gahsett.] SETTLEMENTS. 707 



intervals all along' the Bear. The settlements (towns, villages, &c.), of 

 which there are many in the Bear Elver country, are in all cases placed 

 back from the river, generally at the edge of the valley, under the mount- 

 ains, on some lateral branch of the main stream. 



Around Bear Lake there are several line little towns. At its head, 

 in a beautiful valley, shut in on the east, south, and west by high, 

 abrupt hills, are Laketown and Meadow ville, staid little Mormon villa- 

 ges, having an almost Puritanic air of quiet and order. The population 

 of the former, by the census of 1870, was 127, but since it has more than 

 doubled. The latter contains nearly 200 souls. 



Half-way down the lake on the west side is the little hamlet of Fish- 

 haveu, which in 1870 contained 52 persons. Since then it has grown 

 but little, if any. 



At the northwest corner of the lake is the town of Saint Charles, 

 which in 1870 had a population of 291, now increased to between 300 

 and 100. Thence northward along the east base of the Bear Biver 

 Bauge there is a series of small towns : Bloomington, with 310 ; Paris, 

 with 502 ; Ovid, with 66 ; and lastly, at the forks of North Creek, Lib- 

 erty, with 86 persons. These figures are from the census of 1870. The 

 populations of these towns are now slightly increased. 



On the opposite side of the Bear River Swamp, under the eastern 

 wall of the valley, are the little towns of Bennington and Montpelier, 

 with populations respectively of 57 and 299 in 1870, and probably little, 

 if any, larger at present. 



Farther down the valley, on Twin Creek, east of the river, is a good- 

 sized village, by name Georgetown, containing about 200 people. 



Then follows a long stretch of valley almost without inhabitants, reach- 

 ing to the bend of the Bear at Sheep Bock. Here, on the north side of 

 the river, are two little villages, Soda Springs and Morristown ; the lat- 

 ter settled by the Morrisites, a band of dissenters from the Mormon 

 Church. These two villages contain a total population of about 200 

 persons. 



Farther down the river is Gentile Valley, which contains a number of 

 fine ranches owned by unbelievers, whence the name of the valley. Be- 

 low this the river flows out into Cache Valley, the "Garden of Utah." 

 This fine valley contains altogether fifteen settlements, large and small. 

 They are situated at the base of the mountains on either side of the 

 valley : those on the east side being the largest and the most numerous. 

 From the towns the cultivated fields stretch down towards the middle of 

 the valley to the marshy land which borders the river. The fields are 

 watered mainly from the lateral streams from the mountains. The 

 towns, instead of the fields, are fenced. Ingress and egress is afforded 

 by gates, which, during the growing season, are kept closed, and are 

 opened by order of the resident bishop only when all the crops are 

 gathered. Then the fields become common pasturage ground for the 

 flocks and herds of the inhabitants throughout the winter. 



On the east side of the valley, the most northern town is Franklin, 

 Idaho, mainly peopled by Gentries. This town is a product of the Utah 

 and Northern Railroad, which, coming up from Ogden, passes through 

 this valley on its way to Montana. The town is situated on Cub River, 

 a large branch of the Bear, from the Bear River Range. In 1870, it 

 had a population of 558. At present it is probably less. The boundary 

 line of Utah is about a mile south of the railroad station in Franklin. 

 Then follow, going south, Richmond, population 817; Smithfield, 714; 

 Hyde Park, 343 ; and Logan, 1,757. These figures, given by the last 

 census, have not been materially changed. The latter place Is a beau- 



