Published February 4, 2005. Reprinted with permission from the LDS Church News published by the Deseret Morning News.

Life on the river
Bear River Heritage Area aims to promote tourism, preserve culture
Carma Wadley, Deseret Morning News

The Bluebird cafe has been a landmark on Logan's Main Street since 1914.

Were geography and geology not what they are, the Bear River could make its journey from headwaters in the Uinta Mountains to its endpoint in the Great Salt Lake in about 90 miles.

As it is, however, the river makes a 500-mile loop through three states. But that journey brings great benefits, as the water carves out habitats for birds and wildlife, allows for irrigation and agriculture and supplies hydroelectric power for towns and cities.

From the earliest times, the convergence of these benefits has created an area that is rich, diverse and unique, said Elaine Thatcher, associate director of the Mountain West Center at Utah State University and chairwoman of the board of the Bear River Heritage Area. BRHA is an association that brings together seven counties in both Utah (Box Elder, Cache and Rich) and Idaho (Bear Lake, Franklin, Caribou and Oneida) to promote economic development and tourism while preserving local culture.

The American West Heritage Center in Wellsville attracts hundreds of visitors a year.

It brings together county commissions, mayors, business people, folklorists, artisans and others, said Thatcher, "to look at what the region needs but to see what of value we need to hang on to. So often economic development destroys local culture. But we have a unique area, and we want to keep it that way."

Cindy Hall, community and economic director for the Bear River Association of Governments, agrees. "We have initiatives to help local businesses, and we see heritage tourism as an important way to do that. We want to celebrate who we are."

BRHA has recently produced a guide book to the area, which lists a number of heritage sites, experiences, products, foods, lodging, festivals and other attractions within the region. The group is now working on a Web site (www.bearriverheritage.com).

The Bear River watershed area sits in one of the driest parts of North America, said Thatcher. Yet, because of the river, it is greener than its surroundings, and through the centuries it has offered a hospitable home to both people and wildlife. BRHA calls it an area "blessed by water, worked by hand."

Early Shoshone tribes, who called the Bear River "bia oroi" or "big river," wandered about the area, following the seasons. In the early 1800s, fur traders and trappers came to the area to rendezvous and cache their supplies. The Oregon Trail brought thousands of immigrants through the region. And after the Mormon pioneers came to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, settlers began moving north to stay. The first permanent settlement was Wellsville, established in 1856.

Bear Lake provides recreation and historical interest for both Utah and Idaho.

On May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory, Utah, and both people and freight began to arrive on a regular basis.

The heritage of the area still shows in its landscape, people, economy and culture, said Thatcher. People might look at it, she said, and think there's nothing different here. "But if you look closer, there really is. What is unique is the way the history and culture interact, and the way they have transitioned to contemporary culture."

That includes not only historical buildings and towns but also the landscapes, the barns, the people who create products — everything from chainsaw bears to rawhide and saddles, to chocolates and honey.

These are all part of the heritage, said Thatcher, and are reasons to visit the area. "Heritage tourism is very popular. If you look at the numbers, they are staggering. Heritage tourism — to visit a cultural or historic site — is the No. 1 reason Americans give for traveling. Ecotourism is No. 3, and this area, with its fishing and camping and canyons, is rich in that as well."

In general, she said, heritage tourists have a higher income, stay longer and spend more. "So they are desirable to bring in — as long as it is controlled so an area doesn't get too beloved and get trampled to death," she said.

Thatcher recently visited a travel show in Los Angeles — "the first time we've started to promote outside our area" — and was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who like to take road trips — who like to get in their cars and drive and discover unusual things.

Old railroad depot in Richmond now offers antiques.

"That's exactly what we have here. We have some fairly great distances, but we have some wonderful little treasures, if you know where to find them."

Three sites are considered anchors, she said: The American West Heritage Center in Wellsville, the Golden Spike National Historic Site west of Brigham City, and the Oregon Trail Center in Montpelier.

"The Oneida Stake Academy in Preston may grow into another anchor site for us," said Thatcher. "That has been an amazing project." The academy building was threatened with destruction, but local citizens rallied and were able to move it to a park site. "It's one of the last remaining academy buildings in the Mormon West."

In order to produce the guide, folklore students went into the field to find out what was unique about each area. "They gathered information on orcharding and ethnic groups and phosphate mining," said Thatcher. Bear Lake offers recreation possibilities, "but we also talk about the Bear Lake Monster and the raspberries. The quirky facts — such as the leg buried in a cemetery in Samaria — are as fun as the serious history."

They identified nine cultural themes that can be used to develop products, tours and activities: natural resources, agriculture, local businesses and institutions, ethnic and cultural groups, domestic and community landscapes, independence and self-sufficiency, community celebrations, and history. "We drew a very large circle, but it's more inclusive than exclusive."

The Oneida Stake Academy was moved to a new location in Preston, Idaho.

BRHA is similar to initiatives that have developed along Highway 89 in southern Utah, she said. "We're all part of the Utah Heritage Industry Alliance, which includes This Is the Place Heritage Park and the Four Corners area and others. We all talk with one another and learn from one another."

Their ultimate goal, said Thatcher, is to get national heritage status for the area. "That has to be done by an act of Congress and is a long drawn-out process."

What makes the Bear River area worth visiting? History, beauty, diversity, activity and more, said Hall. "Our pastoral landscapes. Our open vistas. Our agricultural lifestyle. Our walkable downtowns. Our historic buildings. Our Band of Northwestern Shoshone. Our hot springs. Our birds. Our family diners. Our B&Bs. Our artisans. There are so many resources, and we need to promote and protect them."