Frémont explored the area in 1843, and the Mormon Trail crossed the Bear River south of Evanston.
Fur trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company began to penetrate the area, exploring south from the Snake River as early as 1812. The river valley was inhabited by the Shoshone people. Approximately 350 miles (560 km) long it is the longest river in North America that does not ultimately reach the sea. It flows through northeastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and back into northern Utah, in the United States. The Bear River is the largest tributary of the Great Salt Lake, draining a mountainous area and farming valleys northeast of the lake and southeast of the Snake River Plain. Corinne, Utah, 4 miles (6.4 km) from the mouth
