The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-01
IN CASTLE VALLEY.
Its WOndrOus Wealth of Black
Diamonds.
TRR TOWNS AND SETTLEMENTS.
pFhe Beautiful Park-The Vari-COlOred Cliffs
and Weird, Fantastic Shapes-CrOps
Are Looking Well.


Oh THE ROAD, Aug. %, 1SS9.-[ Core
spondence of TIE HERALD. We went up
the Salina canon and found mora natural
crooks to the mile than ever occurred to US
in the same distance. The engineer who
made the road was on the narrow track,
and the road was just wide enough, if you
are very careful in driving, to always
afford clear and distinct view of the bot
tom of the cliff or dugway which you may
be driving along. You cross the creek
about twenty times, and Wnen there are
bridges you wish they were better or none,
and when you are across you begin to dread
the return trip. An old resident of Castle
valley assures US that he always fastened
his wagon cover down while in the canon
80 his wife could not see out, consequently
she was not alarmed at the close shaves he
madeo of going into the creek. About fifteen
lfniles up the canon it widens into
u BEAUTIFUL PARK
and must be lovely place to spend the
summer. The road is graded most of the
way for a railroad, the Denver Il Rio
Grande having spent something like five
hundred thousand dollars, so our inform
ant said, making this so far useless grade.
1t extends to Green River. After what
seems and intOlerable climb, you reach the
summit and descend broad canon to Red
creek. a short distance below is Ivy
creek both rather small. There are few
scrubby pines to the right and consider
able scrub cedar, with few small knotty,
scrubby cOttonwOods. AS you go down
farther board is set up with the legend
mo ThorOughfare' on it. We did not
want TO 60 that road. One road was all we
cared for, and If that was a fair sample of
the rest we had no use for it. One guide
informed as there was a ranch somewhere
there of mammoth proportions; we simply
took his work for it. But if the interior is
like that bordering the road we would hate to
have jack rabbit of ours lost on, it for it
would starve to death sure.
THE FIRST VIEW OF CASTLE VALLEY
is not calculated to inspire any eatamount
of enthusiasm. 1t is so vast, 80 sterile and
desolate- looking that the ordinary mind
cannot grasp il all at once, but, like water
ing clay land, have to just let it soak in.
There is some vegetation in places-what
t9e settlers call salt grass. l thought it
Species of salt pigweed, common on bad
ASas there; also an occasional tuft Of sage
brush. There is also the stinkweed, or
spider grass, common in Salt Lake valley,
from two to four feet high. 1t grows
about four to six inches in Castle valley.
There were few other weeds and a little
grass occasionally, the latter species
of sword grass, as tough when
green as buckskin. What it would
be when dry is hard to say.
The first sign of civilization you came to
is on a creek called Quichumpau, whose
waters taste just like its name sounds.
Here some enterprising persons had put in
some lucern. 1t was trying to live, at
least a part of it Here we saw the first
evidence of
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF COAL
in the valley, as nearly every hill had more
or less of it in plain sight. We had al
ready seen from ten to twenty veins of
coal in Salina canon from an inch thick TO
about four feet, but did not expect to see i
il in the valley. The next place on the road |
is the new town called the Muddy The |
situation is fine, being on a gentle slope |
with good looking soil. They have only
got the water out recently. Water here is
the enchanter's wand or the philosophers
stone that transmutes all it touches into
gold. And this place, now desert, will
be garden in year or two. Two miles
from the little town we came to the Muddy
creek, about the size of Little Cottonwood
up and down the creek
Twelve miles from here is FerrOn creek
and town. At Ferron there are a number
of good houses, fine pastures on the creek
and crops looking well, particularly lucern,
which seems to thrive better here, as the
toil is very deep, but has tendency to
Hash, so much so that the water should be
Watched constantly. 1t Is the same nearly
al over the valley.
Molen is small settlement ON Ferron
,reek, about three miles east Of Ferron.
Here the public generally live on their
arms There is no town. The land seems
% be heavier-morc like that of Sanpete
han other places ] have seen IN this
ALLEY. Twelve miles north from Ferron
S Cottonwood, stream apparently half as
zig as the Provo river. Orangeville and ]
;astle Dale are situated on this stream.
Both are
THRIFTY LOOKING PLACES.
asked farmer what his average crop
ysls last season He said, wheat, corn and
ats inclusive, thirty bushels to the acre,
While l was told by a, resident of Molen
hat he raised $50 bushels of potatoes on a
uarter of an acre of land. There is
considerable amount of fruit trees, some
caring. Peaches, grapes, tomatoes,
lelons, squash, etc, do extremely well
ere. There is a thirty foot vein of excel 6
3nJ COat seven H4Oo "SSU VI VI auBeh liz.
hey have made small hole in it to get q
hat they can use themselves. e
Ten or twelve miles north of Cottonwood
Huntingdon town and creek, the latter h
bout third larger than Big Cottonwood.
he town has an extremely new look about
] although it is the largest one in Castle
Alley. Il is situated on gentle SLOPE
nd covers considerable ground. There are
,veral stores. The lack of foliage detracts f
rdSa its looks at present. l shall not at
,u7pt to describe the lofty pillars and fan
lstic shapes into winch hills have been b
rived bv wind and storm. The cliffs on II
le west look as if they were hand painted o
lib different colors. The Huntingdon