The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-06-27
BEAR LAKE.,
a Dissertation on a Number OF
Matters.
BEAR LAKE VALLEY,
June 10Th, 1880.
Editor Herald :

ls your time 10 come and eiay I'LL
i, September, and when sou leave you
=. can not fail to give to give our valley
3 "puh" IN your paper. You may
? then go to Arizona, stay there from
S three to four months, return to Sail
e Lake City, mount your editorial tri
\ pod, ana your account of that coun-
3 try would be as flattering as OF ours,
perhaps more 80. If, however, by
: some mistake, yoa should happen to
go to Arizona first, and then up here
/ afterwards. your account of both
places. fear. would be very dam
| aging. This would 60 to show that
both north and south have their good
and bad sides and seasons, ano
3 ought to teach people TO remain
where they are, provided health is not
suffering and they are able to make
living; and ifa man can provide for
his family anywhere, think he can
do 90 here, il ne is willing TO work,
! If not, he may as we'll go, and keep
going; he is of no use III any com.
munity. | believe there are men
here who have made money by grow
! ing grain, but they are very few; and
l believe will be lever In the future.
We are too far from market for
anybody to raise grain and compete
with the lower valleys, but it will pay
anybody to raise what grain lie needed
for nome consumption.
We used to have a good out
let for oats on the Montana
Stage Line, but the U. & N. r. K.
has killed that stone dead; 80 if we
derive po benefit from it We can at
least share the injury it has done.
For agriculture l must say that this
valley has no equal, but many
superior places. Not so with "st0ck
raising" l believe 1t has neither
equals nor superiors in this respect.
Cattle Of the same age weigh from
100 to $50 pounds more than the
cattle in the lower valleys, and always
good market for them, there being
stock buyers here almost any week
between spring and fall. who pay
good prices and take them right from
our corrals. Stock men ara finding
this out and hundreds and thousands
OF horses and cattle have been driven
up here during the last few years
from the south. So many indeed,
that we have begun to see the neces-
sity of fencing cur hay land, where
like lot of savsges, We have allowed |
the stock 10 roam in the summer, |
and cut for feed what was left; but
since, the stock has increased 80 that
there is none left, and hence the
opening of our eyes. Bad as it
sounds, state the truth, when 1 say
that from ten to twelve square miles, |
containing some OF our very best hay
land. is lying exposed for the want of
three miles Of fence, and what makes
it still worse is that one man alone |
offered to put upon one-quarter. and |
another one-aixth; there are about forty
or fifty interested in the piece. ALI
desire it fenced most earnestly, but
! then it takes work, hateful WORK, the
direct cause Of our first parents apple
scrape. They are like the sailors who
never pray IN fair weather because
it is unnecessary, nor in storm be-
cause there is no time. They are
very sincere in their desire to fence in
the spring, but water is up so they
cannot get across, and in the fall
well who thinkG of fencing in the falli
The mountains are full OF timber, |
though the belt OF pines that runs
from the head Of Blacksmith Fork, |
nearly to Soda Springs, distance of
about sixty miles, which was the |
pride of the country and has been !
the cause of so many golden dreams
to lumber men, partly went up in
smoke last summer; yet there Is
plenty left to fence every foot worth |
fencing and to spare; but to get it
takes work, which is too bad. You
will think from this that we have
some Incidence. We have, and !
would like to trade it for industry.
Intellectually We are. of course, a
strange considering We are only con-
necled with the outside world by one
wire, and that but little used, and
tri-weekly uncertain mail, which,
whatever it may do in letters, ought
to bring IN twice as many newspapers,
for | think it will be tate to cay that
there are mere families here than
there are papers taken, and q great
many take more than one; but man
travelling through this valley will fnd
many houses where nothing readable
is to be found, save a carefully pre-
served pile OF almanacs. This l
know. Neither are books as plenti-
ful as book agent" could wish, as
it is always easier to sell man the
second book than the first. Yet We
are not destitute of books, fer from it.
Indeed, l think ne compare favor
ably with other places similarly
located. Wait till We get our taste
for literature little more developed;
then will be the time for Jas. Dryer
to establish 6 branch Office here.
thereby adding to his own pile" and
our store Of literary treasures.
a person coming here now OF q
literary cast of mind would be likely
to suffer for the want of congenial
associates at times. We are Only
about seven to eight years behind
Cache Valley, which is saying a good
deal, as l consider Cache up TO
any place north OF Salt Lake City.
There are fourteen to fifteen
schools here scattered nom Lake
Town to George Town, but few, l
fear, it will do 10 brsg on. There Is
no school here yet where the aspiring
ones can qualify Themselves for teach
ers, and with very few exceptions
land that in favor Of the ladies, J
none have felt the thirst OF knowledge
sufficiently, or had the will, pluck or
grit to leave home and go below for
education. Besides, teachers have
; not had much encouragement.
4 Schools have been let too much on
the United States contract principle,
viz: To the lowest bidder, and not
always like the United States to the
lowest responsible one. 1 believe
$50 or $50 per month has been con.
sidered "big pay"
The sabject of establishing high
school has been mentioned, but not
aired yet, and suppose will, like all
I other things of public importance or
benefit, drag and be combated by
. ignorance. There is some intellectual
ability growing up wild, that, by the
/ aid of good training, would be sure
. to shine in small circles. Here, as lie
! our sister valley, the young ladies are
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