ROUTE NEAR THE FORTY-FIRST AND FORTY-SECOND PARALLELS. 
13 
separating the Uinta and Bear Biver mountains, crossing the head of Bear river, and, entering 
the valley of White Clay creek at its head, follows down that stream to its junction with 
Weber river. 
The Wahsatch mountains now intervene between this plateau country and the Great Salt 
lake, and the passage through them may he effected by following Weber river, or by ascend¬ 
ing to near the sources of the Timpanogos; and descending that stream—both being affluents, 
directly or indirectly, of the Great Salt lake—the distances are about the same to their common 
point on that lake. 
There are canons upon both these streams. That of the Timpanogos is 10 miles in length, 
and narrow, being from 100 to 300 yards in width. It is direct in its general course, but 
must be bridged at several points, to avoid short curves. The sides are of blue limestone, 
and will require rock-blasting at some points. The river, 30 yards wide, descends with a 
powerful current, and, when most swollen, is six feet above its ordinary level. 
On Weber river there are two canons. The upper is rather a gorge or defile, 8| miles long. 
The mountains rise to a great height above it, and are rocky and precipitous, and much broken 
by ravines. The river is winding, and it will be necessary to cross it frequently. The lower 
canon, near the borders of the valley of Great Salt lake, is four miles long, direct, with an 
average width of 175 yards, the stream being 30 yards wide, and impinging frequently with 
great force against the base of the mountains, which, however, are sufficiently retreating to 
admit of the practicable passage of a railway. 
Entering the valley of Great Salt lake from either this or the Timpanogos canon, there is 
no obstacle to the construction of a railway passing by the south end of the lake, and crossing 
the Jordan, Tuilla valley, and Spring or Lone Bock valley, to its west side. 
By the valley of the Timpanogos, the distance from near Fort Bridger to the south end of 
the Great Salt lake, on the western side of the valley of the Jordan, is 182.55 miles; the 
greatest grade required, 84 feet to the mile. The amount of work required on this section, 
excepting that along the canon, will not, in the opinion of Lieutenant Beckwith, be great. 
From the western shore of Great Salt lake to the valley of Humboldt river, the country con¬ 
sists alternately of mountains, in more or less isolated ridges, and of open level plains, rising 
gradually from the level of the lake on the east, to the base of the Humboldt mountains on 
the west; that is, from 4,200 feet to 6,000 feet above the sea. West of the Humboldt mount¬ 
ains the country is of the same character, the plains declining until, at the west shore of Mud 
lake, usually called the foot of the Sierra Nevada, the elevation is 4,100 feet. 
The mountains in this space of 500 miles, (by the route travelled 600 miles,) between the 
Great Salt* lake and the foot of the Sierra Nevada, have a general north and south course. 
Occasionally cross-spurs close in the valleys to the north and south, but more frequently this 
isolation is only apparent. The mountains are sharp, rocky, and inaccessible in many parts, 
but are low and easily passed in others. Their general elevation varies from 1,500 to 3,000 
feet above the valleys, and but few of them retain snow upon their highest peaks during the 
summer. They are liberally supplied with springs and small streams, but the latter seldom 
extend far into the plains. At the time of melting snows there are many small ponds and 
lakes, but at other seasons the waters are absorbed by the soil near the base of the mountains. 
Grass is found in abundance upon nearly every range, but timber is very scarce—a small scat¬ 
tered growth of cedar only being seen upon a few ranges. East of the Humboldt mountains 
the growth of cedars is more abundant, and the grass better, than to the west. The valleys 
rarely have a width east and west of more than five or ten miles, but often have a large extent 
north and south. They are irregular in form, frequently extending around the ends of mount¬ 
ains, or uniting to succeeding valleys by level passages. The greater part of the surface of 
these valleys is merely sprinkled by several varieties of sombre artemisia, (wild sage,) pre¬ 
senting the aspect of a dreary waste. Though there are spots more thickly covered with 
this vegetation, yet the soil is seldom half covered with it, even for a few acres, and is nowhere 
