, 1888-08-08
up SALT RIVER"
The People There Ask for a Water
District.
Governor Moonlight Gave Them
One Yesterday.
And They Want Their Lands 0flci-
ally Surveyed.

A benighted but historic region has
been heard from, and although we have
heard from time immemorial, as Black
stone says, about going up Salt River"
yesterday was the first time the people
who have gone up that historic stream,
have been heard from officially. As
might reasonably be expected, the first
thing they ask for is water-or rather a
water district, and Governor Moonlight
says they shall have one.
Salt River, as will be seen by a refer
ence to the map, is one of the tributaries
OF Snake river, and runs for a hundred
and fifty miles or so almost due south and
to the west of the Wasatch mountains in
Uinta county. When the irrigation bill
became a law, and water districts were
provided for all over the territory, the
eminent solons of the last Legislature in
sub-dividing the territory into water dis
tricts, left the Salt river out in the cold.
The settlers did not like this very well,
so they got together recently and signed
a petition addressed to Governor Moon.
light asking him to set apart a water dis
trict for their especial benefit. The gov
ernor after considering this petition and
recognizing the business Of their demand
acted upon it yesterday, and by an Off
cial order as provided by law, designated
the country alluded to, which includes
Salt riuor and ito ,ributoriao no tho ninth
water district of the territory, thereby
comforting upon the people Of that region
all the rights and privileges which are
now enjoyed by the people of the various
water districts of the world itself.
Within the past year or so as many as
1000 people have gone up into that couu
try and made permanent settlements, and
it would seem that they are a very indus
trious class for they now have quite a
smart little town about midway between
the northern and southern ends of the
Salt river region which they have not
found time to name, at least the average
citizen in that part of the country will not
be able to tell you the name of this Salt
river metropolis.
There is one thing besides the water
question which greatly troubles the people
up there. There is an immense body of
excellent land lying along the river which
has never been officially surveyed by the
government, or by anybody else for that
matter. The average Salt citizen is his
W surveyor, and in making his survey
he waits until night and then taking a
suuint at the north star he strikes down a
stake in that direction and hangs his hat
on it. He then travels southwark as long
as he can see the hat and then he sticks
another stake, upon which he hangs his
coat. Then he travels again, sticks an
other stake on which he leaves his vest
and after one more tramp and another
stake he is ready to hang another garment
but usually does not for fear that his
neighbors will think he is hosting a black
flag.
When this point is reached the citizen
calls it the distance across a quarter sec
ton from north to south and after guess
ing at a right smart distance from east
to west, for he by that time is generally
too tired to travel very much, he calls it
his quarter section and in time proceeds
to occupy and improve it-that is to say,
he improves its boundaries just in proper
ton to the fertility of the land adjoining
him. This he does from time to time and
by odd jobs.
What the people want there now how
ever is a little more definiteness in regard
to boundaries, and they think that a gov
eminent survey would be 4 service to that
element of the people who do not make
their surveys by starlight.