Logan with the Ladies (9.11.26)

My good friend, Marilyn Phillips (second from left), asked me, several years ago, to help revitalize the Daughters of Utah Pioneers "camp" in our neighborhood.  "We need younger blood," Marilyn said.  Since I am 76, but Marilyn is 90, that is only relative.  I have enjoyed organizing women in our Church and neighborhood to gather, once a month, to study Utah and Church history and enjoy lunch together.  The highlight of our year was a day-long trip on September 11, 2026, to explore the history of Logan, Utah. Although our monthly luncheons rarely exceed 12 attendees, twenty ladies traveled with us to Logan.  Pam Johnson, who owns a lavish second home in her hometown of Logan, hosted us for lunch and dinner and planned the itinerary.

Our first stop was the new museum in Hiram, Utah, a suburb of Logan.  The fur trappers were the first settlers of Hiram and Logan, followed by the Mormon pioneers.  The museum had interesting artifacts from both of those periods.

Cache Valley Bank is owned by Pam's brother.  We visited its Hiram branch, built around an old grain silo that was towed up the foothills of Cache Valley to be included in the bank.  

We climbed stairs to the top of the grain silo and could see its intricate inside construction.

There was a beautiful view over Cache Valley from the top of the silo.  Pam and her family watched fireworks from this room on the Fourth of July.  Two of my Church friends are Marla Merrill and Nancy Barlow.

It was soon time for lunch at Pam's home, "Edgewood."  I was in charge of food for the day.  Dave graciously accompanied the group to drag the ice chests, make emergency runs to the grocery store, and to make sure that the ladies were driven safely home again.

After lunch, we took a walking tour of downtown Logan.  We toured the Cache County Courthouse, which is the longest continuously operated courthouse in the country.  The building is now managed by Pam's brother.

The economic development director for Cache County told stories about the building and its history, including a murder or two on the grounds!

 

There were many paintings in the building, including this depiction of the fur trappers who discovered the valley for white men.

There were two original Minerva Teichert paintings in the building, which we especially enjoyed.

We also saw the original bank vault, dating back to the mid 1800s.

Next stop was the Logan Tabernacle, also built in the 1800s.  Pam told us the history of the building. Then Cheryl Yee, a member of the Relief Society presidency from our ward, which had jointly sponsored the event, played the organ as we sang hymns, including "Come, Come Yet Saints" and "As Sisters in Zion."

Our walk continued to the Bluebird Restaurant, which is being remodeled by Pam's brother.  I remember my father talking about taking dates to dinner at the Bluebird Restaurant during the 1930s. 

We finished the day with an ice cream cone at the Bluebird candy and ice cream shop, and then a lasagna dinner at Pam's house, before driving home to Salt Lake City in the early evening.