Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-07-14
rrt GREAT SALT LAKE.

TIT GREAT SALT LAKE.
DriVrn from the Central State. IN.
Mormon. vent Gar out Into the desert,
q the West. where they hoped In b. frc.
for AL time "a enjoy their peculiar tsllsf
Civilization long ago caught up viii
them. And such has bsru the maryelou.
development of the far West that the,
ai- surrounded by seniiles. Even "a
thsir gr''at stronghold, salt Lake city
Normo0s seem a. b. In the minority.
ODs would scarccly have believed that
the rvgion which the-e people first ssw
Could ever - made Ia b. other than 4
great hArrrn desert. upon the borders
of ths shallow LAKE II briny water theJ
began their town, which has bccome ths
wonder 10 the West. Grcat strrtch-. %,
alkaline mud fats and ALT marshes bar.
derr,i the lake. and the. merged into
harrrn plains, covered only with sparse
desert gtass snd sage hrush. The ho,
Winds drove storms of dust beforr them
J rain rarely fcll; and the parvhei coan-
try SEEMED Shally lncapabl. ~ yielding
the crops Nhich the immigrants deter
mined to force frpm II. The lack of rslu
was suppli-i by water l~i srtihclslly
/ frnm mountain streams. Not only werr
crops rsise,i. but q Vcritabl. oasis ~.
created in the desert. Aftsr bourney In (
acrvss the heated plains. IN. traveller
feels a ssnse 10 the gr-aiest pleasure and
r,lisf when h. find. hlmsclf In the broad
s;r,cts 20 salt Lake CITY among the ave-
nues 20 tr-c. Ani gardens. II Il a
strange contrsst from absolute desert to
bloomiug gardens.
I, The crnditions BY which the Grrat
salt Lake 20 Utah hss come Ia it pr.-
cot state src Interesting. The Visltor to
Salt Lake CIV NAV -. In the distance
along the mountain hsss long terraces,
QUE ahov- another. fai-toppci aud con
tlnuuu., eNc,pt where cut by the small
gullles furme,i by the fre.hc,s of the
rainy season. These srr the successive
shorv line. aud beaches ~ a greater lake
the ane~stor of Great salt Lake
vhiCh oncc covered an arcs ot 1880
.quarv milcs. aud attained q depth 90
I ,tssl frst Ia some plac~.. N the lake
c,lulo again - made Ia an IT. old basin
tlss Mormon temple az ~Alt lake ,ity
would stand In IN f-~t of water. more
than oBs haadr,d towns ani villages
Would D. submerged aud lsn.1sp people
Uuuli =. dfisrn from their homes. The
ancisut laks IA. h.,n called bonneville,
after an army ofii,-f of that name Nho
sas the di.co,stcf ~ the 1rvat salt
Lake In th~ early part 20 the ceniury
ant Nhos~ uoie. werv puhlishci by
Washingiuu Irving la i>u.
o. ths bar Wet. hstNccn the ~isrra
snd isuykv Mountsins u q great region
vlthuut drainagv to the sc', AMI called
fur The ryasan th- Gryat Hasin. The
greater part 20 Utah ant NeVsd,, q.
sell ss soin- n thr adjoining territory,
L. Included In this basin. fl,e rrason
Nhv u du.-. not drain Into the - l. that
ths rslnfsll L. too slight to iill th- hasln
o. ygffiswiug. tut u has not always
is~u 80. Mhsn Tho clmate 10 North
Nmrfira chtngrd from warm a. cold al
thr beginning ~ th" glacial P.r,oi snow
trrau o. ac,umulats. and thl. Ia time
fUrm~,i a grvat ~ cap oV,f the pnfihsru
sui uurth-eastrru parts 20 the couiincni,
aui risriers likr thoss - the Alps t.
a., existed On ths lso,ky ant sierra Ne
,tda MDuutains The rrtsou for this
change i. not FULLY known. bat the iact
of ths shaurr l. Ssll proVel. Daring
tlI. time r. coitsr aud moisier Climat.
existed Ia The r,sion 20 th- t.rr,t B'sin,
auI 10 was then that Like bonneville
fll-,i 80 th~ fvgion 20 the Grrat >alt
Lake prssrt aud oVrrnow-d through =
hrnad channsl luio the Saake. thence
into ~. Columhla River, and hnallv Ia
~. Pacifc Ocsan. The country there
at-sats musi then have hs-n hs.sutiful
one. An cVergr~-n vegetation then
rloths,l the mogntsin sloT.--, nov 80 ssf-
aud barren. ani valley glaciers de.c"ni-
"a n.arl, o. the waters r,lg-. The hn~
mountain scenery and the great Inland
"a Utuld not have b-.n surpassed for
i-auiy snd grandeur Ia al the world.
EV~u ,olcans-r. existed In the great lake,
80 that al the grand sights of nature
Nsrv then sNhihli-i therc.
Gradually IN. climate rhangvi, the
lake rrtrvsied and finally ouly the
.hrunkrn remnant. 10 the prr-eni tim"
remain. wasa great dcs~Tt basin al
hr.t: Nas th-u tills,i Nith water until u
oNerfows,i. aud l. noS la iis oil condi-
tiou again; bat the lake sediments
forming All the agricultural lands of the
rrgion, werv left bshind, proving of
value not ouly Ca the farmer, bat al.o to
the grologi.t sho studi-. the history 81
n. changrs. Water passing over the
rock. di.soly-s from tb.m many min
.ral.. among othsrs salt. Nhen water
r,aporatrs, only purv Nspor passe. on
aud the miusral SUBSTANCES arr l-it b.
hind. In dessrt regions evaporation u
NOR, complete than In moist regions,
and al the water that falls, encrp, a
very small residue, l. ssVaporaied. Then
very quickly the shallow bodies ~ water
I'm sush plac.s hecome Intensely sali aud
.oan thsv arr 80 salt that M more vii
remain I'm soluiion aud some has "a D.
Deposited. This l. about the condition
~ m. Dead "a of Ass Minor.
when ~ .ee the evidence 81 such vast
change. Nc cannot help standing sghsst.
4 century i bat an Instant Ia the lite oi
the earth. aud human experience give.
a. no clue io the stupendous changes OF
the t.lst. because Il u too brief. The In
dI.putahle records of the rocks are our
only guide. Continents have besn form
"a AMI changed; mountains have grown
AMI bscn worn awav; climates have
varied from dry "a moist, from warm Ia
cold. aud al these changes have been
caused hy slow prOccsses acting just a.
they DO AZ prvssnt.--,or. American As-
ricultuHst.