250 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 
time, for three years later the incoming bands of Mormons, instead 
of following Weber River downstream from the mout cho 
Canyon, turned up Weber River and were soon in the open valley 
where Coalville now stands. They continued up the Weber to Wan- 
ship, where they turned to the west, and after crossing a low, flat 
divide reached Parleys Park at Kimball. From this point their 
route practically followed that of the railroad, crossing the summit 
at Altus and continuing down Parleys Canyon‘to the Salt Lake 
Valley. Over this trail came the “handcart companies” of 1856 
and most of the Mormon emigrants who entered the valley prior to 
the building of the Union Pacific Railroad. 
he Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad continues to the 
southeast from Kimball through a wide flat known as Parleys Park, 
crosses a divide so low that it is all but imperceptible, and then fol- 
lows up one of the head branches of Weber River to Park City. 
Parleys Park is at so high an altitude that the ordinary crops can 
not be grown satisfactorily, so it is devoted almost exclusively to 
stock raising. It contains fine fields of hay and pasture, and the 
surrounding mountains afford ample range. 
he Wasatch Mountains are noted for the brilliancy of their au- 
tumn coloring, and should the traveler pass this way in the early 
autumn, after the first week in September, he will doubtless see a 
canyon and then turned to the right 
and ascended a tributary stream which 
heads in one of the dae summits of 
the Wasatch Rang They crossed 
this summit and Scateaded the north- 
Many have wondered why the Mor- 
seems almost certain that they had, 
a rt i te 
n, provided 
the soil: was found to be suitable for 
griculture. As the location was prac- 
tically decided upon it was only nat- 
cued by men sent out from the mining 
camps of California, At any rate, 39 
of the 87 persons in the party died of 
cold and starvation 
ural for them to take the most direct 
route, which was evidently the so- 
called Hastings cut-off, or the Emigra- 
tion Canyon woken as it was known in 
s, they knew that 
which is one of the points of interest 
about Salt Lake City. 
