Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1907-11-21
REPORT OF TRIP
Mrs. A. c. Guernsey Gives Her
Friends a Glowing Account of
Her Visit to Salt Lake City
Extra, Iowa

asked me to tell them something
about my trip to Salt Lake City so
/ thought | would write up short
account of it and if you have space
and care to print it in the Journal,
you may do so.
My trip from Extra to Salt Lake
City was a delightful one through
out. AS was perfect stranger
in Salt Lake with the exception of
my son, 1 wondered at first just
how was going to find places
where wanted to go but I heard
several tourists say tnat there was
no place where everything was
made so easy and pleasant for them
as at Salt Lake and indeed /
found it to be so.
The city is always full of tourists
and 80 many of them are alone
that they all seem to feel acquaint-
ed with each other at once. The
city has an Information Bureau
free of charge. Strangers can call
them up over the phone at any
time and get any information need
ed concerning trains, places of
public interest, which electric car
to take out, where to take it, etc.
After leaving Cheyenne, Wyo-
ming, we passed through some
beautiful country, Green River,
Castle Gate and Provo Canyon.
Early in the morning the porter
called us to see the sun coming up
over the mountains. We were just
going through Weber Canyon with
its lovely clear river and DEVILS
slide. This 1 cannot describe.
When think of the mountains
sloping down to the river, dotted
with evergreens and sometimes
just perpendicular mass of rocks,
words fail me. can only gasp at
the beauty of them.
In Salt Lake City itself, of course
the temple is the chief object of
interest. Temple Block is in the
center of the city and covers ten
acres. Besides the temple and an
nexed buildings there are in the
square the Tabernacle, Assembly
Hall, Bureau of Information (this
Bureau has nothing to do with the
public one in the city, and quaint
old adobe building covering the
United States meridian stone and
astronomical instruments for TAX
ing observations. The Temple
Block is surrounded by a stone and
adobe wall. The Temple faces the
east and has six towers, three on
the east and three on the west The
thickness of the walls vary from
six to nine feet. The Temple is
closed to the public but tourists
may register at the Information
Bureau and are furnished there
with guide who takes them thru
the tabernacle and points out the
different items of interest and gives
q short history of the Mormons
from their first settlement at Salt
Lake. You are at liberty to ask any
question you please of your guide
and always receive courteous
answer.
The roof Of the tabernacle con-
sists of single wooden arch. 1t is
one hundred and fifty feet wide,
two hundred and fifty feet long
and seats comfortably eight thou.
sand people. Nothing but wood
was used in its construction, no
far its wonderful acoustic proper
heard from one end of the building
to the other. The choir mum bers
six hundred and religious services
diC ACl0 ou ooHody d. r. III. Inc
grounds are beautifully laid out
and nicely taken care of. The tenn
pie itself is enclosed within high
iron fence, the gates of which are
always kept locked.
On the street just southeast of
the Temple Block is the statue of
President Young, then up past the
Bee Hive House and tithing houses
h. ia
several blocks to a vacant lot
where lie the remains OF Brigham M
Young, Lucy Young, Mary B.
Smith. The graves are each cover
en- with large flat slab. The lot
is not taken any especial care of
but is enclosed in high iron rail-
ing with locked gates. [ managed
to read the names by standing on
the coping which supported the
fence.
From there | boarded car which
took me to the foot of the noun
tains Salt Lake City and Ogden
are situated in the Wasatch range)
where got off and commenced to
climb and went on and on until l
reached broken flag staff. I was
too tired to go further and when 1
got back the motorman told me l
had walked about ten miles and
that the flag staff was set on what
was supposed to be the spot where
Brigham Young fret sighted the
great Salt Lake. That place is
called Ensign Peak" Salt Lake
itself is about twelve miles from
the city. A train runs out twice
day to Saltair Beach. The tourists
on this car are furnished with a
guide who tells how the salt is
taken out of the lake at different
times of the year and explains any
thing you may wish to know. The
Salt Lake is seventy miles long,
thirty miles wide, average depth
ten feet; the water is twenty-five
per cent salt and the specific grav-
ity is 80 great that it sustains the
human body in any position. Here
they have fine dancing pavilion,
scenic railway theater and both