Located in the top of the Rocky Mountains is Rendezvous Country, Land of the Sky Blue Water. High mountains mirrored in the turquoise waters of Bear Lake and valleys, traversed by the meandering Bear River, provide a striking physical setting for a historical heritage boasting of cowboys, Indians, mountain men and hearty pioneers.

Native Americans prized the the Bear Lake valley as prime hunting ground as well as a meeting place. It was such a gathering in 1819 that Donald McKenzie first saw and named the area for the abundance of black bears. Black Bears Lake, quickly shortened to Bear Lake, was the site of two fur trader-trapper Rendezvous held during the summers of 1826 and 1827. Such notables as Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger, William Ashley and Tom Fitzgerald were in attendance. The south end of the valley was described as a “lighted city” at one of these gatherings where fur traders, Indians and suppliers met to trade for traps, supplies and furs.