The First Shoemakers of Cache Valley

History of John Bair (1810-1884)
1940
Document
John and Lucy Cole Bair were among the first settlers of Cache Valley. John worked as a shoemaker in the settlement of Richmond.
Accession number unknown
Cache Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archives. Compiled by J.C. Merrill. Digitized by Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library

John Bair (1810-1884) - Richmond

"John Bair was a shoemaker. He made all the shoes in Richmond in the early days. He was head man over all the ditches and roads and was justice of the Peace for a long time."  From the History of John Bair.

John Bair was born in Pennsylvania in 1810. He traveled to Utah by ox team in 1850 and later married his wife Lucy Cole. Before he moved his family to Cache Valley, he ran a sawmill in what is now called Bair Canyon near Kaysville, Utah. John and a few others explored the valley in 1855. In 1859, the Bairs were one of eight families that settled Richmond, a town 13 miles north of Logan City. The trip between settlements might take around 3 hours by horse!

Autobiography of Isabelle Davidson McAlister
1946
Document
Isabelle Davidson McAllister was the daughter of Thomas Davidson, the first shoemaker of Logan, Utah. Her autobiography includes details pertaining to her father's life and profession.
Accession number unknown
Cache Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archives. Compiled by Isabelle Davidson McAlister, Elizabeth Mathews Camp.
 

Thomas Davidson (1849-1939) - Logan

"Thomas Davidson learned and taught shoemaking in Dundee, Scotland. He came to Utah in 1853 and President Young fixed up a shoe shop in the tithing office in Salt Lake where Brother Davidson taught the shoe making trade to others. He was sent up to Logan in the spring of 1860 as there was no shoemaker in Logan. He built a little log cabin on the comer of Main and First South streets, near the interurban station and here opened his shop. He brought his tools and lasts with him and made boots and shoes as well as teaching others the trade." Quoted from the History of Charles Hills Baker.

One of his students was George A. Hubbard, who ran his own shop in Logan for many years. Hubbard's shop, Hubbard and Bolton, was located on Main Street in Logan City as early as 1874.

History of George Washington Baker (1837-1925)
1928
Document
George W. Baker was among the early Cache Valley settlers and worked as a cobbler in Mendon. A history of his life was written by his daughter, Mary Jensen.
Accession number unknown
Cache Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archives. Digitized by Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library

George Washington Baker (1837-1924) - Mendon

George W. Baker was from a family of early Mormon converts in New York. His family was among the first pioneer companies to arrive in Utah Territory in 1847. He and his wife Agnes settled in Mendon Fort in 1860, about 10 miles West of Logan. After briefly leaving to settle Bear Lake Valley in Idaho, he returned to Mendon where he later became the town's first Mayor. In addition to many other duties and community contributions, he worked as the town cobbler.

History of Alexander Duncan (1818-1899)
1958
Document
Alexander Duncan emigrated from Scotland in 1866. He and his family settled in Cache Valley where he rain a shoe repair shop. Written by Agnes Fullmer and Hazel Stokes.
Accession number unknown
Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Archives. Digitized by Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library

Alexander Duncan (1818-1899) - Wellsville

Alexander Duncan emigrated to Utah from Scotland in 1866. He settled in Brigham City for the winter. After hearing that the settlement of Wellsville needed a shoemaker, the Duncans moved to Cache Valley in 1867. He briefly ran a shoe shop with his friend Robert Baxter, but the majority of his working life he ran his own shop from his home in Wellsville, which is located 9 miles south of Logan City. 

James Bullock, Jr. (1830-1911) - Providence

James worked as a shoe and boot maker in England. He converted to the Mormon Church and his family emigrated to Utah in 1864. That same year, he was sent to Providence and worked as both a teacher and a shoemaker. In 1872 he became the superintendent of the new Z.C.M.I. shoe factory in Logan, which was a branch of a religious mercantile co-op based in Salt Lake City. James continued to make and repair shoes throughout his life and it is said that he was an artist who made beautiful children's patent leather shoes.