NORTH LOGAN — When the first residents moved onto this land in 1884, it was nothing but sagebrush and desert. More than a century later, the tiny town once known as Greenville has grown to become self-sufficient.
With 6,000 residents, North Logan is Cache County's second largest city. It is becoming renowned for its tech industries, roller coasters in particular. The city is home to S&S Powersports, the world leader in vertical thrill rides, which has spawned several theme park consulting companies in the city.
The city is also home to the Space Dynamics Laboratory, a NASA contractor conducting research and building experiments for space. Housing has also boomed. Homes now occupy much of the agricultural land on which the city was founded, but North Logan retains its small-town personality.
Now Mayor Val Potter and the City Council are considering further enhancing its individuality.
"We're looking into a name change," said Potter.
The town doesn't want to be considered an extension of Logan or a bedroom community either, Potter said. It wants its own identity,
One of the names being considered is Greenville.
The town's first home was made of stone from nearby Green Canyon. As more families moved in, the little community became known as Greenville. By 1905 there were 250 residents and 360 by 1930.
Agriculture was the main industry for nearly a century, especially apples, which flourished in this high desert region. The first apple orchard was established in Greenville in 1911, the same year the town got telephone service. Other fruits couldn't survive the spring frosts, so apples became king.
As the town grew, so did the demands for water.
The primary source for all water in Greenville ran through the canals from Logan city. In 1925, residents proposed a plan to bring water down from Green Canyon. But to get federal engineers to help with the project, Greenville needed to be incorporated. That meant abandoning the town's name because there was already another town in Utah named Greenville.
So on Jan. 3, 1934, the Cache Valley town of 400 became incorporated as North Logan. The town got water and continued to grow.
The other Greenville, in Beaver County, never grew or incorporated, said Lincoln Shurtz, legislative coordinator for the Utah League of Cities and Towns. The town is still there, but it's about the same size it was 100 years ago.
"Just two or three streets in there is all that's there," said Beaver County Commission Chairman William L. Dalton. "It's about five miles west of Beaver. They have fields and green pastures. Right on the Beaver River. They run a lot of cattle down there. It's a beautiful place."
"The one lady who used to live there on the main street was the postmaster," he said. The post office is gone.
So North Logan thinks it might get its old name back.
It may already have a toehold. Eight years ago a new elementary school was built to keep up with growth. Its name? Greenville Elementary, of course.
E-MAIL: loganreporter@attbi.com