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Area: 1,171 square miles
Population (2000): 91,391
County Seat: Logan
Origin of County Name: from the French verb cacher, "to hide," because early trappers in Cache Valley concealed their pelts and supplies for safe-keeping
Principal Cities/Towns: Logan (42,670), Smithfield (7,261), Hyrum (6,316), Providence (4,377), North Logan (6,163)
Economy: manufacturing, trade, education, agriculture, dairying
Points of Interest: Cache National Forest, Logan Canyon, Hardware Elk Ranch, Beaver Ski Resort, Hyrum Lake State Park, Ronald V. Jensen Living Historical Farm, Logan LDS Temple and Tabernacle, Wellsville LDS Tabernacle, Logan Historic District, Utah State University (Old Main, Nora Eccles Harrison Art Museum).

What is the land like?
Cache County, located in the northern part of the state, is a land of mountains and a well-watered valley. The Wasatch Mountains border the county on the east, and a spur of the Wasatch, the Wellsville Mountains, border it on the west. The Bear River flows through the northwestern corner of the county. The Little Bear, Blacksmith Fork, and Logan rivers add their waters to the Bear.

Prehistory and early Euro-Americans
Cache Valley was occupied by prehistoric hunters and gatherers, perhaps as early as 10,000 years ago. Much later, the valley served as a gathering place for Plains Indians and the local Shoshone.

Trappers and explorers frequently visited Cache Valley. The earliest were John Weber and Jim Bridger 1824 and Peter Skene Ogden and James Beckwourth in 1825.

In July 1855 a group of Mormon settlers drove a herd of cattle into the valley and camped at Haw Bush Spring, later known as Elkhorn Ranch. Summer was nice, but the winter of 1855-56 was so severe that the settlers gave up and drove the cattle back to the Salt Lake Valley.

But in 1956 the Mormon church sent Peter Maughan to settle Cache Valley. He founded a town called Maughan's Fort, which is now called Wellsville. More settlers began to arrive, and by 1859, they had formed five towns (Providence, Mendon, Logan, Richmond, and Smithfield).

The territorial legislature created a large Cache County in 1856. Eight years later, they split off the eastern part of the county to form Richland (Rich) County.

Economy and development
The Utah Northern Railroad between Brigham City and Logan was completed in early 1873. Later, it extended into Idaho and also connected to the transcontinental railroad. The railroad helped Cache residents to prosper. It provided jobs and also opened new markets for their crops, especially grain and dairy products.

By the 1880s, Cache County farmers were doing even better. They used new dry-farming techniques and new techniques for building canals and reservoirs. They began to sell fruits and vegetables. The new grain elevators built in the 1890s let them store their crops and wait for good prices before they sold.

The county's sheep herds grew from 10,000 in 1880 to 300,000 by 1900, and dairy cows numbered 16,000 by 1910. Commercial creameries, flour mills, woolen mills, and knitting factories developed around Cache's booming turn-of-the century farm production. Today, Cache continues as the state's leader in dairy products and as a major producer of hay, alfalfa, and grain.

In 1888 the founding of Utah State Agricultural College (now Utah State University) in Logan provided an important key to the county's future. USU's scientific research, agricultural extension services, and experimental farms have benefited farmers locally and in every part of the state.

With some 17,000 students currently enrolled, USU has grown to be the county's largest single employer—and a major cultural resource for the community.

Today, Cache County’s economy also includes manufacturing, retail trade, and services (including government services).