238 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE TEERITORIES. 



add the following in regard to the small section in the northern part 

 visited the past season : 



Weber Valley, which is drained by the river of the same name, is 

 situated in the gap of the Wahsatch Mountains made by the river in 

 its passage through them, and is on the line of the Union Pacific Eail- 

 road. The valley proper begins at Weber Station, and extends west- 

 ward to the Devil's Gate, a distance of some eleven or twelve miles, 

 varying in width from three-fourths of a mile to two miles. The land is 

 good, and most of it can easily be irrigated, the supply of water being 

 ample for this j)urpose throughout the growing season. At the west 

 end of the valley, on the north side, there is a narrow terrace some 12 

 or 15 feet higher than the bottoms, and four or five miles long by half 

 a mile or less in width. The mountains on the south side have some 

 pine timber near the summit, sufficient for the use of the valley popu- 

 lation, but, as is generally the case in this region, somewhat difficult to 

 obtain. The mountains on the north side are mostly destitute of timber 

 in the immediate vicinity of the valley. Grazing is tolerably good on 

 the foot-hills and mountain slopes to the south. Wheat is the principal 

 crop raised, though the other cereals, even some varieties of Indian 

 corn, will grow. Such fruits as apples, cherries, currants, raspberries, 

 strawberries, &c., can be ijroduced. 



The river, at the time of our visit, (June 1 to 9,) was quite full, being, 

 at the point where the estimated measurement was made, about sixty 

 feet wide and from one to three feet deep, flowing quite rapidly, at least 

 four miles per hour. 



Uintah Valley commences just below the mouth of Devil's Gate Canon, 

 and is in fact but a part of Salt Lake Valley, extending up into a bend 

 of the mountains. It is, in other words, the broad pathway that Weber 

 Eiver has cut through the sloping plain of Salt Lake Valley. It con- 

 tinues to the vicinity of Ogden, a distance of some nine or ten miles, 

 varying in width from a half to two miles, and all susceptible of irriga- 

 tion. The fall of the stream through this valley is much more than 

 would be supposed, judging it by the eye, being, according to the rail- 

 road survey, 220 feet in the ten miles, or 22 feet to the mile, which shows 

 that the water can be carried up to the higher terraces which lie on the 

 south side near Ogden. The rapidly increasing importance of this point 

 will probably, ere long, cause irrigation to be carried on here upon a 

 much larger scale than at present; for the soil is very rich, and every 

 spot that can be irrigated will become valuable when the drawbacks to 

 its settlement are removed. 



The town of Ogden is situated along the escarpment of a terrace some 

 50 or CO feet high, one part built on the lower level, the other part on 

 the upper level. The soil of this terrace is a very light sandy loam, and 

 when supplied with an abundance of water will x>roduce very fine veg- 

 etables. The town is tolerably well supplied with water, chiefly, I 

 believe, from Ogden Creek, which crosses the plain a little north of this 

 place. 



A number of shade-trees planted along the streets by the side of 

 the ditches have grown steadily, until now some are over one foot in 

 diameter, quite thrifty, and furnishing a very agreeable shade during 

 the hot days of summer. There is, in fact, no other trouble to be ex- 

 perienced in growing lorest-trees here than, the planting and ditching 

 for water, and this need not be supplied after they have had a firm and 

 vigorous growth for three or four years. The cotton-wood, mulberry, 

 locust, {23setulacacia,) Lombardy poplar, willow, and many other varie- 

 ties can be raised without ditficulty. I noticed in Salt Lake City locust, 



