The New York herald., 1877-11-18
Amazing Fertility Of It's Bunch
Grass Covered Valleys.
ITS MINERAL TREASURES.
Mountain Scenery Rivalling The Most Famous
Old World Wonders
A MAGNIFICENT CANYON.

cause Il was 50 sterile and God forsaken region that
they believed nobody would be inclined 10 follow them
into IT, Utah OF the nost agricultural sections
OF the continent The soil OF iis valleys Is amazingly
and fertile To produce crops has indeed To DO
Irrigated, abundance Of water from thousand
mountain streams is ready tor tho purpose Whom tho
Mormons ars entered Salt Lake Valley, In ls47 they
found spread out before them anything but desert
waste. Fremont who previously crossed the valley,
Z had Justly described It. magnificent grazing land
The grass for miles around the spring where Brigham
, Young ana hts party slakad their thirst and made
their nights encampment stood higher than their
horses grths, aud the animals rolled In Il and got fat
It. Further south. In the more desolate parts OF
Ihe Territory, little herbage except sage brush
greasewood and rabbitbush But wherever the soil s
! turned by a plough and iaved by water It responds
with q proiuse harvest Brigham Young, who had
diligently studied the narratives Of Fremont and other
explorers who went before him, really aimed tho
richest possession the interior of North America
MINERAL WEALTH.
Rich this Territory not only In soil and beathful
climate, bat In minerals also-gold. silver ana pre-
cious stones, Determined AZ the prophet was upon
keeping the multitude Of his followers q state
I, OF dependency aud scrfdom he did not encourage
mining enterprises In fact the mineral wealth OF
Utah not known, although was suspected, until
about tho OF she completion OF tho Pacific rail-
roads Then, greatly 70 tho disgust OF Brigham and
his counsciiors, Gentle miners from California and
I Nevada began 70 thcr way In through the can
yons Of the Wasatch and O?uirrh ranges and search
l out rich leads and lay claim 10 thcm un
dor United States law, and borc big holes
inso them and pack primitive mining machinery
: 70 them and get out ore and reduce Is TO
bullion. BY and by these ..cusscd Gentlles," as
Brigham called them rnado some extraordinary dis
soveries OF mines which have since ranked with the
richest and tho most famous the Far Wost The
great Emma NINE splendid mine STILL IN spite OF tho
Iisehoods ISLANDERS with which II has boon pelted
the Flagstaff, the Ontario, tho OLD Telegraph and the
Hidden Treasure mines among these discoveries
( From tho nrst all the mines have been worked by
Gcnules, who have invested In mining mercantile,
railroad and other enterprises more cash capital than
Brigham Young and his 100000 dupcs ever used IN
active business Very true il is that tho Mormon
grants have brought vast sums OF money, consisting
savings OF industrious years, to Utah. But tho
destAA Of this capital legitimate Instead
Of going to build enterprises Of public utility, or 70
establish free schools and liberal education for
Masses only helped enrich and increase tho power
the scoundrcl OF the Lion House and his
special pets among the priesthood With rational
laws and far opportunities the mines Of Utah would
great number Of capitalists ana develop
aston ishing wealth.
MOUNTAIN SCENERY.
II is In mountain scenery, however, that Utah
passes most other Western The celebrated
mountain regions OF Caiifornia--the Yosemite, the
Taon-scarcoy exceed in grandeur OF the de1lcs
cins and valleys Of the Wasstch Professor Hayden
his assistants brought back TO the East pho
tographs Of scenes in the Wasach Mountains about
Eve years ago The Professor sont me copies OF tho
6nest photographs, some OF which found their way,
transposed wood cuts into the pages OF illustrated
Eastern magazine. Two OF the exquisite pictures
Cd NO thA nf he Inn md
an oil painting IRON the brush or Belgian painter 4
compiled from parts OF three OF Professor Hayden's
photographs exhibited In the Salon at Paris in
1874 None OF these pictures, exquisite though they
were represented the nobess mountain views which
accessible within days ride from Salt Lake City.
The valley Of salt Lake, commanded tho by the
WAsatch peaks and the by the submits Of tho
Oquirrh cham, Is accessible either side through
canyons moro or less grand and picturesque. Among
the most scenic and precptous the canyons called
Big and Little Cottonwood and American Fork Tho
latter the superb canyon Utah. and far
passes In Wild beauty any gorge OF tho Rocky Noun
tsins
Releasing myself from the Mormon nightmare,
rscsniy made pilgrimage up through this canyon
and into tho heart Of the Wasatch Mountains sketch
Of which may perhaps, interest readers who iond
, Of glorious views and amusing adventurca
The Utah Southern Railroad leads down Salt Lakc
Amert
can Fork, forty miles below Salt Lake CITY, a narrow
gauge railway Is built eastward tho valley TO
the mountains and thence up the sinuous bottom Of
, American Fork Canyon. twelve miles to Deer Creek,
noar the canyons head The heat whom left
she city tho early morning was intense tho ther-
mometer reached In July 102 degrees In tho shadc)
A. American Fork tho narrow gauge train ior Tho
canyon mado mp Of q dummy locomotive. two
platform loaded with curious freight for mountain
boarding houses and miners, box car for tho accom-
modaiion OF the conductor and three Mormon women
In calico dresses and short calico sscques with waist
buttons just under their shoulder bladcs and
swo platform IN tho Tor passengers interested
In scenery. About thrco miles from American Fork
the gigantic mountains began loom nearly overhead
and the mouth OF the canyon visible IL looked
II Titan In past age had, with sledgc as big
~ Mormon temple, smotc the mountain asunder,
huring the fragments afar. Half mile up the cliffs
either side 1000 feet above tho torrent which
Toars down beside the railway. Such clins Such
rock formationsl The strata OF the rocks twisted,
gnaried, distorted into every conceivable shape.
Hero q mass seeming like tho nbro OF somo
colossal tree which lightning had taken hold
OF and wrenched and burnt to ghastiy
sinder; thorc a huge overhanging mass weighing
millions Of tons composed apparently Of segregated
fragments. all threatening to iall and ruin. High up
N the afr, orosts and ridges OF limestone and granite
assume the sirangest forms Towers, battiements,
shattered castles aud tho Images OF mighty sentnels
exhibit their outlines against the sky. Whore the
rocks dccsvs the eye with phantasics they
stained with rch stern coIors, lko those which adorn
she cliffs which above the profound abysses Of tho
great Colorado Ravine Eyrcs OF eagles arc pointed
out by the conductor, and there, up high above the
loiest crag, cago scanning with platve
eyes she tlo railway train struggling up the canyon,
5000 below his fight Some eight miles from tho
mouth of the canyon and 5000 cet above It's bed
sbere arch through tho rock at the summit on
sno north side through which the blue sky Is seen.
Tins arch, called The Eye" seems about as big as
mans head. IL Is my feet high and eighteen iest
vide. Over II stands rec. which appears like
stun sed bush; It Is seventy dvo feet nigh and It's top
most branches are invorite perchcs OF eagles
uonxos MINERS THEIR mousrAIS HORSES