A shallow body of salt water of northwest utah between the wasatch range on the east. Five days later, on august 30th, the group began to cross the great salt lake desert, believing the trek would take only two days, according to hastings. I doubt the utah enquirers newsroom thought their heavyhanded fabrication would still be circulating years later, but theyd probably be pretty damn proud to know that. Great salt lake and antelope island 30 quaternary studies and general geology 1 general geology 64. The great salt lake desert or basin was created by sediment of fine clay and silt. Long before this wasatch mountain valley was home to over a million people, a bustling downtown, multiple universities, a dedicated ski scene, and a smattering of hip walkable neighborhoods, it was a peaceful grassland with a stunning alpine skyline. The lake is in the great basin, a large area of desert terrain covering parts of the states of nevada, utah, idaho, california, and arizona. Salt desert trails a history of the hastings cutoff and other early trails which crossed the great salt desert seeking a shorter road to california. The tristate compact that could destroy the great salt lake an agreement signed in 1958 and amended in 1980 divvies up the bear river between wyoming, utah and idaho. Deseret books collection of books has a wide variety of family friendly books. Barely beyond the great salt lake desert, about twothirds of the way from missouri to california, the emigrants of the bidwellbartleson party found themselves undeniably, agonizingly, belly deep in trouble.
Gypsum dunes and evaporite history of the great salt lake. The mormon enclave in the salt lake valley had grown appreciably since young had led his faithful there in 1847, after a bitter trek from council bluffs, iowa, which had in turn been preceded by a. The great salt lake desert sprawls across a large area of northwestern utah, one of the iconic landforms derived from a huge pleistocene body of water, lake bonneville, that once covered some. Find thousands of lds books, movies, music and more. The donner road through the great salt lake desert jstor.
Jul 05, 2018 the tristate compact that could destroy the great salt lake an agreement signed in 1958 and amended in 1980 divvies up the bear river between wyoming, utah and idaho. After weeks of wasted time in the mountains, they finally made it to utahs great salt lake desert. By the time they arrived at the 1827 mountain man rendezvous at presentday laketown, they had become the first americans to return from california by an overland route. Jedediah smith is probably the most famous of all mountain men those furclad, grizzled individuals who were first to explore the american west in search of pelts and adventure. The area around the great salt lake is of interest to all who are interested in harsh desert conditions. Five proposed determination of water rights books have been published. It covers the history of the salt flats from the beginning in the early 20s. He lives in salem, oregon, where he is an associated scholar at willamette university. He was the first american after the astorians to cross west over the continental divide, rediscovering south pass, and the first amer.
The salt desert or great salt desert is located in western utah. Great salt lake synonyms, great salt lake pronunciation, great salt lake translation, english dictionary definition of great salt lake. A cartographic history of mormonism and believing in place. Great salt lake definition of great salt lake by the free. Richard francaviglia is professor emeritus of history and geography at the university of texas at arlington. Colonel fremont came afterwards, in 1842, and remained exploring in and around the great desert until 1846, but save for these travelers, the country was visited only by trappers and hunters. On july 24, 1847, members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormons settled the northern end of the salt lake valley to the east of the great salt lake.
Alfred was enthralled by the great salt lake, referring to the body of water as an inland sea. In his later life he concentrated on writing, sometimes illustrating his books. Video taken from a rest stop in northwestern utah, at the end of the salt flats. Having watched westerns since i was a small child, reading the great salt lake trail made me realize where hollywood got all of its great stories of the west from. In 1869 before the railroad, there were only 700 nonmormon church members among the salt lake valleys 11,000 residents. It is located along i80 near the utahnevada border. Mar 20, 2007 video taken from a rest stop in northwestern utah, at the end of the salt flats. The great salt lake desert experiences a desert climate with hot summers and cold winters. By 1883, there were 14 muledrawn street cars going along nine miles of track in salt lake city. Take a walk around this large terminal body of water in the midst of a vast inland desert. A shallow body of salt water of northwest utah between the wasatch range on the east and the great salt lake desert on the west. It is about 800kilometrelong 500 mi by 320kilometrewide 200 mi with a total surface area of about 77,600 km 2. Located in the great salt lake desert, the bonneville salt flats are both a geographic and landspeed.
