The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-11-15

Judge and Minister to the settlement.
a number Of villages are scattered Z.
along, which indicate comfort, but
the number of homesteads that would
pass for even decent In any I
American settlement, IS very small
The land Is by no means fertile, eZ.
cept in patches, and will require, not
only irrigation, but more than On
average amount Of cultivation. Il
at present there Is q great want OF
agricultural implements, and 1t IS q
s0nToe of wonder to me, how so many !
people can exist at ali with such IN
sufficient means Of living, especially
after the tenth part OF everything IS
paid In tithing.
There is no noticeable change IN
the condition OF the country IN the
entire distance. In nearing the city,
the traveller is greeted with none of
the indications of activity and thrift
that usually appear in the neighbor-
| hood of large towns. The natural
face of the country on this side is
| dreary, and makes the drive some
what monotonous, after the novelty
of the scene wears off. It looks bet
ter to the South and West. Hence
it is hardy fair TO Judge all by what /
Il ID AlCAN NO1SA0EACA ACSA4IA4y AA4NAANAH
Three miles south of the city the |
road leaves the lake to the southwest, |
and passes in rapid succession the |
Hot Springs and beautiful lakeIet OF |
| that name, and the wonderful Warm
Springs, where delightful bath may
be had at the small cost of one-fourth
of a dollar. Five hours after leaving
the railroad station, Zion is reached. |
The extent of the city may be infer
red when / tell you that it contains
between 10000 and $4,000 souls; that
the streets have a uniform width of
forty-four yards; that the squares or
blocks are two hundred and twenty
yards, or the eighth of a mile, IN each
dimension and that the smallest
resident lot is fifty-fve yards, by one
hundred and ten, or an acre and
quarter In size. The city is divided into
wards, which are twenty one In num-
Der, of nine squares each. giving each
an extent of four and one-half
+ miles, every front being six hun
dred and sixty yards, oruniformly
three blocks In each direction.
There are, consequently, one hundred
f and eighty nine squares IN the city,
D making in all, within the corporation,
excluding streets, ninety and
one-half miles. probably larger area
$ than that included within the cor
e porate limits of Evansville or Indian
d apolis. The plan is that of a rect.
e angle, the streets interesting each
: other at right angles and all branch
l ing from Temple Square. They are
t mentioned in reference to the loca-
0 ton of this block. Thus lying to the
east, East Temple Street No. 1, East
Temple Street No. 2, &c. TO the
west, north and south, it is the same.
The houses, though often cheaply
: built, are all neat, and not few arc
} decidedly elegant. Every lot is Gull
5 tivated and shaded; many have beau
} tiful walks and profuse garniture of
: flowers. The houses are generally
built of dobe, dressed with mastic
finish, and painted white or some
J and treble tenements, which may be
/ are here more rare, as the Polyga-
! nous Mormons in the city are more
likely to be men of wealth, who take
: separate house for each wife or
} batch of wives. The better class of
: residences are built in a massive and
substantial style, such as would credit
your beautiful city. Perhaps the
fact that a large proportion of the
J Mormons are from England, and
bring with them "reminiscences of the
cid country modes of building, has
} something to do with this; but what
, ever the cause, it is impossible to ex-
r anime the house of wealthy Nor
ION, without thinking that it does
: Z s look much like the habitation of
a man who regards his residence in
8 Utah as temporary and insecure.
5 But perhaps the most characteristic
feature of all the beauties of this new
J alter is the system of irrigation adopt
f ed by the Saints. Every avenue has
its brook or rill, called her secs, from
, the Spanish asequia; and as the sur
, face is everywhere nearly uniform
. inclined plane, the rapid streams
dancing over gravelly beds, and leap
ing ever now and then over
/ little dams or declivities in min
, iature. cataraets and rapids, lend
2 q charm to the landscape.
as Evansville, so penetrated by silver
4 streams that the pedestrian may at
$ any moment stoop and slake his thirst
f with the delicious beverage Of nature
Q One would hardly muster confidence
q enough In the purity of the beverage
t to do the like In any of our Eastern
D cities; but here one experiences no
9 misgivings. The water is seen to
!, como straight from the snowy sum-
: mits and rocky canons full in sight,
: it flows over rocky beds and through
t gravelly soil. The streets are scrupu-
: lousy clean, and the bed of the main
. current is paved with cobble stones.
J No man dare pollute, in any way, the
common stream, and thus it comes
t about that many Salt Lakers use the
Canon water In preference to the
l water of wells, though most we'll regu-
lated families are supplied with them
7 as convencies.
! The principal object of this brook
system IS, therefore, for the irrigation
OF gardens, which would be barren
wastes without it. The site of the
} city is, as you are probably aware, be-
tween the two beautiful bodies of
water. the Utah Lake and the Great
Salt Lake. The classic" Jordan
not the stream dear to the Church
| Universal, but the Jordan of the Lat
ter-Day Church-foWs from the first
Of the two named seas into the briny
depths of the other. In its course
across the valley, it only skirts to the
city, and lying down in the basin, is
useless, as yet, for irrigation.
Brigham Young has a plan Of con-
structing grand canal from Utah
Lake to the city, by way of the lower
bench of the Wasatch Chain, a plan
which will cost millions of dollars,
and fertiliZe anormo1s swans If hor