The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-03-05
The Land of the Mormons.


lHt h1oh loiONo Tic UuulllSOu IlVeI lllU(
the Black canyon, SO called from its dark
over hanging rocks. The moon has Just
risen, and silvers the colossal. folded cliffs
whose feet are bathed by the Glnnnison
it illumines the smooth, watery plains
and its rays are lost in broken sparkles
where the stony barriers of the river bee
beat the water into writhing, creamy foam
Looking from above, the contour of the
rocky chasm must be eurvilinear. and
these frequent curves augment the beauty
OF the river pass. An impenetrable wal
OF rocks seems to bar the way. and then q
quick turn diseloses an open vista of stone
boutfd highway and silvered stream :wnite
river mists wreathe the unresponsive
cliffs, and the soft glamour Of moopshiue
wells each rude outline. On the right hand
are the Falls of Chipeta manned after the
wife OF Ouray, the Ute chief -leaping in
pure, polished Veloeity7 over the arched
rocks, and spreading in wells of ilmy glass.
where they join the river. On the left
towers Currecanti needle, about 500 feet
III height, in contour like an Egyptian
obelisk. and like them red-hued.
The route next lies past Montrose,
through the Uncompahgre Valley. past
Delta, still following the Gunnison, till it
joins the Grand at Grand junction. Be-
tween the Green and Grand, the two trib-
utarles OF the Colorado river, are one hun
dred and fifty miles of absolute desert.
Not the desert of the 'sGreat Plains. :"
VOID OF trees and flowers, and but thinly
clothed with grass-but totally stripped of
all semblance of life, animal or vegetable ::
nothing but bare, eroded clay. meeting a
burning sky. To the north, are the Book
Cliffs to the southwest, fifty miles. one
may discern through field glass the
broken cliffs which form an entrance to
the canyon of the Colorado. This wonder
OF nature, little known. and seldom ex-
plored, is said to be the grandest of all the
canyons. Half way up it's perpendicular
walls, inaccessible from above, as from be-
low, are the huts OF the cliff jewellers. nm
visited save by the bats and the eagles.
The train is now taking an upward grade
over the spurs of the Wahsatch mountains
through Castle Canyon of the Price river.
This canyon is remarkable for it's turrets.
temples and castellated piles, hewn by no
architect but bygone winds and waves.
Castle Gate appears at first like colossal
cone, 500 feet high. On approach you see
that wall OF cliff runs out at the rear and
that similar wall beyond the track forms
the other side of the portal, $50 feet high.
Beyond Castle Canyon the rocks give way
to the pines and the wooded heights
broaden with the stream. This CANYON
was the line of Albert Sidney Johnson's
march from Utah. The train crosses the
Wahsatch range, and darts down the slope
into the lovely Utah valley, hemmed in
by the Oquirrh and Wahsatch ranges.
scanned with lines of snow. Mt. Nebo.
the most lofty peak is -, 900 feet high.
/ t'fs9 BY Nebo's lonely mountain
/ On this side Jordan wave ~
In yale''-
not III the ''land of Moab, = but of Deseret.
(which means honey-bee-) is q beautiful
PLAIN, layedby Utah Lake, whose outlet is
the Jordan,-rich in orchards, golden
tlelds OF wheat, and emerald green tracts
OF alfalfa and clover dotted with white
washed cottages, partitioned by lines of
poplar and boX-elder. Past the pretty
town OF Provo, and discerning the faint
line OF Great Salt Lake at the mountains
foot, the buildings of large town are
seen, and thus we enter the CITY of
the Latter Day Saints.
When we first saw the valley wherein
lies Salt Lake City, an unreasonable Au-
gust storm had turned the dusty gray
roads to brown, flor this is the time when
Utah. is ordinarily afflicted with all-per-
yading dust and freshened the verdure Of
! It's llelds and groves. The valley is battle
mented OH all sides by mountain ranges.
the Wahsatch and the Oquirrh, and where
their peaks meet and cleave the sky
heights, the snow had crusted their sum-
mits and powdered their slopes,-so that
one OF the most yerdant, fertile plains that
the sun shines on, was enyironed by an
icy wall.
Salt Lake City lies sheltered at the
foot of spur Of the Wahsatch range, at
an altitude of 4,26l feet. Its population
is $4,000 in number, and it occupies an
area of $3.50 acres. Its history dates back
to lS47, when Brigham Young, accompa-
MED by one hundred and forty two pioneers,
first made his appearance at the mouth of
Emigration Canyon He was in
search of a place Of settlement for the
Mormons, who had been exlled from
Nauvoo, Illinois. The Mormon Church
claims that this exodus was foretol Id in
one Of Joseph Smiths prophecies, and that
the site of Zion was pointed out to
Young in ayision Certainly, the pioneers
must have been encouraged by faith rather
than sight, for the whole basin was a de-
sert,dotted with aspecies of dry bunch grass
and eleven plough shares were broken in
the attempt to turn the first furrow. The
fort OF Al, inclosing ten acres of arid soil
has grown to the city of to-day, with it's
orchards and farms
A great merchantile or manufacturing
centre Salt Lake is not likely to become in
fact the Mormon policy appears alway to
have been hostile to such interests, tits said
that the Union Pacific would have laid it's
track through the city had not Brigham
Young prevented Tin a quiet way. 1t
is certain that he did not allow the mines
OF U tab to be worked, though he carefully
Informed himself as to their value.
The community lives in patriarchal
way many are supported by the produce
Of their fields or orchards perhaps not
even receiving money for that, but taking
all to the tithing office, where tenth is
deducted for the church, and an order on
the Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institu-
ton given for the remaining nine tenths
Here they can supply themselves with
groceries, clothing and furniture for the
ensuing year, and perhaps from the begin
ming to the end of their business transac-
lions the small farmers do not handle a
coin. In former days, | am told that a
bunch of vegetables, or a basket of fruit
was not uncommonly rendered in payment
for theatre ticket, OF hired carriage.
Their Immediate wants Supnlied tho Nor.