The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-02-03

largest cultivated acreage of any
county within the state and stands
first in agricultural importance, her
commerce pulsating the arteries of
trade over all the state. Surprising
wall was built across the Bear Riv-
er canyon. the Oregon Short Line
railroad made to terminus at Cache
Junction and the commerce of this
splendid county turned from the
state to Idaho and the northwest?
What would that mean to Utah? Yet
In Just this manner. IL this League
and Utah does not awake to the val
ue of the situation, does the state
stand to lose in commerce, the wealth
Of the Uintah? The depression Of
the U.ntah Basin can well be COM
pared to your Saucer Race Track,
save that 1t is eliptical in form. Its
extreme length east and west is over
300 miles, while its breadth will av-
erage so to 100 miles north and south.
1t Is entirely circumference by noun
tain ranges so that ingress or egress
is impossible without ascending to a
minimum elevation of $500 to 5000
feet save you were to descend the
London Gorge from Colorado where
Green River has cut chasm through
the mountains of this Basin on the
north, whose walls rise thousands of
feet in perpendicular height, or you
assembled Desolation Canyon where,
after crossing the Basin this river
cuts through the rim in like manner.
The Utah Colorado line crosses the
Basin to the west Of the center, leav-
ing the greater portion of the Basin
in Colorado. While much Of the
Colorado side Is fit for agriculture the
lands lie at higher attitudes, the win.
ters are more severe and the posi-
bilities for agriculture not so great
rs in the Utah portion. The irriga-
BILE lands spoken Of in this article are
in Utah and lie at attitudes ranging
from 400 feet to $500 feet in eleva-
ton. The Green River passes into
the state from Wyoming and on into
Colorado. Entering the London Can.
yon, 1t crosses the state line back
into Utah. emerging in the Ashley
valley, these crossing the Basin west
Of south It loses itself In Desolation
Canyon, Ouray situated on the banks
Of the Green River at the Junction
Of the Du Chesne, is at the lowest
altitude in the Basin. The water
from the west and the northwest
| forming four large rivers or tributar.
les, flows to the east into the Green
The water from the eastern rim flows
to the west into two large rivers and
enters the Green.
Two railroads have penetrated he
basin, the Denver, Northwestern and
Pacific, known as the Moffat Road
crosses the James Peak from Denver
at the eastern extreme of the Basin
80 eh OiCNulioH vi li,OUO lttls
terminus has remained at Steamboat
Springs, Colorado for about five years.
Can you imagine what one or two
good railroad land agents could do
in colonizing these cheap irrigated
lands with railroad transportation
thus completed from the east? Sup
posing this road should influx $4,000
people, 10000 families, into the 3a-
sin? 1t would mean that forty acres
OF irrigated land could be Immediately
furnish each family. And what would
this mean to Utah? It would mean
that Denver, $50 miles distant would
become the commercial metropolis of
this inland empire In Utah, while
Salt Lake City, only $50 miles away
would be commercially unknown.
Let Utah see to it that any road
into the Basin and crossing the Utah
line has Salt Lake terminus imme-
diately If 1t has to build by Salt Lake
capital. The task is by no means
impossible. Fifty miles Of road from
the TERMINUS OF the Union Pacific
and ID. G. r. G. lines at Park City
will put the line into timber and
coal resources that will put II at
once upon a paying basis and fifty
miles more road viii put the line
where 1t will secure the traffic of the
Basin. That is 100 miles of road from
Park City will save the commerce
Of the Uintah Basin to Utah and Salt
Lake City. Failing in securing a rail
road the next best thing for Utah
would be an automobile line. Colo