Adventure and survival books 15 hiking books 2 general utah and area hiking guides 25 national parks of utah hiking books salt lake hiking books 5 wasatch hiking books 3 uinta hiking books 2 nearby states hiking books 18 outdoor activities 5 camping, cookouts, and ghost stories books 19 fishing and. Shop our selection of best selling lds books and new lds books today. Nearby is the saltair a resort that has been rebuilt three times in its history, and is currently used. Clay mineralogy at the brinesediment interface in the south arm of great salt lake, utah by l. Gypsum dunes and evaporite history of the great salt lake desert. In an average year the lake covers an area of approximately 1,700 square miles 4,400 km 2, but the lakes size fluctuates substantially due to its shallowness. The lake has too much salt and too little food for any large sea creature to stand a chance. Other publishers in the state that have included works of belles lettres on their lists are horizon publishers of bountiful, covenant communications of american fork, olympus press of salt lake city, and howe brothers of salt. Great salt lake, shallow body of saltwater, nw utah, between the wasatch range on the east and the great salt lake desert on the west. Lake bonneville, a large freshwater lake, covers many northern and western utah valleys. Glaubers salt bed west of promontory point, great salt lake by a.
Clay mineralogy at the brinesediment interface in the south arm of. Volume 2 of plains and rockies utah and the mormons volume 2 of wagnercamp. The bonneville salt flats are found west of the great salt lake, in western utah. Utah field house of natural history discover the prehistoric world, dig for fossils, and explore the.
The greatest depth was originally 1050 feet, for the great salt lake does not exceed 50 feet in any part. However, what they didnt know was that the desert sand was moist and deep, where wagons quickly. Flight recreation area utah state parks and recreation and the utah hang gliding and paragliding association. Some fortyseven individuals, each specialists in some aspect of the lake, or its environs, have contributed to the articles in this compilation. Utah historical quarterly, volume 56, number 2, 1988 by utah state. A world history from the worlds largest community of readers. Modern work on the microbiology of great salt lake has added molecular. Even if we wanted to put whales in the great salt lake, it wouldnt work. Mining history books 10 native american books 11 wild west books 10. A liquor license in salt lake then cost 750 a month. These 32 men, one woman, and a child were lost in the desert near todays utahnevada border. The great salt lake is located north and west of salt lake city. Glaciers blanket the uinta mountains, the wasatch range, and mountains of the colorado plateau.
It is in this desert that the bonneville salt flats are located. Losing at least four wagons and numerous oxen, and a lot of valuable time, the delay contributed to their late attempt to the sierra nevada and thus to the infamous efforts cross by party members to. The great in salt lake citys name was dropped in 1868. The great salt lake, a remnant of lake bonneville, diminishes and accumulates a vast quantity of salt. Many books and articles have been written about the donner party. Note the difference in colors between the northern and southern portions of the lake, the result of a railroad causeway. The compelling narrative of the great salt lake, a remnant of ancient lake bonneville is brought to life through handson interactives, sounds, smells, and a spectacular view of the lake itself. Jun 24, 2015 the area around the great salt lake is of interest to all who are interested in harsh desert conditions. A world history by mark kurlansky, paperback barnes. The lake has fluctuated greatly in size, depending on the rates of evaporation and the flow of the rivers that feed it. From the first americans, through mountain men, religious empires, railroads, and resorts, the remnant of ancient lake bonneville has been a nexus for human history, uniting a haunting beauty with raw desolation, strangely removed from common experience. Great salt lake simple english wikipedia, the free.
It will become clear what adversities the early travellers through this area experienced. He wrote fourteen works in total before he died in salt lake city on the sixth of june, 1926. The great salt lake desert is a large dry lake in northern utah, united states, between the great salt lake and the nevada border which is noted for white evaporite lake bonneville salt deposits. Tidbits of history unusual highlights of salt lake county. West of the lake is the great salt lake desert, a flat expanse that is nearly barren of vegetation. Geology, selected geophysics, and hydrogeology of the white river and parts of the great salt lake desert regional groundwater flow systems, utah and nevada peter d. In this issue of all the natural wonders in utah, the great salt lake has, to date. They cover a large area and have a very unique environment.
