The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-21

DR.. Talmage delivered very inter
testing lecture on Lake Bonneville"
yesterday at the weekly meeting Of
the Salt Lake Teachers institute.
The lecture WIS illustrated by maps,
drawings and photographs; also by
microscopic preparations showing the
present living inhabitants of Salt Lake
and by a series OF stereoptican views.
DR.. Talmage enumerated the labors
Of the principal workers and investi-
gators, among those mentioned being
Stansbury, Beckwith, Blake, Simpson,
Hayden, Bradley, King, and particu-
larry Gilbert Lake Bonneville is the
name given TO large body of water,
which once filed the eastern depres-
sion OF the Great Basin; the western
part of this region being occupied by
a smaller and shallower. though still
an extensive body, known as Lake
Iahontan The Great Basin, the larS-
est closed drainage area of this con-
tinent, was named by Fremont. IL
embraces the western half of Utah, all
that portion which drains westward
from the Wasatch range, and the hlSh
plateaus, and extends into southern
Idaho. enciOses most all of Nevada,
and the eastern portion of California.
southeastern Oregon, southeastern
Idaho. and southwestern Wyoming
Contrary to the seemingly simplest
suggestion of the name, the Great Ba-
sin is not a single depression, but COM
prises a large number of Individual
drainage basins-au extended series OF
cups. separated by hills and mountain
than one hundred small lakes now IN
the Basin.
A study Of the drainage process is
necessary to the proof of its existence
as a unit. The approximate area Of
the Basin is 30. 900 square miles. 1t is
at present Enthusiastically arid, but
its history reveals many climatic
changes and disturbances on which
the story of its lakes chiefly depends.
Lake Bonneville is an interesting and
instructive instance of by-gone con-
ditions. AS we speak figuratiVely of
buried Pompeii as a fossil city, so we
may call Bonneville a fossil lake. 1t
was fed chiefly by streams from Wa
satch and Uintah SHOWS, and at the
time of its greatest extent presented
a north and south length of 800 miles,
with a width east and west OF $50
miles. 1t was probably nearly equal
to Lake Huron in area; about 1880
square miles. OF this inland sea the
present Salt Lake is the largest rem
nant, while Utah and Sewer lakes
were at one time large bays or CULTS
of the main body. The proofs of the
existence OF Lake Bonneville are so
plain as to convince even the most
careless observer; its shore lines may
be traced along the rims of the valleys
one filled by its waters, and are rich
in ripple marks, wave sculptures,
cliffs, terraces and we'll preserved fos-
sis OF the animals that lived beneath
its surface or roamed upon its beach.
The shore line, popularity called the
high water mark, is conspicuous on
the foothills of the Wasatch and
Opuirrh ranges. so plainly re
vealed between Salt Lake city and the
Gowns to the north as to suggest an
artif1cially prepared roadbed. But this
line is not single occurrence. There
are several well defined shores, mark
ing by their different attitudes success
sive levels of the ancient lake. The ris-
ing and falling of the water took place
ny recurrent rapid processes; a body
OF water gradually and continually
changing its level by rise or fail would
have but little opportunity to carve or
otherwise deface its shores at any def
mite height. The lake terraces. there
fore. mark the levels at which the
water fingered lDT long DtTlOuS- vi
these shores the highest and most con-
spicu0us has been named the Bonnie
vile shore line. 1t is about 1000 feet
above the present level of the lake
surface. Four hundred feet lower is
another shore. called from the wonder
fully distinct delta formation near
Provo city the Provo shore line Be-
tween these are several distinct lines.
Midway between the Provo shore line
and the present lake level a well de
fined and sculDtured terrace is seen on
Stansbury island. called the Stansbury
shore line. As to the chronological or
der of the principal shores. the follow
ing sequence may be proved: First
intermediate shore lines; second-the
Bonneville; third-The Provo.
The principal divisions of the old lake
suggested by pcninSulas and archipel-
agoes which partly separated its wat
ers were: First-The main body. COW
ering the area OF the present lake, as
we'll as the region to the west. extend
ing therefrum over the whole of the
Great Salt Lake Desert to the eastern
foot of the Goshute mountains in Ne
Vada. Second-The Utah bay. which
communicated with the main body
through very narrow strait marked
by the Point of the Mountain and the
Traverse hills between Salt Lake and
Utah counties. Third-The Sewer bay.
covering the present Sewer desert, and
marked in its lowest part by the par
TALLY dried bed of Sewer lake
Fourth-The Escalante bay. over what
IS now Escalante desert. communicat-
Ing with Sewer bay by a strait between
Mineral Re age and Beaver range Of
mountains. By some biologists Escal-
ante IS supposed to have been always
an independent body. Fifth-In the
north Cache bay. The old river bed,
leading from Sewer body of the lake
10 the main body is traceable between
the McDowen and Simpson mountains
through this d large stream flowed
shrunk as to make Sewer lake indie
pendent.
The average depth of the ancient lake
was about 500 feet: extreme depth, 1850
feet. As 70 the geological age of lake
Bonneville: 1T has been referred to the
tQuaternaIY'' strictly recent period.
Eeoiogically speaking. though probably
very old in years. The terms glacial
and ''pleistocene," are as time indica-
tors. strictly synonymous. The last is
the term preferred. The stationary po-
Sition Of the waters was due mainly to
she fact that at intervals the lake
found en- outlet. The outlet at the Bon
neville shore stage is clearly defined
at the north end of Cache valley,
through the north end of Red Rock
pass, where the waters, sweeping away
Ike alluviaI dam. cut for themselves a
cAannel TO q. depth of $40 feet. rapidly
lowering the level of the lake from the
Bonneville 10 the Provo shore level
bonneville river was at one time larger
creek valley into Snake valley, and
<,-.11-- l,aoo mo fr-ih11f to tho ColrY,i