BYU History professor, Jay H. Buckley (click to enlarge)

BYU History Professor Makes Case for Retaining Ogden Valley Name
By OV200, Ogden Hole Chronicles
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Amid ongoing efforts to dub newly incorporated Ogden Valley with a new name, BYU history professor, Jay H. Buckley says, HOLD ON THERE! At the 10th annual community lecture – 'In Search of Ogden Hole' held on May 20 at the historic Hearthside in Eden, Professor Buckley offered attendees insights into the historical significance of Ogden Valley's name which many residents, old and new, apparently are unaware of.

“Did you know that Ogden Valley (aka Ogden's Hole) and Ogden River were named 26 years before Brigham Young gave Ogden City its name in 1851? Why do you suppose Brigham Young chose that name?” Professor Buckley then proceeded to answer that question - “Ogden's Hole, which later transitioned to Ogden Valley, was a highly regarded location with a well-established name among Rocky Mountain trappers and explorers. The name (Ogden's Hole) had been affixed to territorial maps long before LDS pioneers arrived and settled along the Wasatch Front. Apparently, Brigham Young felt that honoring Peter Skene Ogden was appropriate since Mr. Ogden and his Hudson Bay Company fur trappers were the first mountain man-explorers to map and describe the area while interacting with the local Shoshone of future Northern Utah.”

Further elaborating on the significance of Peter Skene Ogden's 1825 presence in Northern Utah, Professor Buckley pointed out several key events, the first of which ever noted in Northern Utah's historical written record:

• Descriptions of traveling and interacting with resident Shoshone while entering and camping together in future Ogden Valley.
• Sighting and primary source (written) description of the Great Salt Lake.
• Descriptions of Ogden Valley and Cache Valley plant and animal life, including maple and oak trees, willows, Grizzly bears, pelicans, gulls, beaver... even mosquitos and ticks!
• Detailed descriptions of snow-covered mountains, waterways, and other Ogden Valley geography.
• Detailed descriptions of trapping beavers along the Bear River and Ogden River, drying their pelts, trading them and shipping them to far off European markets.
• The meeting of two future Utah city namesakes on the Weber River – Etienne Provost and Peter Skene Ogden
• Descriptions of Christianized Utah Indians “belonging to the Spanish.”

Followed by audience Q &A, Professor Buckley concluded the evening with a serious consideration for Ogden Valley residents - The name Ogden Valley holds a tremendous amount of historical stock and long-time name recognition. It would be a shame to disconnect or diminish Ogden Valley's great historical heritage by overlaying basically the same geographic area encompassed by Ogden Valley with a new city name. What benefits will a new city name actually bring, and at what cost, both economic and intrinsic?

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