The
Original Diary of Erastus Snow.
EDITED
BY HIS SON, MORONI SNOW
July 20, 1847. This morning some of the
sick felt unable to ride over so rough a road, and three wagons were left until
the president and the rear company should overtake them. We followed up Canyon
creek eight miles, mostly through dense thickets. After crossing the creek, and
often stopping to repair roads, cutting away brush, etc., we camped where Elder
Pratt’s company encamped last night, at the base of the mountains. Here we
found a letter left by Elder Pratt for us, on the perusal of which, Elders
Richards and Smith determined on sending me in the morning with a letter to
overtake Elder Pratt, and accompany him to the valley and assist in exploring
and searching out a suitable place for putting in our seed.
21st. This morning I started on
horseback. Leaving Canyon creek, I ascended westward five miles to the summit
of a mountain pass, through a deep and narrow ravine, following a dry bed of a
rivulet and occasionally finding a little water which, however, was soon lost
beneath the soil. The pass over the summit was narrow, peaks of the mountain
rising on each side for three-fourths of a mile. This pass is the only notch or
opening of the mountains known in this region of the country that is at all
practicable for a road, except through the canyon down the bed of Weber river,
which is very rough, and passable only in the lowest stages of water, and
scarcely passable for wagons up the stream at any stage. From the summit of the
pass, for the first time, I got a sight of the valley of the Utah outlet,
extending from the Utah to the Salt Lake. By the trail, it is about fifteen
miles from the summit to the valley. The road down the mountain on the west
side is very steep, and through a well timbered valley, chiefly of rock maple
and quaking asp. A creek originates in the valley which, by the time it opens
into the lake valley, becomes quite an extensive stream. I followed this creek
down about seven miles, and overtook Elder Pratt just about where it enters a
rocky canyon. Here we had to turn to the right and ascend a very steep hill,
about three-fourths of a mile long, and descended another equally steep and
long one into another ravine, equally well timbered, and supplied with a creek
somewhat similar to that of the other valley. As much labor was necessary to
make a passable road through the thicket and down the valley, Elder Pratt and
myself left the company to perform this task, and made our way down the valley
six or seven miles, and came to a small canyon just above where the creek opens
into the valley of the Utah outlet. To avoid the canyon, the old pack trail
crosses the creek and leads up an exceedingly steep hill on to a butte that
commands the valley and view of the Salt lake. From the view we had of the
valley, from the top of the mountain, we had supposed it to be only an arm of
prairie extending up from the Utah valley, but on ascending this butte we
involuntarily, both at the same instant, uttered a shout of joy at finding it
to be the very place of our destination, and beheld the broad bosom of the Salt
lake spreading itself before us. We descended a gradual slope, some four miles
towards the center of the valley, and visited several small creeks flowing from
the mountains into the Utah outlet, traveled some ten or twelve miles in the
valley, and returned to the company about nine o’clock in the evening, finding
them about three miles from where we left them at noon, and Elders Richards and
Smith, with their companies, camped half a mile above them.
