Salt Lake Valley

Salt Lake Valley As President Wilford Woodruff Saw It Seventy Years Ago July 24, 1847. This is an important day in the history of my life, ard in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After traveling from our encampment ten miles through the deep ravine valley, ended with the canyon through the last creek, we came in full view of the Great Salt Lake valley or basin, the land of promise held in reserve by the hand of God for a resting place for the Saints, upon which a portion of the Zion of God will be built. We gazed with wonder and admiration upon the vast, rich, fertile valley, which lay for about twenty-five miles in length and sixteen miles in width, clothed with a heavy garb of green vegetation, in the midst of which lay a large lake of salt water of eighty miles in extent, in which could be seen large islands and mountains towering towards the clouds. The glorious valley abounded with the best fresh water springs, rivulets, creeks, brooks, and rivers of various sizes, all of which gave animation to the sporting trout and other fish, while their waters were wending their way into the great Salt Lake. Our hearts were surely made glad,— after a hard journey from Winter Quarters, of 1200 miles, through the flats of Piatt river, the steeps of the Black Hills, the Rocky Mountains and the burning sands of the eternal sage region,— willow swales and rocky canyons and stumps and stones,— to gaze upon a valley of such vast extent, entirely surrounded with a perfect chain of everlasting hills and mountains, covered with eternal snows, with their innumerable peaks, like pyramids, towering towards heaven, pre- senting at one view the grandest and most sublime scenery, probably, that could be obtained on the globe! Thoughts of pleasing meditation ran in rapid succession through our minds, while we contemplated that not many years, and the House of God would stand upon the top of the mountains, while the valleys would be con- verted into orchards, vineyards, gardens and fields, by the inhabitants of Zion. The standard also will be unfurled for the nations to gather thereto President Young expressed his full satisfaction in the appearance of the yalley as a resting place for the Saints, and was amply repaid for his journey. After gazing awhile upon the scenery, we traveled across the table land into the valley four miles to the encampment of our brethren, who had arrived two days before us. They had pitched their encampment upon the banks of two small streams of pure water, and had commenced plowing. Thev had broken about five acres of ground, and commenced planting pota- toes. As soon as we were located in the encampment, before I took my dinner, having one-half bushel of potatoes, I repaired to the plowed field and planted my potatoes, hoping, with the blessings of God, at least to save the seed for another year. The brethren had dammed up one of the creeks, and dug a trench, and by night nearly the whole ground was irrigated with water. We found the ground very dry. Towards evening, in company with Brothers Kimball, Smith and Benson, I rode several miles up the creek into the mountains to look for timber, and see the country, etc. There was a thunder shower, and it extended nearly over the whole valley; also, it rained some the fore- part of the night. We felt thankful for this, as it was the general opinion that it did not rain in the Valley during the summer time.— From Wilford Woodruff's Journal.