In 1852, John Bair built and operated the first ferry boat in Utah on the Bear River, which crossed from Box Elder County to Cache County, starting from Collinston, Box Elder, Utah.

That same year, John and Nels Empy, with others, made the journey into Cache Valley for the first time. They were astonished by the many streams of water, heavy growth of grass, and many other features that would make great sections to live in. When the time came, they would make some land claims.

During this time, Church President Brigham Young wanted the valley to be a large cattle ground for the Church. President Young sent John Bair and other men to watch over the cattle. He spent the summer with the cattle near a spring. In November, due to a severe snowstorm that killed more than 100+ head of cattle, they were driven out. President Young inquired of John Bair about making settlements in the valley. John replied that it was a great place to have settlers. 

In 1859, John, with several others, returned to Cache Valley to begin a new life. Where they had previously seen in 1852 was taken by many settlers in today's Logan. They went a little further north to find some other land to settle. They found more settlers in Summit Creek (Smithfield), who had already planted their crops for the season. With a little disappointment, they carried on north and located near the same spring that John watched over the Church's cattle. Just south of the spring was the Cooper Family.

In the summer of 1859, the Founders moved to a spring located west of today's Big J's, located on the Brower-Robinson Home.

Sources vary about who was a part of the Founders group. Families that are common from source to source are the Bair, Petty, Lewis, Aller, Cooper, Shepard, and Stewart families. Work is being conducted to investigate the others and who is and who isn't a Founder of Richmond.

https://www.familysearch.org/memories/memory/57427777?cid=mem_copy