Richmond is located fourteen miles north of Logan in Cache County. In July of1859 Agrippa Cooper camped at Bowers Springs on the southwest boundary ofRichmond with his wife and son. Additional families settled in the area duringthe autumn of that year; they included John Bair, William H. Lewis, FrancisStewart, and Robert D. Petty. A total of seventeen families spent the winter inthe area. An influx of new settlers arrived in the spring of 1860 and the landwas planted and roads were built. Ditches were dug to obtain water from CherryCreek, and a dam was built across City Creek for irrigation purposes.

Brigham Young visited Richmond in 1860 and advised the settlers to move closertogether for protection, in case of an Indian raid. A fort was built at presentCenter Street. In 1861 Richmond was surveyed by Jessie Fox, the territorialsurveyor, and property assigned. One hundred four claims were made for landafter the townsite was laid out.

It is not known how Richmond received its name, but some believe it was inhonor of LDS Church apostle Charles C. Rich. Others think that the name camefrom the deep rich mound of soil located on the alluvial fan made by the waterscoming from Cherry Creek and City Creek; other believe that it was named afterRichmond, Virginia, by "homesick" southern settlers. Richmond was incorporatedas a city on 26 February 1868.

Among Richmond's early industries were a shingle mill, gristmill, sawmill, andthe Richmond Co-operative Mercantile Store, built in 1866. Cache Valley is agreat dairy and cattle area, and Richmond boasted of having the first creameryin the area. In 1896 the Utah Plow Factory was started; it produced plows,bobsleds, iron harrows, and cultivators. Other early businesses included twolivery stables, a furniture store, and a tin shop. In the 1870s and 1880sRichmond was second to Logan in manufacturing in Cache County. The Sego MilkPlant began operation in 1904 and became a thriving industry for the area.Before its closure it was owned by Western General Dairies, Inc. Today themajor industries in Richmond are Pepperidge Farms, Lower Food, and Heart toHeart (which manufactures low-fat yogurt products).

A major event in Richmond is the annual Black and White Days celebration. Itwas started in 1913 to promote and stimulate an interest in better qualitydairy cattle. The event has evolved from driving the cattle into the oldtithing yard with judges riding horses through the herd to pick out theaward-winning animals to its present status as one of the largest exclusiveHolstein dairy shows in the United States, with its own permanent grounds andpavilion. The event is held each year in May and draws exhibitors fromthroughout the Intermountain West.

Richmond has had religious diversity since territorial times. The ReorganizedChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized in Richmond in the1870s and continued there until 1903. The 1890 census showed Richmond withthirty-three Reorganized Church members. In 1883 the Presbyterian Church openeda school in Richmond. The school was held in a log house and was taught byJennie McGintie, who remained for about a year and a half until the arrival ofa Reverend Mr. Renshaw, who took charge of the Presbyterian congregations inFranklin, Richmond, and Smithfield. Richmond's Presbyterian school closed in1907.

The Richmond LDS Ward was organized in the spring of 1860. An additionalchapel was built in 1917. The Benson Stake Tabernacle, erected in 1903, wascondemned in 1962 following an earthquake, and a new Benson Stake Center wasbuilt and dedicated in 1964. The stake center serves seven wards in Lewiston,Cove, Cornish, Trenton, and Richmond. Richmond now has five LDS wards.

Richmond had a growth of around 1,000 people from 1940 to 1970. A period ofgrowth began in the 1970s, and according to the 1990 census the population was1,955.