JOHN C. FREMONT. 251 



falls only a few inches in depth, such as we saw it at 

 the time. 



"The immediate valley of the Upper Colorado fo* 

 about one hundred miles in breadth, and from the 

 7th to the 22d of January, was entirely bare of 

 snow, and the weather resembled that of autumn in 

 this country. The line here entered the body of 

 mountains known as the "Wahsatch and Chu-ter-ria 

 ranges, which are practicable at several places in 

 this part of their course ; but the falling snow and 

 destitute condition of my party again interfered to 

 impede examinations. They lie between the Colo- 

 rado Valley and the Great Basin, and at their west- 

 ern base are established the Mormon settlements of 

 Parawan and Cedar City. They are what are called 

 fertile mountains, abundant in water, wood, and 

 grass, and fertile valleys, offering inducements to 

 settlement and facilities for making a road. These 

 mountains are a great storehouse of materials tim- 

 ber, iron, coal which would be of indispensable use 

 in the construction and maintenance of the road, 

 and are solid foundations to build up the future 

 prosperity of the rapidly-increasing Utah State. 



" Salt is abundant on the eastern border-moun- 

 tains, as the Sierra de Sal, being named from it. In 

 the ranges lying behind the Mormon settlements, 

 among the mountains through which the line passes, 



