Haj^den.] ' ^^ [February 19, 



The carboniferous limestones begin to make their appearance along the 

 flanks of the mountains about 10 miles north of Salt Lake city, and con- 

 tinue to a great or less extent all around the rim of the basin. 



On the flanks of the mountains, east of the city, are the red beds (Juras- 

 sic?) ; probably a careful study would reveal Jurassic, cretaceous, and possi- 

 bly even tertiary beds. President Young has long since offered a large 

 revsrard to any one vv^ho would discover workable beds of coal within a 

 reasonable distance of the city, and a thorough search has been made for 

 them, but thus far without success. A bed of coaly clay only has been 

 found near the city in the mountains. All the coal used in the valley is 

 transported in wagons from Coalville, on the "Weber. The best of red 

 sandstone for building purposes is brought from red sandstone caiion, 

 just east of the town. I am inclined to believe that it is carboniferous. 

 The beautiful gray granite which is used in the construction of the Mor- 

 mon temple is brought from Cottonwood valley in the Wasatch mountains. 

 It is composed of white feldspar, quartz and black mica. 



The surface of Salt Lake valley has been rendered fruitful by the 

 industry of the Mormons. Like the greater portion of the west, it was 

 originally a vast sage plain. Now by irrigation all kinds of cereals and 

 roots grow luxuriantly, and there are no better apples, peaches, plums, 

 grapes, &c., raised in America. It may eventually become a vine growing 

 region. 



Following the stage road eastward, 16 miles from Salt Lake city to the 

 Brewery at the mouth of Parley's Kauyon, we reach the foot of the moun- 

 tain, over sand beds which are probably of post-pliocene age. Here a 

 little stream cuts through the sand beds, exposing a vertical bluff 200 

 feet high, composed of some fine sand, horizontally stratified and overlaid 

 with a great thickness of water worn pebble conglomerate. There are 

 indications all along the flanks of the mountains, that nearly or quite all 

 the formations already recognised as far west as this point are here rep- 

 resented. At the entrance of the kanyon, the carboniferous limestones 

 dip north-east 70° to 80° ; over them lie the purple and red sandstones 

 and rusty yellow layers ; and under them reddish shales. Beneath these 

 shales an immense thickness of dark gray silicious rock stands nearly 

 vertical. All this vast thickness of older rocks, in appearance semi-meta- 

 morphosed, are undoubtedly the counterparts of the series described in 

 the Weber valley just below the entrance of Lost creek. 



The road passes up a monoclinal valley between the ridges of silurian (?) 

 rock, having a brittle fracture, and the monoclinal slopes are covered with 

 debris. No gneissic rocks are noticeable along this road. 



Before reaching the summits, in fact soon after we begin the ascent, we 

 come to the conglomerates and sandstones which accompanied us down 

 the Echo and Weber valleys. Near the summit all the lulls are rounded 

 by erosion and grassed over, and water-worn boulders are scattered about 

 here and there, so that the underlying rocks are partially concealed. Just 

 beyond the summit we arrive at a broad open exposure in the valley of 

 the stream called Parley's Point, half a mile wide, and about 7000 feet 



