244 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
and providing an outing place for the people. The streams in the 
other canyons have been requisitioned by the city, and now much 
of the water comes from Big Cottonwood Canyon, more than 20 
miles to the south. 
The city is noted for its fine shade trees and for the beautiful 
velvety lawns which abound almost everywhere, especially around 
the public buildings and the handsome residences on Brigham 
Street. There are some warm sulphur springs and bathhouses at 
the foot of the terrace in the northwestern quarter of the city. 
ONE-DAY TRIPS BY RAIL FROM SALT LAKE CITY. 
A few one-day trips may be made by rail from Salt Lake City, 
either for pleasure, for seeing the surrounding country, or for 
studying some of the larger mines or mining districts. 
SALTAIR BATHING BEACH. 
As Great Salt Lake is the one natural feature which can not be 
duplicated in any other part of the country, people are naturally 
curious to see it and to have a chance to bathe in its waters. Many 
are familiar with the salt water of the ocean, but a large lake con- 
taining salt water is to most people a novelty. As the shores of 
Great Salt Lake are 10 miles from the city, the trip is generally 
made by rail. A large and ornate pavilion, called Saltair, has been 
built at the water’s edge, and the traveler may enjoy bathing in the 
salt water or dancing in the pavilion. The facilities for dancing are 
not out of the ordinary, but the bathing, on account of the high 
mineral content of the water and its consequent density, i is peculiar. 
Only with difficulty can the bather keep his feet from rising to the 
surface, and if he balances himself in an upright position oly the 
lower part of the body is in the water and the head and shoulders 
rise above it. On account of the heaviness of the water the traveler 
may be interested in knowing something of the history of Great 
Salt Lake, as it is known to geologists, and the reason for its intense 
saltinesa* 
“The following description of Great 
Salt Lake was written by G. K. Gil- 
bert, who made an exhaustive study of 
the subject: 
“Great Salt Lake has no outlet. 
Jordan River, which enters it from the 
south, is the outlet of Utah Lake. Bear 
waters of Utah and Bear lakes and of 
Jordan and Bear rivers are fresh, and 
so is the water of Weber River, the 
third great tributary of Great Salt 
Lake, but the lake into which the three 
rivers flow is saline. It is saline be- 
cause it has no outlet. The fresh 
waters of the rivers contain some saline 
matter, but the quantity is too small 
to be discovered by taste. As stated 
by the Sema in parts per million, the 
quantity seems minute, but when ac- 
count is taken also of the total volume 
of water brought by the streams to the 
lake in a year their burden of saline 
