Mexico Missouri message., 1912-09-05

y fast continental trains, the tray
eler soon leaves the region Of
ample rainfall and abundant verdure
And for n day more and for all night
the train rushes along through the
great state OF Colorado and then Utah
desert, except as irrigation has
transformed It, until Salt Lake City
is reached. This, as 1t is today. But
what about the fortitude of the early
settlers who penetrated this wilder.
ness with prairie schooners or OK
teams, following uncharted routes and
unknown trails?
When the first Mormon caravan, GO
years ago, after long and almost hope
less wandering across trackless
waste emerged from Emigration can
yon into the valley of the Great Salt
lake, the weary outcasts saw, gently
sloping away from the dark shadows
/ of the mountain pass n fair land
reaching to the sunlit shores of a
wondrous inland sea. Proceeding n
/ little farther they caught sight of a
| large fresh water lake some miles TO
| the south emptying its surplus waters
into the great lake through n slender
river which shone like a ribbon oi
silver
Into the Promised Land.
The striking comparison suggested
by this scene might have occurred &c
n less comprehending mind than that
of the Moses of this exodus, leading q
new tribe OF Israel TO n new Promised
Land Spread before the eyes Of the
little band of emigrants we're counter
parts of the three prominent features
Of Palestine-the Sea OF Tiberius, tive
Dead sea and tho River Jordan. Sc
here the prophet. Brigham Young, and
his followers proceeded TO build their
New Jerusalem, and today Sculptor
Dallin's golden figure of the Ange
Moroni looks down upon the scene
from that stately pile of Utah granite
the Mormon temple-reared at q
cost Of 40 years labor and $4,000 600
Unconsciously these desert pioneers
had settled In a region OF most won
derful natural phenomena. On tho
east the Wasatch mountains reared
their brown and rifted peaks and 4
the wanderers noticed their peculia,
terraced formation, terrace after ter
race rising sharp and clear to
height of 1000 feet above the vale,
floor, they failed to recognize then
as the most remarkable OF beach lines
the ancient shores, in fact, OF a vas
inland prehistoric sea
The Great Salt lake is but tine feebl
remnant of the ancient Bonneville, tn
lowest remaining depth of a one-tim
majestic sheet of water, fed from tn
mighty glaciers and snow fields whicl
then clothed the mountains to With,
short distance OF their hlghes
peaks. The extreme length OF thi
prehistoric lake was 346 miles and It
greatest width 145 miles. Were II
waters today TO rise again to thei
old level, scores of towns and village
would be submerged and several thou
sand people driven from their home,
The Mormon temple at Salt Lake Cit
would stand under $50 feet OF water
A recent geologic study of the glf
citation of the Wasa,ch mountains an
the commanding Uinta range lying I
|, the east COnHfnS FORMER conclusions
drawn from the study of Lake Bonnie
Vile, that there were two distinct glf
cial periods in these mountains. In
delibly recorded in the moraines an
the lacustrine beds--the rock debrl
ground and secured out OF canyon
and swept down by the vast ice flow
are two distinct epOchs, separated b.
long interglaclal interval Prof. Wa
lace W Atwood of the United State
geological survey has made a repor
on the glacial history Of this region
from which IT appears that while We
among the most picturesque OF tn
mountains Of the continent, the Wa
satch and the Uinta ranges lost mucl
Of their former ruggedness, havinj
been greatly smoothed and softenet
in outline by the securing and carvinj
Of many large glaciers.
The portions of the Uinta rang,
that rise above these ancient ic,
mantles near the crest line, were loft,
peaks and narrow, rugged divides Ex
cepting ,iese, the range appeared as
long, white arch, rising about 700,