242 GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OF THE TEEEITOEIES. 



The sides of the caiion consist mostly of high, steep, but smooth 

 ronuded hills, with occasional spots where the rocks jut out from the 

 surface. It is quite tortuous and narrow, affording only space for a 

 wagon-road. The creek rushes through it with considerable impetu- 

 osity, and although rather small sends down water sufflcient to irrigate 

 a large area of land if properly husbanded. The ascent is somewhat 

 rapid, being nearly one hundred feet to the mile. After moving up it 

 for seven or eight miles we reach a beautiful little park, nestling cozily 

 amid the mountains which surround it on every side ; for by the time 

 we reach this point the hills have grown into mountains. This park, 

 which, at the suggestion of Professor Hay den, we named Box Elder 

 Park, is nearly 1,000 feet above the level of Salt Lake ; is somewhat 

 circular in shape, its longest diameter about four miles and its shortest 

 about three. It contains an area of some ten or twelve square miles, 

 most of which can be irrigated from the streams that traverse it. It 

 has three different levels, the upper terrace, which embraces the larger 

 Ijortion, being some 60 or 70 feet above the next, which lies along the 

 west side, and along the border of which, some '80 or 90 feet lower, runs 

 Box Elder Creek. Most of the water at present used for irrigating the 

 upper and chief area comes from a very large sirring in the southwest 

 corner, and is carried round three sides. Here is the little village of 

 Copenhagen, containing some forty or fifty families, mostly Danes. 

 There are two saw-mills, which are furnished with logs chiefly from the 

 mountains that lie to the southeast. • Fir and i)ine are the only kinds 

 of timber obtained, except an occasional aspen. The lofty hills to the 

 south, which rest against a background of rugged mountains, are as 

 smooth as a carpet, green throughout, varied only with light and dark 

 sbades, with here and there a tinge of brown, which fades insensibly 

 into a beautiful green. Kot a tree and scarcely a bush is to be seen 

 upon them. To the southwest the sharper lines and crests of the ridges, 

 as they extend down into the valley, show a little more of the mountain 

 feature. They are also covered with the same green carpeting, with 

 darker shades, and patches of shrubs and bushes scattered over the 

 steep slopes. Still farther toward the west the hills grow higher and 

 more rugged, with sharper outlines, while behind them a loftier range 

 of rugged, snow-capped mountains shoots up, its peaks bristling with 

 firs and i)ines. I mention these facts as showing a very striking feature 

 of this region, to wit, the general absence of timber or arborescent veg- 

 etation of any kind on the smooth and rounded hills and ridges, while 

 Tuggedness, as a general thing, is accompanied with forest growth. 



Passing up through a narrow, but not rough canon, for a mile or two, 

 we entered another little park of small dimensions, and apparently with- 

 out Siiij constant running stream to supply it with water for irrigating 

 purposes. I saw quite a number of cattle grazing here, but there is no 

 settlement. 



Moving round to the northeast through a narrow, winding valley, over 

 rsome smooth, rolling ridges, we entered another little basin about one 

 mile and a half wide and three miles long, in the center of which is a 

 large pond of clear water. Here we saw a flock of sheep, numbering 

 about four thousand, which had been driven from some distance south 

 in order to find pasturage, which here is good. . The margins of this lit- 

 tle sheet of water appeared to be the general meeting-point for all the 

 snakes of this region. A few miles' travel through a narrow, tortuous 

 defile brought us in sight of Cache Valley. 



The short notice given of this important valley in my report of last 

 year, although wholly from information received, was very nearly correct, 



