Year: 1876

Salt Mountains of Nevada.


A correspondent of the San Francisco
Alta, writing from Prescott, Arizona,
gives the following description of the
wonderful salt formations on the Virgin
river, in Nevada Stones ferry is about
six hundred and fifty miles above the
mouth of the Colorado, having an alti


tude of 1880 feet above tide water.
The river at this point is $50 feet wide,
and has generally swift running cur.
rent of from four to six miles per hour.
Virgin river, which rises in the noun.
tains of Nevada over one hundred miles
to the north, enters the Colorado short
mile above Stones ferry. At low water
it is a swift running stream of over fifty
feet in width, with an average depth of
about one foot. The salt formations
are, in fact, mountains of salt, and ex'
tend for thirty miles or more up the
Virgin river, and the Muddy, one of its
branches. It was discovered some
some twelve or fifteen years since by
the Mormons, who built up several
very hourishing colonies in the valleys
of Virgin and Muddy, put out fine
orchards and vineyards, and brought
large tracts of land under successful
cultivation. For reasons unknown to
me they were recalled to Utah some
years since by their Prophet Brigham,
leaving their fields and improvements,
or selling them for what they could get.
During their stay they worked the salt
mines to some extent, and supplied the
country for long distances with what
was needed. Since that time the mines
have been worked at intervals by differ
ent parties. The different openings
made are in the face of the mountain
bluffs which run down from the north
and south ranges of mountains both on
the east and west side of the river. The
first one visited by me was about six
miles up the Virgin river from Stones
ferry, and about one-half of mile to
the east. The second one is seven miles
up the river, and one-fourth of a mile
east. The surface of this and the other
salt bluffs and mountains is covered
with dark, orange colored clay and
earth, in which are strewn large quanti-
ties of impure mica. This clay and
earth is some two feet deep, and under
meath this is from two to four feet Of
impure sedimentary granite, and then,
at a depth of from three to six feet from
the surface, the salt is found in a solid
and compact form. 1t is mined by
blasting in the same manner as granite
or other stone would be. Five miles
further up, or twelve miles from the
ferry, is another opening of similar
character to the two first. The salt
from the three mines mentioned is of a
dark gray color, somewhat resembling
granite, and is ninety-two per cent.
pure. Small veins, from two to six
inches wide, of pure crystallized salt,
are met with every few feet in these
formations. At point twenty one miles
from the ferry is larger mountain than
the others, and this is all pure, clear and
transparent. I laid a block of it one
foot thick over copy of the Alta, and
could as easily read through it as
through small body of the purest
glass. In extent and purity, these
mountains of salt equal, if they do ex-
eel, any in the world. After an exami-
nation of the salt mountains returned
to the ferry, where I was Hospitality en-
tertained by Mr.. Emery. On the fol-
lowing day Mr.. Emery took me to a
natural salt well, which is short mile
from the ferry, in northwest direction.
A stretch of mesa land, about one hun
,lra5 foot ,l,or-a tho Hp1ora1o riyar r11ne
off to the north and west for some miles,
and on this mesa, about half way be-
tween the river and the base of the black
volcanic mountains to the northwest, is
this wonderful salt we'll. The well is
circular opening in the mesa, about
seventy-fve feet in diameter, the sur
face of the water being fifty feet below
the surface OF the mesa. The banks are
abrupt, and almost perpendicular, ex-
cept at one point on the south, where
the rains have washed down the banks
to slope sufficient to permit approach
to the water. The water is so salt that
person bathing in it will float upon its
surface like cork upon common water.
The full depth of the water in the well
is unknown, but line has been sunk
139 feet without touching bottom. The
evidences are that here, in the remote
past, was great salt lake, which in the
lapse of time has been filled in by wash
ings from the mountains and river until
all that is left of its former greatness is
this well of salt water so briefly de-
scribed.