234 



GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 



floor and when most of its surface presented to the eye only the dull 

 gray of the desert. To Brigham Young and the first Mormon set- 

 tlers must be given credit for far-sighted vision and steadfastness of 

 purpose in carrying out their plan of making this land, where the 

 conditions seemed so unfavorable, a rich agricultural region. AVho 

 to-day, without capital other than brains and muscle, would care to 

 undertake the task of making homes in such a place ? 



In the vicinity of Provo the traveler may have many fine views of 

 the towering wall of the Wasatch Range, deeply cut by canyons and 

 crowned by some of the highest peaks in the region. A little to the 

 north stands the monarch of them all, Timpanogos Peak (PL XC), 

 whose barren rocky walls tower 11,057 feet above sea level, or nearly 

 1^ miles above Provo station. In this western country mountains 

 of this height are not uncommon, and the traveler in his trip across 

 Colorado has seen many that are higher, but seldom can one look 

 from a plain at a wall-like mass such as Timpanogos, whose front is 

 unbroken by cleft, ravine, or spur. The great mass is awe-inspiring, 

 and whoever sees it can only wonder how it was uplifted and whether 

 the movement was rapid enough to have been perceptible had man 

 been there to witness the uplift. 



At Provo the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad is paralleled 

 on the left by one of the lines of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Rail- 

 road, which divides at Lynndyl; the main line keeps to the west 

 through Stockton and comes into Salt Lake City from the west, and 

 the other, a subordinate line, turns to the east through Xephi and 

 Provo and enters Salt Lake City from the south. Provo is also con- 

 nected with Salt Lake City by an interurban trolley line, which may 

 be seen on the right on the outskirts of the town. 



The country between Provo and Utah Lake is not only well sup- 

 plied with water from the mountain stream but also has many flow- 

 ing wells, which are used extensively for irrigation. Many of these 

 wells may be seen from the passing train not only about Provo but 

 also as far west as Lehi. 



Two miles out of Provo the railroad crosses Provo River, which 

 heads far to the east in the Wasatch Mountains and reaches the low 

 plains and Utah Lake on the west through Provo Canyon. About 5 

 miles from Provo the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad crosses the 

 Denver & Rio Grande Western and continues on the east side to Salt 

 Lake City. 



From Provo to Lehi the railroad takes a northwesterly course, 

 following closely the shores of Utah Lake.*^ At first the lake is a 



*"Utah Lake is 30 miles long and 6 

 miles wide at its widest point. Its 

 supply of water is derived from the 

 mountain streams, American Fork, 

 Spanish Fork, Provo River, and Salt, 



Peteetweet, and Hobble creeks. It is 

 not salt like many of the desert lakes 

 that have no outlet, but its surplus 

 waters flow through Jordan River into 

 Great Salt Lake. 



