The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-11-27

explored its shore line and found that
II had no outlet
The discovery OF the Great Salt
Lake can, therefore, hardly be consld-
cred a settled question in history II
Is possible that before 1924 the Span
iards may have seen it, or that white
men from tho eastward NAV have
penetrated so far. or that it may have
been discovered by Andrew Henry-5
mon or by the AstorianS. 1t Is prob
able that II was known TO the trap
pers of the Northwest and Hudson
Bay companies But none OF these
things arc as yet certainties. The sit
uation NAV be concisely stated by
saying. that while Bridger is the first
white man whom we positively know
to have seen Great Salt Lake. we do
not positively know that he was the
first white man TO sec It.
Who Discovered Salt Lake.
THE essential facts in regard to
Great Salt Lake. such as its location.
approximate size. lack of outlet and
quality of water, we're thus definitely
known as early as the spring OF 1925.
In fact. the geographical nomencla-
ture OF the valley dates in no small
degree from the Ashley expeditions.
although TO some extent from the
Hudson Bay company explorers. Og-
den river IS of course named for Peter
Skeen ogden. who came into the val
lev at least as early as 1925 The
tributaries of Bear river. such as Tul-
lochs and Smiths forks. are prob
ably named for Samuel Tulloch and
river dates from this time, but the
identity of the individual for whom it
was given is lost Utah lake was
then known by It's present name and
Sewer lake was called Ashley lake
a tributary of Utah lake Is now called
Provo river. and near its mouth is
the modern Provo City, Utah 1t was
so named for Etienne Provost, who
was with these expeditions and one
of the most noted mountaineers or
that time
"To the south of the present valley
of Great salt Lake lie Sewer lake and
its long tributary. Sewer river This
valley occupies a large part OF south
western Utah and geologically is a
part of old Lake Bonneville. The Sc
vier river rises near the southern end
OF the Wasatch range, flows north
along the west base Of these noun
tains for a hundred and fifty miles.
and then turns southeast for about
seVenty-five miles into Sewer lake.
The similarity between its course
and that OF Bear river, the principal
tributary of Great Salt Lake. is Strik.
ing. Sewer lake has no outlet and
! the characteristics of the Great Salt
Lake at the north are accentuated
here. The water Is shallow. and even
before the advent of civilization q
large part of the area probably be-
came bare and covered with salt
every summer from evaporation. IN
later times irrigation has so far alb
sorbed the waters of the Sewer river
that the lake has become practically
dry.
Westward OF the valley of the
| Great Salt Lake. along the eastern
| base of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
| lies another extensive section of the
Great Basin. Here arc many lakes.
| all without uotlet to the ocean,
| Among the more Important are the
| Humboldt lakes. the Carson lakes,
: Walker and Pyramid lakes and Lake
I Tahoe, There are also many others
extending along the base of the base
| OF the mountains as far north as 10
the present state of Oregon.
Married an Indian Woman.
"Thc most considerable river of this
section is the Humboldt, which flows
into the Humboldg lakes. or, as they
often are called, the si-.,s of the Hum
boldt II takes its rise about one hun
| dred miles of Great Salt Lake and
| flows in a direction generally south
1f a1H Es,,- r.,Il
About midway OF its course 1t receives
a tributary from the south of consid-
cradle length, but insignificant pro-
| portions. The Humboldt was long
| known as ogden river from Peter
Skeen Ogden already mentioned Og-
den married an Indian woman from
one Of the tribes of the valley, calling
| her name Mary. and from this circum-
stance the river was also at one time
| known as Mary river In l>eonard's s
account of the Walker expedition in
! 1888, the stream Is invariably called
| Barren river and the lakes into which
It flows Battle lakes The name Hum
boldt was bestowed by Fremont, and
| is an instance OF the violence so often
| done by explorers 10 existing geo.
| sraphical nomenclature without justi-
| f1cation. The river should have IT,
tained It's original name. Ogden"
The selections given do not cover
all the ground of the early history of
ogden, which is treated quite fully by
| Whitney. Bancroft and other his
torians, but is submitted in the hope
of arousing interest in a good book
and in the study of the early chap
ters of Utah's history