Travel and settlement across the rugged Bear Lake Valley were strongly shaped by its hydrologic features, as shifting rivers, sloughs, and marshes created natural barriers, flooded often, forced the relocation of routes and fords, and sometimes required washed-out bridges to be rebuilt or replaced. Native American tribes, and later mountain men, frequented the valley before Mormon pioneers settled there in 1863, while to the north migrants traveled along the Oregon/California Trail toward other destinations. Early settler roads shown on a map based on George M. Wheeler's 1877 expedition included a long route running north from Ovid to Soda Springs before returning south to the Cache Valley, and another through Emigration Canyon. The designation of the 42nd parallel north as the border with Utah later caused confusion for settlers who had expanded northward. Reliable roads and bridges remained a major concern, reflected in a March 4th, 1872, court record reading, "A note from D.P. Kimball was read urging the court to appro. a sufficient amount to secure the Ovid Outlet Bridge from being washed away by high water." The Bear River flows northward through the valley, then turns south into the Cache Valley and eventually drains into the Great Salt Lake. Railways later improved regional transit, including the "Ping Pong" railway between Paris and Montpelier, where it connected with the Oregon Short Line Railroad; its nickname came from the sound of the train engine's bell. Bridge crossings also evolved over time, as wooden pilings marked an earlier bridge before the concrete Ovid Creek East Bridge was built in 1934, and that structure was replaced in 2014 by a new bridge built to current highway standards.