Brief History of Hyrum, Utah

Hyrum is a small community in the Southern part of Cache Valley, Utah.

History of Hyrum

            A party of pioneers lead by Ira Allen established a settlement in Hyrum in the spring of 1860.  They used logs and constructed 13 dugouts and one log home in a hill side where there was a water supply in the east bench.  Permanent settlement had come to Cache Valley the year before, with the initial settlement in 1856 in Wellsville.  This was abandoned for a time because of the Utah War. 

            Peter Maughn, church leader, visited Hyrum and suggested the community be moved to drier ground.  A fort type construction was made along the current main street.  This was with houses lining the street with windows and doors facing inward.  By the fall of 1860 there were over 120 residents at Fort Hyrum.

            After ground was plowed and crops put in, the next item of community business was establishing a canal for irrigation.  Using only a spirit level and shovels they brought water from the Little Bear River, a distance of nine miles, in 21 working days. (Allen et al.)

            Cache Valley was Shoshone Bannock country.  The Native Americans continued to hunt and live in this area after the settlers arrived.  The settlement was an encroachment upon their territory which they tolerated.  The general policy was to feed the Indians rather than fight them. Several different parties came through the area, gathering choke cherries, or hunting.  One time a group stole several horses.  A group of “Minutemen” from Hyrum were able to recover them.  Native American issues continued until the Bear River Massacre of 1863.  Colonel Patrick Connor led a group of 400 troops from Fort Douglas in Salt Lake and attacked the Indians in the northern part of Cache Valley.  After this the residents of Hyrum no longer had to live in the fort.