The Evening critic., 1882-11-17
IN THE LAND oF TIE urss.

A Critic" COrresponient Writes Of
salt Lake city nnd Of thc Ute
Country-Pccuiinriti of the Utes
Their Country and How tO Get
There aud what IN Bono After Az
irving.
FoRT THoRSBURG, U. H., Nov. @, 1882.
spcolal Correspondence of THE EvFNISu CRfric.
hayo now boon In the land Of tho Uto for
nearly three months, au1 whilo ono suffers
considerable disturbance OF mind and body In
reaching hcrc, after arrival thoro Is mlcht
be seen that can be met nowhere else In INC
Lake city on n Mormon railroad train, the dos.
tiny OF which was, 10 large part controlled
by u Polygumist conductor, ana my entire limo
while aboard OF Il, nourly two hours, was oo.
cupled In unsatisfactory endoavors 10 1nd tho
distinguishing marks between the Mormon
and Gentllo pnssGngers. ! was fortunate IN
hotel, whore slept the first night without
being visltod by the ghost OF brigham Young
or that Of other OF his apostles "gono before
worship tn thc Mormon Temple.
During my stny, visited the tompls, and
In the midst OF IL sat in an humble way gaz-
ing upon the multitude as II gathered. Tho
female attendants came In squads, usually
unaccompanicd by tho opposite gender There
was an unusual amount OF modesty displayed
In dress and dcmoanor. All looked as II they
lived well, and some OF them were badly out OF
proportion In size and figure. The great hlyo
was crowded when tho hour was at hand for
the ceremonies TO begin, which were lnnugu.
II, u
hundred mixed voiccg accompanie1 by the
organ. on either side OF the principal
bishops were seated tho bald.heHded
apostles OF the church, all OF whom looked
wisc I'm their own conceit, and who gazed pro-
foundly at the orator, Wllford Woodruff, as he
lmploted his brethren to "stand together" In
the faith AT the height Of his enthusiasm
he caused my tender franc to shudder whom
he announced, "Well bo damned II we give
up our rcligion" satisfied that Mormon,sm
and pOllgamy would, after such an announce.
mont, continue TO reign, world without end,
crept nOlselcssly out OF tho tabernacle ana
took n Wow of the great temple, which has
been In course OF construction for tho past
quarter OF a century and which IA yet far from
being completed. | was reliably informed
that tho ignorant faithful have been anu are
stlll paying their mites toward the finishing
Of this great edlnce. That to keep up the
courage Of the contributors, those who have
the handling anu distribution OF the immonse
fund occasionally have u stone liked In place.
Life in Salt Lake city.
The houses OF public resort and barrooms
are kept closed on the Sabbath, the police, who
are Mormon, being extremely vlgllant, In tho
hopes OF pouncing down on some unsuspeot-
Ing and onterprizlng Gentle yender OF spirits
that the Mormon coffors may BIO swelled.
on Monday / went out 10 the great Salt Lake
and enjoyed bath. The water has con-
sstency OF thirteen per cent. OF salt, and
therefore Is very bouyant The ordinary bath
Ing suit is used by the patrons, who are taxed
bather is cautioned 70 keep his feet and legs
down and head and hands up, lest he gulps
produce strangulatlon. You cannot sink In
the water, neither can you swim, so there Is
little pleasure to one who Is accustomed TO the
Eastern surf and nata;orium.
The streets OF salt Lake City ordinarily pre-
| sent an animated appearance. Everybody ap-
| pears to be going somewhere and the stores
pre- sent u lively appearance.
The ladies patronl2e the streets to goodly
extent and are very cosmopolitan in attire.
They, as u class are not handsome, and tho
| Mormons look away at the sight OF the thing
they call n Gentle,
En- Route for Utedom.
Transportation was furnished for our COM
| pany, which comprised tho Uto Commission
| and Major Thibant, of the Regular Army, en-
| route to his post at Fort Thornburgh, by GEN
| eral McCook at Camp Douglass, to take us
| down into tho indian country. Tho outfit was
| commanded by Captain Penney, and all told,
numbered sixteep souls, four four-mule
teams and two saddle horses. An early
| start was made from Camp Douglas, the
| prettiest post In the country, and by sunrise
\ Salt Lake was lost 70 view In the distance. We
entered Farley Canon, and for miles travelled
| narrow rocky road, our way inclosed on
| either side by the rugged, brown sides OF the
| mountains. Day after day our path was over
| broken, and, at times, almost impossible
ways, the trip now and then relieved by tho
| presence OF some mountain stream. These
| creeks, rivers as they are called In this coun'
try, abound with fish, and the water Just down
from the snowy tops OF the Rockies requires
| no Ice when used rs beverage.
| Dufy OF the Commission Explained
one of the first individuals We came across
was Utah Norman stnge-driyer, who stooc
near tho entrance OF a station and enlightened
number Of tho tough looking populace
"Them's tho Ute Commissioners, Soin' down
10 put the InJuns on IA farm" 20 which his
listeners responded In chorus: "Ill be ID.
The fourth morning out, after haltlng for an
hour TO straighton up one OF our frelgh
wagons, which carried provisions, and which
the driver had, in endeayoring TO convince us
OF Robert NewtOn's theory and that the
buttered side OF the bread always turn;
to the ground, turned up SIDE doWn
our team emerged from the timber at neigh
OF 5000 feet above tho sea level, and We went
down into strawberry Valley, the head OF thu
Ute Indian reservation, and which the Unitot
States surveyor recommends shall be slbdl
vlded for Indian location. But in the winte
season, IT was afterward learned, no human
being could stand the cold there. AT the enc
| OF eight days, during which time tho Commits
eioner examined the streams and lands OF th
Indian domain and the surveying that hat
been partly completed, we reached Fort Thorn
burg, making IN afternoons stop at thu
Ulntah Agency, the headquarters for tn
White River and Uintnh Ute Indians. Here
met the first Ute had ever been called upoi
10 witness, and for the fret time thought o
how my Italian barber In tho East might b
deprived suddenly of future earnings he ha'
calculated upon.
The Commission Arrives at Thorn
burgh.
At Thornburgh, named after the lamente
Thornburgh, who was killed by the Utos tw
years since, we were royalty received by tn
Commapdant, Captain Hawkins, and MS stan
|
General McCook's outilt being compelled TO n
turn TO Salt Lake, the Commission was turne
over to tho tender mercies ef Captain Hawkins
The needed transportation for the Commits
sions visits TO the Ouray and Ulntah Reserve
tions was soon supplied, and since then tn
Commission has been going 10 and fro anon
the Uutes located thereon, investigating thei
work, obtaining their Ideas as 10 tho nea
future and arranging for their location upo
their lands in seyeralty, In obedience 10 the VI
| agreement entered Into with them In 1850 an
the inetruction of the Honorable Secretary Q
the Interior. The surveyors have not yet con
| pleted the subdivision of these lands,an Will
, the greater portion of them are barron an
useless these IL ample for the Indlans-wh
: | on these two reservations number close ont
three thOusand--if 1t is properly irrigated
which can be easily done at a small cost, an
which, ] understand, the Commission Is a
arranging for. Sufllce 1t to say that the Con
mission Is doing Its work 10 the satisfaction
, the indian, which Will no doubt be approve
by the Interior Department.
The Ute Country and the Dweilel
Therein.
Iwlll leave the Commission at work and o
tighten you briefly as 10 who live here al
what they do for living. Tho military po
l and the agencies are reached by three dine
{ ent trails from the railroad. From Gree
River City, Carters Station and Salt Lake, O
OF them dinlcult TO travel, the Salt Lake rot
: having the preference. This post is locat ID