The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-25

Not really more than pond in size, its
isolation, the grandeur of the towering
cliffs and the simplicity of their leading
lines so ennobles the place to the eye that
we look upon and remember the lake as
quite large sheet Of water. Apparently,
the hollow it occupies was once the head Of
an ancient glacier; the descending track
Of the icy monster can be traced by the
grinding and polishing of the granite
Lodges for at least mile, and its lower ice
caves may have rested then on causeway
of rounded boulders stretched across the
canon several miles yet further down.
The entire length of Little Cottonwood
canon was evidently plowed out by vast
mo Sng mass of ice, and the lake hollow is,
to all appearances, the place where it's
course began. Now, the hollow is often
the scene of tremendous snow Slides
Falling sometimes simultaneously from
three sides of the mountain, they beat the
lake waters into cloud of mist, or sweep
them out in body to pass kissing in foods
down the slopes, toward the streets of dis
tant Alta.
OF pale, goldfish green where they
mingle with the melting snow, or lie shall
low in the rock pools on the northern
shore, the lake waters appear of terrible
darkness, where they lean deep TO the
mountains face descending steeply to meet
them. On a clear MONDAY the steps, like
lodges of the mountain, may be traced lead
ing down into the watery gloom. Open to
the north, huge mountains hem the lake
around on the east, west and south. At
one end there is mass of rock terraces
richly inlaid with MOSES and lichens, and
overtopped by dome-shaped peak, naked
of verdure and bleached into gray and
notified, here and there, with orange
stains of mineral At another end there
is mass of purplish, iron-gray crags
rising in vast spirals, suggesting in shape
another Tower of Babel. Between these
two wardens-peak and tower-is long
slope of tumbled debris-a chaotic mass of
the mountains falling strength.
Often as I have looked upon this scene I
cannot remember the place under more
grand effect than when first put foot on
It's shore. Then, heavy curtains of storm
clouds hung over the hollow In the
gloom, the Babylonish pile of crags at the
end of the lake appeared little more than
black, gigantic shadows, save only for the
lines of snow cleaning on its spiral lodges
Along its northern shore the great bould-
ers and the brilliantly colored flowers
asters, monks-hood, golden ivesias and the
mimulus-were relieved in mass against
the deep indigo blue of the canon depths
beyond. On the opposite side of the lake,
the narrow trail could be seen continuing
its zig-zag way up the mountain slope, until
lost to sight in wreath of steam-white
vapor that lay along the crests.
This is what occurred: The sunlight,
breaking through rift in the cloud cur
tain, shone down across the side of the
great naked peak, cleaned across the
messy rock terraces, flashed a line of silver
along the edge of each tapping wave, and
rested, at last, among the dripping weeds,
the entangled grasses and wild flowers of
the foreground. Oh, it was gloriousl A
more deep and glowing mass of contrasted
color than the whole scene presented at
that moment cannot be imagined. Stamped
forever on memory's tablet is that vision Of
natures majesty.
LAKE MARY.
H ere silence reigns, and naught there is to
mock
The far of murmur Of the mountain rill,
AS if voice in solemn accents breathed
Ger the lone lake and scathed rock, be
still"
Lake Minnie, as described-lts basin
overhung by storm clouds, its surrounding
cliffs in gloomy shadows, but with its
waves silvered with CLEAN of sunlight,
and the foreground a mass of glowing,
illumined color would make a noble com
panion scene to Lake Mary, could it thus be
set side by side with the latter as it APP
pears at the dawn of summers day If
we might say that the surroundings Of
Lake Minnie could be suggested by the
commonplace adiectives of stern and grand
then, perhaps, the environments of Lake
Mary might be suggested also by those of
wild and beautiful. But the place is hard
to describe. 1t seems to breathe a spell
over the beholder, to be sort of romance
told by nature in water and granite-beau-
tiful as the lake of dream.
There are five mountain lakes at the head
of Big Cottonwood canon, and of these
Lake Mary is one. OF the others, one is
the Brighton lake, and another Lake
Martha. This one lies nestled close to a
marbls-white cliff, fianked by groves
of old fir trees, and a little island
with three tall frs graces It's
waters. Neither Lake Mary nor Martha
though at high elevations, is the highest of
the group. The stream that joins the five
lakes takes it's rise in another and a still
more loftily placed body of water, Lake
Catherine, and slightly removed to the
southeast. All of these lakes, like Lake
Minnie, seem to be of glacial origin. They