Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-23
Great Salt Lake.


Among the great natural curiosiies Of
North America, the great saline body Of
water in Utah territory, known rs Great
Salt Lake stands in tho first order, The
lake Itself is not Individually y 50 great u GU
rosity rs when viewed in connection with
surrounding corrclatiyc indications, which
giyo us u combination of natural wonders
truly astounding, The water makes show
that the lake IS now II mere remnant Of
what WAS one Of the mighty water colltc-
tions Of the earh--pcrhaps of II body Of
water that spread itself throughout the
whole Utah basin, Provo lake, II body Of
water distant perhaps scycnty-iivo miles
from the great lake is surrounded by lndi-
cations of like character that directly
point to an early period when its indiyidu-
ality. was lost within the limits of a mighty
STA that ,i,vi Dvu both ltsvir anu urvot pdlr
Lake
Along the base of the mountain walls of
the valley, if we may SO term the limits of
the basin, are distinct water marks, Of var-
GUS elevations They are clearly disccrna-
bic at u distance of twenty-five miles, the
more elevated being from seventy five to
one hundred feet above the level Of the
valley, They are almost conclusive cvi-
dcnce that II great sea once existed in Utah
valley, whose breakers had left the mark Of
their power indcntcd upon the rocky front
of their mountain confines, as a monument
of their power The different elevations of
the water marks show the gradual dcclinn-
ton Of this sea from body Of water Gov
cring, may be, tens Of thousands of square
miles 10 the present sanous body of about
sixty miles in length and forty or fifty in
width This presumption is strengthened
by the existence, throughout the entire val
ley, Of aquatic deposits such as shells, pet
riicd fishes, water-worn rocks, &c.
Upon this theory the inference may be
drawn that Great Salt Lake is gradually di-
mmishng; but this is not the casc; il is
now reduced TO n basis of fixed causes which
will give it pcrpctuity.in its present extent.
The moisture Of the atmosphere Of those
lattudcs is sufficient to always keep it sup
piled with II uniform quantity Of water
The melting snow Of the mountains swols
the rivers in the spring and summer that
empty into it, and when this melting is pre-
vented by the GOODNESS Of the fall and win
ter those rivers fall, and by evaporation the
lake rapidly declines the evaporation car
rying off more water than the streams de
posit Ii is in this declining condition that
coarse salt is obtained from the beach Of the
lake in quantities I'D nfHitlm. Now, 50
long as the meteorological system prevails,
the lake must coutiuuc the same us now
No theory is settled upon by scientific
-; -, - Ia the cause of the sultry nature Of
the lakes. we nave an opinion ct our own,
which we believe to be rational The riy-
ers cmptying into it-Canaan, Jordan. Web
ber, MaIade and numerous smaller streams
head in the mountains, whore they are
supplied by myriads of mountain brooks.
some of which undoubtedly have their
source in salt springs, These brooks i'm
pregnate the great water carriers of the
lake with salt-to SO small an extent, though
1t be, that 1T is not perceptible to the taste
and they carry it into the lake, where il
must forever remain and accumulate, rs
evaporation increases the proportion Of tho
salt to the water. The salt may have been
carried TO the lake over hundred miles,
and It has perhaps been accumuating there
for thousands of years; and thus it must
continue TO accumulate through all time if
Wv 'hlllN NilVuli W lntNlduhllDIc.
The volcanic indications surrounding the
lake nrc peculiarly impressive, and could
well be made the subject of tho natural phi
Iosophers study. The whole face of the
country appears to have passed through
caloric influence OF the intenscSt character
Enormous rocks fringe its margin, which
are charred as black us ebony from the ope-
ration OF heat, and their lragmcntmy con
dition bcSp'al. the mighty commissions which
they passed through Near the lakes cen
tire there is quite a large island, upon which
these volcanic indications are equally en-
phatic. This island is very fertile and is
owned by the church, which institution
holds it for the exclusive purpose of graz
mg All the stock which comes into the
tithing oilicc-all Mormons are compelled
to pay one tenth Of everything that they
make or raise To the church-arc taken to
this island, and there must be thousands Of
head upon it. 1t is reached by small sail
ing vessels. So extremely salt is the water
of Salt Lake that piscatory life is impossi- .
bic. Its average depth is fifty icct-Port- /
land (Oregon) Ncrs