Cache Valley is a valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho, United States, that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre of 250 to 400 Shoshone people. The name, Cache Valley is often used synonymously to describe the Logan Metropolitan Area, one of the fastest growing metro areas in the US per capita — both in terms of economic GDP and population.
History
thumb|left|View across Cache Valley from [[North Logan, Utah|North Logan, Utah, June 2009]]
Alongside habitation by the Shoshone and other indigenous peoples, European explorer Michel Bourdon discovered Cache Valley 1818 during a MacKenzie fur expedition. The valley was subsequently used for the second of the annual gatherings of mountain men. Many of the trappers who worked in the valley came from the Hudson's Bay Company, the Northwest Fur Company, and the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The name "Cache Valley" was derived by the fur trappers who hid their trading goods in caches in that region. The use of caches was a method used by fur traders to protect their goods from theft and damage.
Latter-day Saint William Gardner became the first Anglo-American permanent settler in 1852. Prior to the Mormon selection of the Salt Lake Valley, Jim Bridger had recommended Cache Valley due to its relative abundance of fresh water. A Mormon settler group led by Peter Maughan arrived via Box Elder Canyon (commonly referred to as Sardine Canyon) in July 1856 and additional settlers arrived on September 15.
Early Anglo-American settlers of Cache Valley took a defensive stance toward the indigenous Native Americans by creating the Cache Valley Militia. Men from the various towns in Cache Valley nicknamed "minute men" volunteered to drill, serve as watchmen, and to ride to the aid of other colonies at the news of attacks and skirmishes. The number of victims was an estimated 250 to 400 children, women, and men,