a former program committee member of the Mormon History Association and Journal of Mormon History editorial board member. He previously worked as an editor at Church magazines, Church Publishing Services, and Deseret Book.

All CVHS lectures are free and open to the public!

04/01/2026

Our next lecture is on Wednesday, April 8, at 7pm at the Logan Library (285 N Main)!

This month we present our 2025 Cache Valley Historical Society Scholarship winners!

Ashlyn Erickson will be presenting on her project on the history of the Intermountain Indian School.

Aurora Durfee will be presenting on her project on Vernacular Polygamist Architecture in Cache Valley.

All CVHS lectures are free and open to the public!