148 



V 



OGDEN, UTAH, TO SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



The railroad leaves Ogden (see sheet 15^ p. 102) in a northwesterly 

 direction and follows for a mile or more the old line of the Central 

 Pacific Railway, which made a considerable detour around the north 

 end of Great Salt Lake. At milepost 781 ^ the present line diverges 

 from the original route and, swinging gradually westward, turns 

 directly away from the great mountain wall of the Wasatch Range. 

 It is 15 miles from Ogden to the eastern shore of Great Salt Lake, 

 and for 32 miles beyond this point the way lies directly across the 

 lake to its western shore. 



As the train goes toward the lake the view from the rear, or obser- 

 vation platform, is one of the finest panoramas of mountain scenery 

 to be had from the railroad, especially if the light and weather are 



favorable. 



almost sheer mount 



wall of dark and rugged ridges standing above the flat valley in the 

 foreground. Such an abrupt face on one side is more or less typical 

 of the Great Basin mountains and is believed to be sicnificant of 

 the manner in which they have been formed. There is little doubt 

 that these mountains have originated by fracture of the earth's 

 crust and uplift along one side or settling along the other side of the 



crack. 



;ic terms, the mountams are uphea' 

 g the forces of erosion have more 



and scored the original cliff or scarp made by the break. The deep 



notch across the range in the middle background is the canyon of 



Ogden River, which flows into Weber River a few mdes below Ogden. 



The railroad extends across the level lands that border the east 



side of Great Salt Lake. 



most 



tivatcd and is richl}^ productive after it has been ''broken'' — that is, 

 after it has been plowed and partly leached of its alkali salts by irri- 

 gation. The common crops are hay, grain, sugar beets, and vege- 

 tables. Tomatoes raised here are canned in considerable quantity. 

 In certain favorable situations along the foot of the mountains 

 peaches, apples, and other fruits are grown. 



Near milepost 778 a line of steel towers of an electric-nower trans- 

 mission line crosses the railroad from north to south. 



current from large hydroelectric plants on Bear River, ^..... ^.. 



ton, 20 miles north of the lake, straight across the meadow flats to 



This conveys 



at Garfield. 



o 



ham 



^ Mileage along the route ia marked by 

 milepost boards on telegraph polea and 

 numbers on semaphore signals, culverts. 



and bridges. 



The figures given represent 

 distance from San Francisco and ahow the 

 westbound traveler how far he still must go. 



