The Name "Richmond"

It is not completely known exactly where or when Richmond received its known name, but there are a few theories.

• Charles C. Rich was an Apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some believe it was named after his honor for his aid in establishing small towns and settlements in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho.1

• Soil is a key ingredient in ensuring crops are big, strong, and healthy so that settlers may survive. Having Rich soil is a must.2

• Some believe that Richmond was named after Richmond, Virginia because some settlers felt homesick. This is a weak theory due to the fact that there are no records of the early settlers living in Virginia.

• One of the oldest, if not the oldest, recordings of the name of Richmond dates back to 1859. Church President Brigham Young sent Apostles Orson Hyde and Ezra T. Benson to help organize the new settlements of Cache Valley. The gentlemen wrote about their expedition, "We labored faithfully in every settlement. ...Five miles northward from Smithfield is a settlement on Cub creek, which we named Richmond."3 It is possible that Hyde and Benson named Richmond.