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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 teiTace 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 ior 

 studying some of the larger mines or mining districts. 



SAIiTAIE, 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, 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 only 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 

 saltiness.^* 



" 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 

 River, coming from the north, carries 

 the outflow from Bear Lake. The 

 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 chemist, in parts per million, the 

 quantity seems minute, but when ac- 

 count is taken also of the tdtal volume 

 of water brought by the streams to the 

 lake in a year their burden of saline 