This is now a region of arid deserts, spotted here and there with a salt marsh or a lagoon. Utah is known for having some of the best skiing in the country, and the mountains near salt lake city. In 1847, the illfated donnerreed party of emigrants to california chose an alternate route out of salt lake city only to become bogged down in the mud and playa of the great salt lake desert. The tristate compact that could destroy the great salt lake. The bonneville salt flats of the western great salt lake desert were formed through the evaporation of the pleistoceneera lake bonneville. It is one of the biggest endorheic lakes in the world. The salt flats formed thousands of years ago on the western edge of lake bonneville but became the great salt lake desert after the waters receded 14,000 years ago. Gypsum dunes and evaporite history of the great salt lake desert by a. The three major population cen ters in utah salt lake city, ogden, and provo lie at the base of the wasatch range. When most of us think of the great salt lake, we think of a stinky place with lots of bugs. Great salt lake desert desert, utah, united states. It is an endorheic lake, meaning that the water in it does not flow to the ocean. Or, latterday saints, in the valley of the great salt lake.
The great salt lake, located in the northern part of the u. List of books and articles about utah history online. Low plains in classical persian, from khwar low, and dasht plain, flatland, also known as kavire namak lit. His band reached the utahnevada border near present grandy, utah, continued on to skull valley and reached the south tip of the great salt lake two days later. Fed by the weber, jordan, and bear rivers, the lake varies greatly in size and depth according to weather changes. Signature books of salt lake city publishes mormon history and also includes volumes of significant fiction and poetry. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The tragic story of the donner party legends of america.
The bonneville salt flats is one of the most unique natural features in utah, stretching over 30,000 acres. At the great salt lake marina you can launch a kayak or boat, go on a sunset cruise, or take in the spectacular view. Salt lake hiking books utah department of natural resources. The resulting volume contains seven sections on the history and recreation, geology and geophysics, chemistry, lake industries, hydrology and climatology, biology, and engineering of the great salt lake. Great salt lake this state park provides boat slips. Approached as history, geography, geology, or high adventure, the great salt lake is fascinating reading. A causeway has been built to allow automobile access to the island. The desert s elevation, 4,250 feet above sea level, makes temperatures cooler than lower elevation deserts, such as the mojave. Great salt lake definition of great salt lake by the. The great salt lakes record high levels in the mid1980s threatened the lucin cutoff, highways, and sewagetreatment plants along the shore, and in 1987 pumps were installed that began draining some of the lakes excess waters into the great salt lake desert to the west. To reach antelope island, drive north on i15 to syracuse, then west on u127, following the signs.
Great salt lake, the largest of these, has through evaporation reached a concentration of mineral salts several times that of the ocean. Colonel fremont came afterwards, in 1842, and remained exploring in and around the great desert until 1846, but save for these travelers, the country was visited only by. If there ever was a monster, baptiste is the best reallife candidate. If the states find a way to use all their allotted water, the great salt lake could turn into toxic dust. Great salt lake desert desert, utah, united states britannica. The personal stories of the brave men and women that had the will to look for new opportunities in the west are incredible. Stumps of trees cut by the donner party, seen in summit valley circa 1866. Great salt lake satellite photo from august 2003 after five years of drought, reaching nearrecord lows.
History buffs will get a better understanding of the hardships of the donner party. The desert is an excellent example of a cold desert climate. The great salt lake is a very large saltwater lake in the united states. The lake is fed by the bear, weber, and jordan rivers and has no outlet.
Commonly asked questions about utahs great salt lake. Other articles where great salt lake desert is discussed. The past history of the great salt lake utah nature. Passing down what is now called ogden river, they discovered the great salt lake. The lake and its islands offer residents and visitors opportunities to sail, kayak, float, birdwatch, hike, bike and more. Feb 19, 2019 after weeks of wasted time in the mountains, they finally made it to utahs great salt lake desert. In an average year the lake covers an area of approximately 1,700 square miles 4,400 km 2, but the lake s size fluctuates substantially due to its shallowness. However, what they didnt know was that the desert sand was moist and deep, where wagons quickly got bogged down, severely slowing their progress. The great salt lake desert sprawls across a large area of northwestern utah, one of the iconic landforms derived from a huge pleistocene body of water.
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