The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-07-14
A Visit to Grass and Rabbit
Valleys and Fish Lake.
Editors Herald:

City passing through Utah county
also Juab and Sanpete counties to
Sewer county. at GunnisOn [ was
joined by Bishop Madsen Of that
place, and by Pretident F. Spencer
OF Sewer stake at Glenwood, and on
the 9th of June we passed over the
mountains twenty-five miles 10 the
east of GlenWood, climbing about
LOGO to the summit passing
Kings meadows, a green little
valley fed by springs. Two
families occupy this ranch
and raise wheat, 1t is cosy little
place, secluded in the mountains.
Descending gradually we came to
Burville in irass Valley; about five
miles south of BuFYille ISKOoShurom
tan Indian name of clover or grass
between the two places is q red
cedar grove of thirty acres. We
attended Sunday school jubilee in
a boWery IN The midst Of this grove
and 1t was grand success. II. p.
Miller is county superintendent.
Grass Valley is about 1000 feet
above sea level and crops look well
but very late. After enjoying meet
lngs here we crossed another range
of mountains twenty miles to Rab-
bit Valley, OF abou6 the same alti-
tude as Grass Valley. Several
hundred acres of wheat look
well in this valley. We en-
jOyed another jubilee here and
meetings, and it was a wonder
where the people came from to fill
the house and a boWeTy that was
attached to it. as the settlement is
81 altering up and down Dirty Devil
stream, as it was named by the
surveying party who formerly sur.
veyed the county, as below this
place in the time of rain the stream
became very muddy, etc. 1t is now
named Fremont, US also a town laid
out, and just above Thur Der. On
the 30th ultimo we climbed up the
mountains 13 miles, and above 1000
feet, and saw one Of the wonders of
nature, a little sea 9,20G feet above
sea level Astounding with
multitude of three kinds
of trout. While passing over
the rim into the valley and lake
some of the company cried out
Switzerland" The lake runs from
the head to the northeast and is
about seven miles long and in the
widest place one and a half miles.
1t consists of three lakes, the larg-
est about five miles long and vary
ing fromOne mile to one and half
in width. The second lake is con-
nected by canal Of one fourth of a
mile and is about one mile wide and
a little more than that in length. a
canal Of about fifty feet connects
still smaller lake and then comes the
only outlet known, which is twelve
feet wide; then with considerable
fall it draws the surplus water off,
and forms a beautiful stream and
turns south and waters Rabbit Val
ley, and as the water is not at this
time sufficient, forty of the
farmers are tapping the lake. A
dam was put in at the level Of the
lake, only temporarily, however, SO
as to work out the outlet twelve
feet wide and eighteen or twenty
inches deep, and as the fall in
creased lessen dimensions for about
one-fOurth or three-eighths of
mile down the outlet. On the 5th
of July, after gate had been put in
where dam could with very little
expense be made to raise the lake
three feet or more higher than it is,
if necessary, the temporary dam
was taken GU and a stream passed
through the gate twelve feet
wide and eighteen inches deep,
drawing off the mud from the small
est lake with force, the lake being
now twelve inches lower than its
high water mark, which will make
now three and One-half feet of
matchmaking this one of the best
natural reservoirs in the country
land why not make many such in
the CottonwoOds, City Greek, and
other places just as Well?) Thou
sands of acres may be added to the
acreage already titled in Rabbit
Valley, which is large and grow.
ing country, and with this grand
water supply is Invaluable to its
citizens. AS to the depth of those
lakes no one can tell, for as yet
the bottom of the largest and
head one co2ld not be found
with one 100 fees of line.
Where these mountains meet the
APPROX mate depth was thought to
about 500 feet high. Again, the
west side, by reason of the gradual
slope, can be passed and is the only
feasible pass for teams through the
lake for one and a half miles, and is
an average of knee deep to horse
VIXEN the slope is again reached at
Twin Creeks, where the Gunnison
company camped and took from
those brooks about fifty trout,
and it was a beautiful and
pleasant sight to see thirty
persons feasting on fresh trout,
all seated around a temporary table
under the pines on the green. These
twin creeks are formed from
one stream headed in the noun
tains, fed from springs and snow
beds yet visible, and about 400 yards
from their interception of the lake.
One of those streams is turned into
the other, and in the shallow water
the fish from one to one and a half
pounds can be picked up with the
hand. tboO tho other stream. Ia ra