The first settlers on the west side came from Tooele in the year 1875. They were attracted to the area because of the acres of natural meadows. Valison Tanner and his brother, Alma C. Tanner, were the first to arrive. They brought the co-op herds to feed in the meadowlands.

(Italicized text from http://www.grousecreek.com/intro.html, by Alan Smith; added by Ty Richins, January 2008.)

While living at Henefer, Summit Co., Utah, our attention was drawn to a letter in the Deseret News, in the winter of 1877 written by Isaac Kimball, son of Heber C. Kimball, giving a description of Grouse Creek Valley, and saying it was a good place for settlers. We wrote to Bro. Kimball to get more details about the place. He answered saying it was situated at the extreme west end of Box Elder County, near the Nevada line, said the land was good, feed on the range fine, and giving a favorable account of the place generally. William C. Bitteridge, Philip A. Paskett, William P. Paskett, Albert F. Richins, R. Allen Jones, and James R. Simpson met together and after talking the matter over decided to move down to said valley. It was decided that the following brethren should make the trip as soon as weather permitted in the spring: William C. Bitteridge, Philip A. Paskett, Robert Allen Jones, and Albert F. Richins. These men started on March 16th having four large animals consisting of three horses and a mule and one wagon. We arrived on Grouse Creek, down near the Buttes, on the night of March 21, 1877, and coming on up the valley located our claims on the next day on the East Fork. At this time there was not a house within about five miles of where our rock meeting house now stands, sage brush everywhere. The land on the West Creek was taken up because of the natural meadow existing there. The land was not yet surveyed.

Albert F. Richins and R. Allen Jones started back to Henefer in April, going by train. After arriving there, A. F. Richins sold his house and place and bought a yoke of oxen and an old wagon, and on May 27 started again for Grouse Creek. He was accompanied by his wife, one little child (Eliza), James R. Simpson and his wife and little child (Johnnie), furniture, and one calf, all in one wagon, one cow tied behind the wagon.

At Uintah the wagon broke down causing a delay of three days. A Bro. Gale fixed the wagon up and they started on again. All went well till they got to Locomotive Springs, about eleven miles east of Kelton, a large spring which caused hundreds of acres of swamp and tall rushes. After turning their cattle loose at night they discovered that there was a large herd of cattle loose in the swamps, and three men, a white man, a Negro, and an Indian, camped near by who had charge of the herd, going to take said cattle to Montana. Next morning hunting the oxen was like the proverbial hunting for a needle in a haystack. They walked for miles along the sides of the swamp and out towards Kelton but could see nothing of them. Then they went back towards Monument Point where there was another spring and swamp. A. F. Richins happened to see the heads and horns of the oxen showing sometimes above the tullies as they were reaching up and feeding on the tops of the high rushes, out on an island about 1 o'clock p.m., but he did not know how to get them. Just then the Negro came riding up and asked A. F. Richins and his wife if they had found their cattle yet. They said they had, pointing them out to him in the swamps.

The Negro saying, “I'll go and get them” starting swimming his horse through the slough and brought the cattle out. When arriving at “The Muddy” they found William C. Bitteridge and Philip P. A. Paskett who had come from Grouse Creek to meet them. It was a pleasant meeting. We traveled together with horse team and ox team (two wagons) arriving at Grouse Creek June 10, 1877.