In February 1891, the Bluemel brothers, Henry John and William Oswald Will, came from Randolph, Utah, to the Bench to establish the first homesteads after the Army opened the area to homesteading. The area was named the Bench because its elevation is higher than the post headquarters at Fort Bridger. After staking claims, Will returned to Randolph to bring back their father, Henry Carl, to help build the first house, a small one-room log structure with a dirt roof. Henry Carl and Will then returned to Randolph to care for their family while Henry John spent the first winter alone in the home. Will married Emily Louise Pearce in 1894 and brought her to his homestead. In 1895, Henry John married Melissa Jane Stewart, daughter of James Wesley Stewart, a scout in the Brigham Young party. Their younger sister, Mary Elizabeth, visited, met James Wiley Stewart, a son of James Wesley Stewart, and later married him. As the area grew, the first community center was built on this site, measuring 18 by 30 feet, and served as the first church, school, community hall, and general meeting place before being replaced by a larger building in another location. The Henry John homestead remains in the ownership of his descendants, who bought part of the William Oswald homestead to accommodate their growing family.