A history of Cache county would be incomplete and unsatisfactory were there failure to make reference to Joel Ricks, who during an extended lifetime was an active, valued and prominent citizen of that section of the state. He was born upon a farm on Donaldson creek, in Trigg county, Kentucky, February 18, 1804. In early manhood he was married on the 1st of May. 1827, to Eleanor Martin and following his marriage remained with his father, working upon the home farm until July 15, 1829, when he visited Illinois for the purpose of seeing what advantages that state offered to settlers. He made the trip on horseback and after proceeding as far north as Madison county located a farm on Silver creek about twenty miles east of Alton. He then returned to Kentucky and in company with a brother-in-law, Abel Olive, and a cousin, William Ricks, and their families, returned to Illinois on the 12th of September, 1829. Mr. Ricks was a hard-working and industrious man and accumulated property, soon becoming one of the foremost farmers and prosperous citizens of that region. In 1830 he and his wife joined the Christian church, with which he was connected until 1840, when Mormon missionaries visited the neighborhood, preaching their doctrines. He attended one of their services out of curiosity and became a convert to the faith. He then joined the church, being baptized by Elder George Boosinger on the 6th of June, 1841.

On the 20th of March, 1842, Mr. Ricks started on a visit to Nauvoo, Illinois, to see for himself what manner of man was Joseph Smith, the prophet. While in Nauvoo he had several interviews with the prophet and others prominent in the church and he returned home greatly impressed with what he had heard. In 1845 he sold his possessions in Madison county and in company with James Olive removed his family to Nauvoo and thereafter up to the time of his death was identified with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On his arrival at Nauvoo he purchased a city lot on the prairie some distance back of the temple for a town residence and also bought a farm at Appanoose. During his residence at Nauvoo he assisted in the building of the temple.

At the time of the exodus in 1845 Mr. Ricks, with others, traveled westward with several teams, crossing the Mississippi river at Fort Madison on the 27th of April, 1846. They were among the first pioneers who crossed the territory of Iowa. They arrived at the Missouri river near Council Bluffs in July. Mr. Ricks and his family located temporarily on Silver creek, where he planted and harvested a crop and made arrangements to continue their journey westward. In 1847 he sent one of his best teams with a pioneer company which left the Missouri river for the Rocky mountains under the leadership of Brigham Young. After many hardships the company reached the valley of Great Salt Lake, July 24, 1847, and there founded Salt Lake City. Mr. Ricks remained on the Missouri river, however, until the spring of 1848, when he joined the great company under the leadership of Heber C. Kimball. This company consisted of twenty-four hundred and seventeen people, with seven hundred and ninety-two wagons, and was probably one of the largest caravans that ever crossed the plains. While on the Elkhorn river about thirty miles west of Omaha this company was attacked by Indians. Thomas E. Ricks, his son, and a number of other young men crossed the river on horseback to drive in some cattle that were feeding there, when the Indians opened fire on them. Thomas Ricks was wounded and left for dead by his companions. Mr. Ricks went to look for him as soon as he learned of the attack and while searching for his son was set upon by two Indians, one of whom fired on him when two or three feet away from him, but his gun missed fire. Mr. Ricks succeeded in eluding the Indian, rescued his son, and returned to the party. They continued their journey and arrived at the valley of the Great Salt Lake in September.

Mr. Ricks located at Bountiful, about twelve miles north of Salt Lake, and there erected a sawmill, remaining there during the winter of 1848-9. In the spring of the latter year he took up land at the foot of the mountains in Centerville, there made a home and continued to reside for nine years. Soon after locating at Centerville he engaged in the tanning business at Farmington, the county seat of Davis county. In 1854, while living at Centerville, he passed through the famine period caused by the grasshoppers and crickets. In fact the family experienced all of the hardships and privations of pioneer life and were connected with many events which have shaped Utah's picturesque and romantic history and promoted the development of the state. In the spring of 1858, when the territory was threatened with invasion by. the United States army under Johnston, all the Mormon settlers left their homes again and headed toward the desert region of Mexico. Mr. Ricks and his family went with the rest as far as Nebo, in the Juab valley, when peace was restored. He then returned to Centerville in July of that year. In the spring of 1859, in company with James Quayle and Justin Shepard, attracted by the glowing reports of the Cache valley, he left for that region to look it over. Arriving in Wellsville about the 1st of June, they found ten or twelve families who had built a few cabins and were engaged in putting in crops. They crossed the eastern side of the valley and rode along the foot of the mountains, coming to Providence bench, overlooking the bottom lands of the Logan river, at that time covered with a dense growth of willow and cottonwood trees. They also looked out over the sagebrush flat where Logan now stands. Not being able to cross the river to the north side, they rode down through the valley in what is now the college district and returned to Wellsville for the night. The Cache valley at that time was so cold that for several years after the arrival of the first settlers it was not an uncommon occurrence for the wheat to be frostbitten in July. Mr. Ricks decided to locate in the new valley and, returning to Farmington, began to make preparations for the removal of his family. On July 20th he took his wife, Sarah B., and her family and started for the valley, arriving three days later. He made a temporary camp on the present site of the Brigham Young College. Later he built a log cabin at the corner now occupied by the Thatcher Brothers Bank building and occupied that pioneer home. After putting up hay for the winter he returned to Centerville and brought his other family to Logan and built them a cabin on the brow of the hill where the residence of Moses Thatcher now stands, and from that time forward Mr. Ricks was identified with every step in the development of Logan and the Cache valley. In connection with Elzra T. Benson and others, he built the first sawmill and grist mill in Logan, and he also engaged in the tanning business, which at that time was a very important industry for early settlers. He was one of the first stockholders of the cooperative institutions which were organized in 1868, also a stockholder in the Deseret Telegraph Company, which was formed about the same time. For years he maintained a ferryboat on the Logan river on the west side of the valley and later he built there a bridge, which he presented to the county.

