350 J. W. Powell's Survey of the Rocky Mountain Region. 
either dry or covered by a moderate depth of water, have 
afforded means of communication. It happens that the Ante- 
lope Island bar was in use until 1865, when it became so deeply 
covered that fording on horseback was impracticable ; and that 
the Stansbury Island bar was first covered with water in 1866, 
and has been used as a ford, with slight exception, ever since. 
By the compilation of the testimony of those who have made 
use of these crossings, a continuous record was derived, which 
cannot deviate very widely from the truth, and the work was 
checked by making careful soundings to ascertain the present 
depth of water on the Antelope Island bar. 
From 1847 to 1850 there was little change beside the annual 
tide variation dependent upon the spring floods, and which 
akes the summer stage in each year from one to two feet 
higher than the winter. Then the water began to rise and so 
continued until in 1855 and 1856 its mean stage was four feet 
higher than in 1850. This progressive rise was followed by a pro- 
gressive fall of equal amount, and in 1860 the lake had returned 
to its first observed level. In 1862 there began a second rise 
which continued for eight years and carried the water ten feet 
above the original level. Since 1869 there has been no great 
. change, bnt the mean height has fluctuated through a range of 
about two feet. 
the water surface increased from 1,750 to 2,166 square miles, or 
nearly twenty-four per cent. By this expansion the surface 
for evaporation was increased so that the lake could return to 
the atmosphere the surplus thrown into it by the augmented 
streams. 
Whatever land is at any time flooded by the lake becomes 
saturated with salt, and if the water afterward retires, remains 
barren of vegetation for many years. The highest level reached 
the last great rise of the lake, the storm line was six feet lower 
than at present, and the intervening belt of land still retains 
the stumps and roots of bushes that have been killed by the 
