SETTLEMENT
There was a large snow bank in the middle of our yard till summer . . . and the cattle went to the top of our hay stack to feed.
s.
—MARY ANN WESTON MAUGHAN
fettling a high mountain vadey is not an easy chore; however, Mormon pioneers prided themselves on doing the difficult. Although Cache Valley had plenty of water, good grass, and a beautiful setting, it also had very severe and often long winters. The location within mountain passes created isolation and also limited access, especially in the winter. However, once the rich topsoil in the valley floor felt the settler's plow and the mountain timber was sawn into logs, a flood of pioneers came into the region. The abundant water meant that the usual risk of farming in the arid West was reduced. Where no permanent settlers existed prior to 1850, by 1900 over 18,000 had settled in Cache Valley, and another 5,000 lived in Idaho's Franklin County to the north. Cache County became a promised land for thousands of European emigrants and a quiet, beautiful home for many American-born Mormon pioneers. 25
