The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-11

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for ages. and as a result the bottom of
the cleft is filed TO a great depth with
stones ranging from the size of a mar
BILE to that of a mans fist or head.
The water filters in around these
stones. and is kept from evaporating
by the protection Of the stones and of
the steep walls When a traveller wants
water, he digs into these stones a lit
tie way until he gets to the water. The
Pima Indians in Arizona keep their
water in artificial pits in this way,
preserving a supply all summer from
the spring freshets.
The "Holy City"
The pockets are little distance away
from the surveyed route Of the rail-
road, and since the engineers went in
s. a. Angel has dug a we'll and built
camp closer 10 the grade. This
camp has been dubbed the Holy
City" because the Angels lived there.
Here is a tall desert willOw-One Of
those deceptive trees that looks so like
an ordinary weeping willow. that
thirsty traveller. catching sight of one,
cries out for joy. feeling sure he VIII
find water near. But a desert willow
trees have been the source of many
bitter disappOintments to wayfarers.
Under this tree. near the Holy City"
the up and down MOapa mails meet
at midnight. and the tree is according
ly called the mail tree"
Five miles to the southwark are the
Echo cliffs. These are gray cliffs
which throw sounds back and forth
and send them bounding down the can
yon SO that they can be heard three
or four times from different places.
The country near here is desolate, for
some distance. until Huntsman's ranch
is reached. Beyond Huntsman's is an
open valley and fifteen miles from the
ranch is the Moapa river. popularity
knowe rs the Muddy. This is a clear.
beautiful stream. averaging twenty
feet wide and a foot deep. belying its
name The river was originally named
by the Indians after the mOdi, or mes
quite beans The word "modf was
afterward corrupted into muddy"
East Of this place is Mormon peak. a
celebrated landmark. and short dis
lance away is the Moapa Indian res
ervation.
Beautiful Vegas Valley.
The road crosses the BIoapa. and then
FOR about fifty miles il passes through
a forsaken country. but after crossing
the desert divide, it descends into the
beautiful Vegas valley, which is l25
miles from Calientes. The celebrated
Los Vegas ranch. owned by Mrs. Helen
J. Stewart, is in this valley, yielding
every kind of agricultural product. ap-
Piles, peaches. apricots and other fruits,
pecans and almonds Here is an i'm
mense apricot tree which annually pays
the interest on 81 600
In the Vegas valley are the Wagon
Wheel springs, famous among the emil
grants Of fifty years ago. In these
springs the sand bubbles and bOils. so
great is the pressure from below. They
look 20 be only a few inches deep, but
an object can sink eight OF ten feet in
the turbulent sand. When the emf
grants were crossing the country on
their way 20 California, the FIRST among
them took of the wagon wheels to
soak them over night In this water.
When they awoke next morning. the
wheels had disappeared in the moving
sands and they were in the midst Of
the desert country. without means to
move in either direction. Hence the
name OF the springs.
The Bird springs also supply water
20 the valley. and seven miles below
them is the Bird springs pass. which is
eurmounted by the san Pedro. From