22nd. This morning we started again,
with seven others, to explore the valley further. The company united their
efforts to work a road down the creek and make their way into the valley, which
was distant only about four miles. As we rode down, this morning, we dismounted
and examined the small canyon, and found it practicable to make a road down the
bed of the creek, through the canyon, and thus avoid the dangerous and almost
impassable hill upon the other side of the precipice. We left a note upon a
pole recommending it to the company who, acting upon our suggestion, made the
road through the canyon, and before sunset found themselves camped upon a creek
in the great valley, four miles from the canyon. Our little exploring company
took down the valley a few miles towards the Salt lake, bearing a little west
of north, and struck a salt marsh fed by numerous warm springs that came out of
the base of the mountains on the east. Cane brake, bull rushes, and a kind of
large, three-cornered grass were up to our shoulders on horseback, and the
immense body of old grass and rushes formed a bridge over the marsh over which
our animals crossed without difficulty. Passing next a dry salt plain, which is
evidently covered with water when the springs are flush, we came to a small lake,
also fed by warm springs, which evidently spreads over the plain and marsh in
the spring of the year. The largest and warmest spring we found was near the
margin of this lake. It bursts from the base of a perpendicular ledge of rock
about forty feet high and emits a volume of water sufficient for a mill. We had
no instrument to determine the degree of temperature, but suffice it to say
that it was about right for scalding hogs. Here are the greatest facilities for
a steam doctor I ever saw. A stone, in the center of the stream before the
aperture in the rocks, seemed to say, this is the seat for the patient. At any
rate, I tried it, but had little desire to remain long upon it. All these
springs are very strongly impregnated with salt and sulphur and some of them
with copperas and other ingredients. Finding no place equal to that east of the
Utah outlet, we returned to camp that night, and the next day,
Friday the 23rd, we moved north to a creek about four miles, where we commenced preparations for putting in seeds.
Friday the 23rd, we moved north to a creek about four miles, where we commenced preparations for putting in seeds.
Saturday, 24th. The president and all
the rear of the pioneer company arrived, their health much improved. By tonight
we have the creek dammed up and water turned on to our land, and several acres
of potatoes and corn planted.
Sunday, the 25th. Had an excellent
meeting. All felt satisfied that the Lord had led us to the very spot for a
stake of Zion. The following week we continued to put in early corn, buckwheat,
and garden seeds, and on the following Saturday (the 31st), Colonel Markham
reported fifty-three acres plowed, most of it sowed or planted, besides the
wooding of thirteen plows and five harrows, getting timber for a boat,
repairing wagons, burning coal, blacksmithing, making roads to the timber in
the mountain ravines, exploring the valley, etc., etc.
Tuesday, the 27th. Some sixteen of us,
including the Twelve, crossed the Utah outlet, which runs through the center of
the valley, passed to the base of the ridge of mountains on the west, found the
valley to be about twenty miles broad, passed round the north end of these
mountains and struck the southeast corner of the Salt lake, twenty-two miles
from our camp, where we halted and had a fine bathing frolic. The water was
warm and very clear, and so salt that no fish can live in it. The waters of the
ocean bear no comparison to those of the lake, and those who could not swim at
all floated upon the surface like a cork, and found it out of their power to
sink. When we dressed ourselves we found our hair and skin perfectly coated
with fine salt. We continued our march around the point of the mountain to
another valley between this and the next parallel range of mountains on the
west, which also extends to the lake on the north. This valley is some ten
miles broad, and is poorly watered. Returning to a spring near the point of the
mountain, we camped for the night.
Wednesday, 28th. We went up the valley on the west of the outlet, about fifteen miles from the lake, and found the west side of the valley to be poorly watered, all the springs now dry, and the land thirsty. Returning to camp, in the evening we held a meeting, and unanimously agreed to lay out a city for our present location on this creek in latitude 40 degrees and 46 minutes, and longitude blank degrees and blank minutes, barometric height of temple block above the level of the sea 4,300 feet, the temple square to be forty rods square, all the streets to be eight rods wide and to cross at right angles east, west, north and south; squares to be forty rods square, and contain eight lots of one and one-fourth acres each, exclusive of the streets, and four of these squares in the four quarters of the city to be reserved for public grounds, etc. I should have mentioned that Elder Amasa Lyman, and a few others from the soldiers, arrived yesterday morning in time to accompany us to the lake. On Thursday, the soldiers and the Mississippi company (numbering conjointly about 250 souls) arrived, which made us about four hundred strong in the valley.
During this week the Ute and Shoshone
Indians visited our camp in small parties, almost daily, and traded some horses
for guns and skins for clothing, etc. They seemed much pleased at our settling
here. While here, one of the Utes stole a horse from the Shoshones and was
pursued up the valley by the latter and killed, and his comrade and their
horses and the victors returned to our camp with the stolen property.
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