John F. Wright, son of John P. Wright, was a boy of seventeen years of age when his father located his family on the site of Logan. He spent all of his subsequent life in Cache Valley, Utah residing in Paradise, Hyrum, and Logan. He died in Logan in November 1932 at the age of ninety.
In an account of the life of John F. Wright, published in the Tribune of November 13, 1932, at the time of his demise, there is the following:
"Mr. Wright came to Cache Valley in 1859 and first settled about where Center and First East Streets are now located. During his early days in this valley he acted as interpreter for the Indians... Mr. Wright's father, John P. Wright, was accredited the honor of naming Logan after a midwestern Indian chieftain, while the group were sitting around the campfire."
Well, as far as this Indian chieftain is concerned, we do not know much about this shadowy individual. But we do know that our river was well known as Logan's Fork when the pioneers arrived and without doubt the settlement was named after the river. To John P. Wright, therefore, goes the honor of having been the father of our city, and of having given it its name.
Apparently after Brother Wright and his son had surveyed a few blocks of land (which they did only by measuring with a tape of chain) there was a drawing or some kind of lottery for the purpose of acquiring home sites. They also helped build the bowery under which they held their meetings.
On Sunday, July 3, 1859, Bishop Maughan came over from Maughan's Fort to hold meeting with the settlers at Logan. Apparently the meeting was held in the bowery. Bishop Maughan read a letter to the group which he had received form Brigham Young, in which the President appointed him to take general supervision of all the settlements in Cache Valley. "By virtue of this assignment Elder Maughan selected John Pannel Wright, John Nelson, and Israel J. Clay to receive tithing, butter, etc. and forward the same to Maughan's Fort, thence to be shipped to Great Salt Lake City." He also took up the problem of self defense against the Indians and appointed Israel J. Clark to organize the brethren into companies and appoint a guard to stand watch at night. Israel J. Clark was to act as Captain and Ralph Smith as Adjutant.
One week after this first meeting (the first meeting of the Saints ever held in Logan) a second meeting convened in the Bowery. The date was Sunday, July 20th [date smudged. may also be 30th]. Elder John P. Wright was in charge. On this occasion the ecclesiastical organization was given more attention. The High Priests present were organized with David B. Dille as president; the Seventies chose Ralph Smith as their presiding officer. The boundaries of Logan were also decided upon: "It was voted that the boundaries extend to Logan River on the south, to Little Bear River on the west, to the mountains on the east, and northward about four miles." It was also decided to build a road up Green Canyon, north of Logan. Ralph Smith was sustained as clerk of the settlement.
The people of Florence, Nebraska tried to keep the saints from getting their wheat ground into flour. They placed guards along the way to prevent them. John Pannel Wright knelt down and prayed for the Lord for help to blind their eyes and when they passed the guards were in a sond sleep, drunk, with their riffles at their sides.