Logan dates to 1859, and 17 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 65% of U.S. towns · #19 of 119 in Utah. What drives it
Most of Logan was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. 17 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 358 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1861.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Logan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Logan is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #19 of 119 in Utah. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Logan’s overall grade.
Utah towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Utah town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Logan’s 68.3 sits above most of its state (88% of Utah towns have fewer) while its 375 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1859.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Logan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Logan was founded in 1859 by settlers Brigham Young sent to survey for the site of a fort near the banks of the Logan River. They named their new community "Logan" for Ephraim Logan, an early fur trapper in the area. Logan was incorporated on January 17, 1866.
Brigham Young College was founded in Logan on August 6, 1877. Utah State University, originally called the Agricultural College of Utah, was founded in 1888. Brigham Young College, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, closed in 1926 and its library and manuscripts were given to Utah State University.
Bowman organized an expedition against the Indian town of Chillicothe; thus, by " carrying the war into Africa," hoping to teach the savages the horrors of invasion. Logan was the second in command, and attached to the expedition were the noble James Harrod, who perished not long after in one of his solitary hunts, and brave John Bulger, who was amongst the slain at the terrible battle of the Blue Licks. The expedition, numbering one hundred and sixty men, left Harrodsburg in July, and marched with such secresy that
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Logan, 1859 to 1961
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Logan. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Logan sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Logan.
Every building
Logan, building by building, 1885–1911
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1859, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Logan’s post office opened in 1861, and the census of 1870 counted 1,757 people here.
How does Logan rank for history?
Logan is more historic than 65% of U.S. towns, #19 of 119 in Utah. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Logan?
17 listings: 16 buildings, among them the Old Main, Utah State University (listed 1972, the first), and 1 historic district, the Logan Center Street Historic District, with 358 contributing buildings. 375 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Logan?
10% of Logan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 2.8% for an Utah town; the median home was built in 1984.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (17), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