At the time of his death Mr. Ricks' descendants in the Rocky Mountain region numbered three hundred and seventy-seven. His first wife was Eleanor Martin. Having been born and reared on the frontiers of civilization, she did not enjoy the educational advantages accorded to those who come from older settled districts but was in every respect a true wife and noble woman. Her life was cast among the people and in a region where troubles and trials were the lot of all, but she never faltered in her duties or shirked her responsibilities. She wore out her life in the work of redeeming a wilderness and passed away in April, 1882. The second wife of Mr. Ricks was Sarah Beriah Fiske Allen, who was born in Potsdam, St. Lawrence county, New York, September 1, 1819, and was the sixth child of Vanum and Sarah (Eames) Fiske, who emigrated from New Hampshire to New York in 1817. Varnum Fiske was a son of Daniel Fiske and his wife was a daughter of Alexander Eames. Both of the grandfathers were soldiers of the Revolutionary war. On the 25th of December, 1837, Sarah B. Fiske became the wife of Ezra H. Allen and they took up their residence at Madrid, New York, where they spent a few years. In 1842 they outfitted and started for Nauvoo, Illinois, where they arrived early in the winter. In the following spring they moved up the river about twenty-five miles to Shokokon, where a new settlement was being made, but owing to the unhealthy conditions there they returned to Nauvoo and were present at the general conference which was held on the 6th of April inside the walls of the temple, this being the first time they had the privilege of seeing the prophet Joseph Smith. Mrs. Ricks was baptized there by Amasa Lyman and confirmed a member of the church. In 1846, on account of the continued persecution of people of their faith, they made preparations to move west. Mr. Allen, in company with Joel Ricks, made a trip to St. Louis to assist in bringing his stock to Nauvoo, in preparation for the westward journey. On the 27th of April, 1846, they crossed the Mississippi river, but on account of heavy rains and bad roads their progress was very slow. They finally arrived at Mount Pisgah, where they remained for some time, while the men of the party plowed the land and planted grain for the immigration that was expected to follow. They again resumed their journey, arriving ultimately at Council Bluffs. In July, 1846, a call was made for five hundred of the brethren to enlist in the service of the United States and this organization was known as the Mormon Battalion. Mr. Allen was among the volunteers, leaving with the company on the 16th. His wife being thus left alone, taught school in the summer of 1847. In 1848 some of the military company returned, bringing the sad news that Mr. Allen and two other men had been killed by Indians in the California mountains. A purse containing one hundred and twenty dollars had been found that belonged to Mr. Allen and was returned to her. In 1851 Mrs. Allen exchanged the gold dust for cash and goods, reserving enough to make a ring, which she wore until her death. She had a wagon built, purchased oxen and provision and in company with many others in the spring of 1852 started for Salt Lake, where they arrived on the 14th of September. There she was met by Joel Ricks, who had traveled with her and her husband in the east. He had been in Salt Lake four years, and upon her arrival he provided for her a home at Centerville, and on the 26th of October, 1852, they were married. Soon afterward Mr. Ricks engaged in the tanning business in Farmington, Davis county, their home being one of the first in that place. He continued in the business and also engaged in farming and stock raising until he became quite prosperous. After their removal to Logan, Cache county, in 1859, Mrs. Ricks for fifteen years, was wholly occupied with her family cares and strenuous labor incident to pioneer life. On May 18, 1874, she was chosen president of the First Ward Relief Society of that place, and the following ten years were spent in visiting the sick and earing for the poor, during which time she made many warm friends. On the 15th of December, 1888, Joel Ricks died, being then in his eight-fifth year. His wife survived him a little more than two and one-half years, and died June 12, 1891. They were devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and passed away in that faith. Their lives were guided by high principles and they passed to the home beyond leaving behind them a blessed memory enshrined in the hearts of all who knew them.