﻿CHARACTERISTICS 
  OF 
  THE 
  BASIN 
  AREA. 
  297 
  

  

  stunted 
  Artemisia. 
  The 
  soil 
  is 
  a 
  heavy 
  clay, 
  and 
  the 
  valley 
  is 
  not 
  likely 
  

   to 
  be 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  locusts 
  as 
  a 
  breeding-ground. 
  

  

  The 
  narrow 
  valley 
  of 
  Smith's 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  Bear, 
  which 
  extends 
  up 
  that 
  

   stream 
  for 
  about 
  20 
  miles, 
  has 
  an 
  average 
  width 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  miles. 
  

   This 
  valley, 
  with 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  is 
  weU 
  grassed, 
  and 
  can 
  easily 
  

   be 
  burned 
  over. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  miles 
  below 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  Smith's 
  Fork, 
  a 
  second 
  large 
  branch 
  

   from 
  the 
  right 
  joins 
  the 
  Bear. 
  This 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  Thomas' 
  Fork. 
  On 
  

   this 
  stream 
  is 
  a 
  large, 
  fine 
  valley, 
  covered 
  with 
  sage 
  and 
  grass. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Bear, 
  between 
  these 
  streams, 
  though 
  not 
  as 
  broad 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  above, 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  inhospitable, 
  containing 
  more 
  grass, 
  and 
  a 
  

   more 
  luxuriant 
  growth 
  of 
  sage. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  Bear 
  and 
  Bear 
  Lake 
  lies 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  hills, 
  which 
  toward 
  

   the 
  south 
  flatten 
  out 
  into 
  a 
  rolling 
  country, 
  which 
  separates 
  the 
  valley 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bear 
  from 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  Weber. 
  Xear 
  the 
  railroad, 
  this 
  

   belt 
  of 
  country 
  is 
  poor 
  in 
  everything 
  except 
  Artemisia, 
  and 
  even 
  that 
  

   is 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  luxuriant 
  to 
  support 
  a 
  conflagration. 
  Indeed, 
  from 
  

   the 
  Platte 
  Valley 
  westward, 
  the 
  Union 
  Pacific 
  Railroad 
  runs 
  through 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  forbidding 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  West. 
  North 
  of 
  the 
  

   railroad, 
  as 
  this 
  rolling 
  country 
  rises 
  and 
  becomes 
  defined 
  as 
  ranges 
  of 
  

   hills, 
  its 
  natural 
  productions 
  improve, 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  in 
  August, 
  1877, 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  mass 
  of 
  hills 
  east 
  of 
  Bear 
  Lake 
  were 
  burned 
  over 
  by 
  

   fires 
  set 
  by 
  Indians. 
  

  

  Bear 
  Lake 
  Valley, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  to 
  extend 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  the 
  lake 
  northward 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Soda 
  Springs, 
  is 
  a 
  fine 
  valley 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  much 
  grass 
  among 
  the 
  omnipresent 
  sage. 
  This 
  entire 
  area, 
  ex- 
  

   cepting 
  that 
  covered 
  by 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  swamp, 
  can 
  be 
  burned 
  over, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  the 
  mountain 
  slopes 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  

   the 
  valley, 
  that 
  is, 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  timber. 
  

  

  The 
  Bear 
  River 
  Range 
  separates 
  Bear 
  Lake 
  Valley 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  from 
  

   Cache 
  Valley 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  rises 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  9,000 
  to 
  10,000 
  

   feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  Above 
  a 
  certain 
  elevation, 
  which 
  maybe 
  set 
  roughly 
  

   at 
  1,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  valleys, 
  it 
  is 
  well, 
  but 
  not 
  densely, 
  timbered. 
  

   Below 
  the 
  timber 
  is 
  an 
  abundant 
  growth 
  of 
  grass 
  on 
  a 
  soil 
  generally 
  

   gravelly. 
  South 
  of 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Bear 
  Lake 
  this 
  range 
  

   breaks 
  gradually 
  down 
  into 
  bare 
  hills, 
  covered 
  with 
  sage 
  and 
  grass, 
  

   which 
  are 
  crossed 
  by 
  the 
  Weber 
  in 
  its 
  westerly 
  course 
  to 
  Great 
  Salt 
  

   Lake. 
  These 
  hills 
  I 
  should 
  judge 
  to 
  be 
  burnable. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Weber, 
  which 
  is, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  merely 
  a 
  notch 
  

   cut 
  in 
  high 
  hills, 
  widens 
  out 
  at 
  the 
  east 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Wasatch 
  Range 
  

   into 
  a 
  large 
  fertile 
  basin, 
  well 
  settled 
  by 
  Mormons. 
  This 
  valley 
  is 
  easily 
  

   burnable. 
  

  

  Returning 
  to 
  the 
  Bear, 
  at 
  Soda 
  Springs 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  it 
  makes 
  an 
  

   abrupt 
  turn 
  back 
  upon 
  itself 
  around 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Bear 
  River 
  

   Range. 
  Below 
  this 
  bend 
  the 
  river 
  flows 
  first 
  through 
  Gentile 
  Valley, 
  a 
  

   small 
  valley 
  between 
  the 
  Bear 
  River 
  and 
  Portneuf 
  Ranges. 
  This, 
  like 
  

  

  