| 134 CROFUTT’S NEW OVERLAND TOURIST | for twelve miles during the year. In 1875, | about thirteen miles more were finished, and in 1877 it was extended to within two miles of Stockton, 37.5 miles from Salt Lake City, The depot in Salt Lake City is located - one-half mile west of the Utah Central, on ’ the same street. We will take arun out | over this road and note the result. The route is due west, crossing the Jor- dan River the first mile, about one-half ' mile south of the wagon-road bridge, , thence twelve miles to the Hot Springs, at ' the northeast point of the Oquirrh, Moun- | tains. This twelve miles is built across | thelevel bottom land, the greater portion ' of which is covered with sage-brush and | “punch” and alkali grasses. ood, with an occasional patch of ase-w Eh The soil in | most parts is a black vegetable mould with ' amixture of fine sand. Some sand beds ; are noticeable, and near the Hot Springs a. wa ie ia li si | mountain, deposit of alkali with some yellow clay. The railroad crosses several times on the route the old California wagon road of bygone days. is bottom now, except to a limited ex- tent near the water, is used for grazing purposes. The whole length of this land is about 50 miles, of which the first 15 is 10 miles average width, the balance averaging five miles wide, and extending to Utah Lake on the south, and when properly irrigated—as we have heretofore noted, a plannow being carried out for so doing—it will be as pro- ductive as the same number of acres in the valley of the famous River Nile, in Egypt. Large herds of cattle and sheep are now to be seen on the bottom, as well as jack rabbits by the legion. Near the hot springs, on the left, notice- able from the amount of steam rising, and the brown, burned appearance of the ground, are some comfortable little farm-houses, and a few good, oS farms. The hot springsspoken of are fresh, and produce a large creek of water. Near, are several store-houses, and the station called Mrinuistone—so named from the fact that at this point the first millstones were quar- ried in the Territory. There are no ac- commodations at present, near, for tourists to stop over. Proceeding along, around the side of the our train gradually approaches the lake, and five miles from Millstone, we are at Buiack Rocx—tThis station derives its name from a black-looking rock, sitting out in the lake, about 300 feet distant and 50 feet in height, just after passing a high, rocky cliff on the edge of the Lake. Near the station is Lion’s Head Rock, and the highest point is known as Observa- tion Point, so named from the unobstructed view of the surrounding country, which can be had from itssummit. Antelope, or Church Island, to the northeast, is 14 miles distant, Kimball’s 22 miles; Goose Creek Mountains, 100 miles northwest; West Mountain, 15 miles west; Oquirrh, close to the south, while the view to the south- west extends to the great rim of the basin, 17 miles distant. On Church Island, large herds of cattle range, and some mines of gold, slate and copper have been discovered. On Car- rington Island, opposite Black Rock, a slate mine of good quality has been discovered, which has been traced 4,500 feet. Opposite the station, away up in the side of the mountain, is the “Grant’s CavE”’—an opening extending several hundred feet into the mountain side, with a ceiling ranging in height from ten to 75 feet, from which hang stelactites of great beauty and brilliancy. Remains of some of the ancient tribes of Indians, it is said, are still to be found scattered around the floor of the cave. The presence of these re- mains is explained by a tradition among the Indians to the effect that “many hun- dred years ago, two tribes of Indians were at war with each other, and that the weaker party was forced to take refuge in the cave, but were followed by the enemy, who closed the entrance with huge boulders, forming an impenetrable barrier to their escape ’*—and thus their place of refuge became their grave. Leaving Black Rock, our train skirts the lake for a distance of three miles, and stops at Lake Pornt—twenty miles from Salt Lake City. Here the traveler will find ample accommodation at the “Short Branch Hotel,” and the steamer “ General Garfield,” Cap. Darres, ready to explore the mysteries of the famous “ Dead Sea,” Great Salt Lake. This arrangement af- fords the first opportunity ever offered to travelers to behold the marvelous grandeur with which this inland sea abounds, of which Von Humboldt sotruly said, “ Here is the beauty and grandeur of Como and Killarney combined.” For the last two seasons, Lake Point has