Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-01-28
GREAT SALT BED
IN UTAH OESEOT
1t Lies in TooeIe County Be-
tween Pilots Peak and
Ibapa.
TWENTY MILES IN LENGTH.
Placer Claims Being Filed Upon II
But There Is Some Question as
To Their Legality.

That Utah has In addition to Great
Salt Lake, a great sea af salt lying
Hat In the desert sands Of Tooele coun-
". is not generally known. Yet It is
fact, and there is right now before
the land board a problem as to who
shall get possession Of 1t.
The board has appealed the case TO
the general government for decision.
through the Utah congressional delega-
ton, and when the decision Is rendered
1t will be known whether or not a great
number of placer claims now filed on
the land are legal. In the meantime the
claims are on fiie with the Tooee coun-
ty clerk.
Senator Peter Clegg Of Tooele county
confirms the stories Of a sea of salt out
in the desert. II is one more manifesto
ton of the fact that when the wise men
of 40 years ago scanned the west,
branded II AS a vast eEpanse of sandy
desert, hopeless, and useless, they just
took long range view instead of in
specting is closely. For this the gov
eminent paid dearly m railroad land
grants, while Salt Lake pioneers, and
the Moapa valley pioneers served to
turn over the ancient theory each one
In its particular day and generation,
With the coming O! the railroad.
making 1t possible to get the goods to
market, there is a significant discov-
cry of values IN western desert lands,
and this salt deposit Is the latest. 9th
er such manifestations of undreamed
of opportunity come from Moapa val
ley, where they are putting in great
truck gardens 70 supply Salt Lake. from
Willard county where they are plan
ming irrigation canals to water $4,000
nj land 1ttha
mining agitation has followed the build
ing of the Salt Lake Route. with the
possibilities of Deep Greek branch,
cLEGGs VIEW
Yes, sir says Senator Clegg there
is a lot of salt out there. 1t is a foot to
eight feet deep. and the bed lies in the
desert, away over nesr the west edge
of it. The tract is eight or ten miles
wide, and from 20 TO 20 miles long, ac-
cording TO various estimates. The salt
Is pure and white, and liz packed as
hard as rock, Cowboys for 20 years
have been gallopng over IT, They talk
of 1t as the stretch OF hard, white
pavement out in the desert, and your
outomobilists would find a wonderful
speed stretch II you ever wanted 10
hold a contest with an ideal natural
pavement to run on
ON WESTERN EDGE.
When asked how to get to the salt
bed, Senator Clegg said that it lies
between Pilots peak, and Ibapa. and
the track runs rorthward through the
desert.
do you think it could be the old
mouth of the Sewer river, which used
TO run into the lake from that direc-
tion?" was asked.
No" replied Senator Clegg, ut
N a frptt n ierS sal ri Ia
water of which is very salty, located
near fbapa, The water from this
spring has spread out over the land
and evaporated year after year while
the deposit has grown. The Western
Pacific will pass through It, and this
makes a Lively demand to locate salt
claims
THE LAND LAW.
As to whether the claims will stand,
Senator Clegg was not so certain, and
referred the interviewer to the sec
rotary of the land board. The provi-
sions of section of the enabling act
are that 10000 acres Of land, 'includ-
ing all saline lands.' are set apart for
the use of the University OF Utah.
If this land is judged TO be saline
land, of course il becomes part Of the
state land grant. and proceeds of its
sale go to the university funds. How
ever, VI salt cldHu ~ GENERALLY construed
as mineral proposition, and may be
filed upon the same as any other min
ersl claim, as placer proposition. In
that case the government would be
the owner, and the miner would have
a right 10 dig and ship the salt. II
the bed were unknown to exist. and
saline" lands were mentioned, the
term would be construed TO apply TO the
vast stretches OF alkali land and water
logged land that surround the lake and
that are general In other parts OF the
state. II this idea should prevail.
miners may get rid OF the salt. by
working placer claims. and then the
university will inherit the land on
which the bed was located. The de-
cision on the matter from Washington
is awaited with great interest by those
who have staked out claims on the
property, intending TO hold them TIL
the Western Pacific is ready TO begin
salt shipments.
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