One man decided to act.

To the north of Brigham City and south of Bear River Canyon, between the communities of Deweyville on the west and Wellsville on the east, lies the famous Wellsville mountains (if you live on the Cache County side) and equally famous Deweyville mountains (if you live on the Box Elder County side). The mountain comprises only 115 to 125 square miles of territory but provides indescribable beauty and recreation. On occasion, the west side of the mountain will reflect some of the most incredible sunsets found anywhere.

It supplies all or part of the culinary water needs of tens of thousands of people who live in the communities on both sides of the mountain, including Tremonton.

In the 1930s, Box Elder County’s first county extension agent, Robert H. Stewart, worked with farmers and ranchers to help them improve the production of their crops and livestock. He also worked with the Department of Interior, Forest Service, and even the President of the United States to preserve these mountains from the ravages of over-grazing and logging.

In his annual report to the Agricultural College (now USU), Mr. Stewart wrote, “Native grasses were disappearing, people were noticing erosion, and their springs were flowing with less water.” He continues, “God, through the processes of nature, did an excellent job. Many thousands of years later, man showed his lack of appreciation of this range by allowing the ravages of overgrazing, ruthlessly cutting timber, and doing all the things that can devastate and ruin a piece of God’s handiwork.” He concluded his report by noting, “Carelessness, thoughtlessness, and maliciousness have almost destroyed the hen that laid the golden egg.

By October 1936, Robert appealed for help. He and his committee began working to document the abuses of overgrazing and logging. He and our congressional delegation reported the findings to the Forest Service, the Department of Interior.

On July 8, 1937, a heavy rain lasting only thirty minutes fell on the range’s crest above Deweyville and Wellsville. Mr. Stewart reports that in this short time, millions of tons of rocks, mud, and debris washed down the mountainsides, filling irrigation canals, damaging communities, farms and range lands, and culinary springs, causing millions in damage in today’s dollars. This forcibly pointed out to local residents and leaders the damage caused by deforestation, which had been taking place for many years.

On September 8, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the proclamation that added the Wellsville/Deweyville mountains to the National Forest Service.

According to Mr. Stewart, the needed improvements would be made in close cooperation with local landowners and communities.

Today, we owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Stewart, USU Extension, and many others who recognized the need to safeguard this mountain. Indeed, they helped save the hen that continues to lay the golden egg.