Dear brother,
After so much of a hard and snowy winter, un-
equalled since we settled in these mountains, the past few days of sunny
weather almost make us believe Spring has commenced; over 8 feet of snow
has fallen this winter in our city. The snow has been 2 & 3 feet deep
in our streets during the month of January; Northward it has been
deeper: In Utah valley South there has not been so much. The cattle
and sheep have been brought from the island where snow is about 3
feet deep, and many have been driven into the city from the ranges North
Few have died in comparison to last year.
The abundance of snow in the mountains will be of much
benefit the coming year for irrigation, and with such a gradual warm
thaw as is going on at present, the land must receive a thorough
soaking, which is cheering prospects to a community whose primary &
chief dependence is Agricultural.
The Eastern mail for January made an attempt at crossing
the mountains for the East, but only got up the first mountain where
on finding the snow so very deep it was considered impracticable to
proceed further. They returned finding one carrier froze to death in the
snow.
Elder Dan Jones has been employed while the weather would
permit in fitting up a craft with which to explore Salt Lake, and the
mouths of Bear river and the Jordan, and to find what navigation is
practicable on the Lake and its tributaries, he is at present making
arrangements to boat fire wood from Stansbury Island to Black rock,
from which point it can easily be drawn into the city. The Blacksmiths
Dear brother,
After so much of a hard and snowy winter, unequalled since we settled in these mountains, the past few days of sunny
weather almost make us believe Spring has commenced; over 8 feet of snow
has fallen this winter in our city. The snow has been 2 & 3 feet deep
in our streets during the month of January; Northward it has been
deeper: In Utah valley South there has not been so much. The cattle
and sheep have been brought from the island where snow is about 3
feet deep, and many have been driven into the city from the ranges North
Few have died in comparison to last year.
The abundance of snow in the mountains will be of much
benefit the coming year for irrigation, and with such a gradual warm
thaw as is going on at present, the land must receive a thorough
soaking, which is cheering prospects to a community whose primary &
chief dependence is Agricultural.
The Eastern mail for January made an attempt at crossing
the mountains for the East, but only got up the first mountain where
on finding the snow so very deep it was considered impracticable to
proceed further. They returned finding one carrier froze to death in the
snow.
Elder Dan Jones has been employed while the weather would
permit in fitting up a craft with which to explore Salt Lake, and the
mouths of Bear river and the Jordan, and to find what navigation is
practicable on the Lake and its tributaries, he is at present making
arrangements to boat fire wood from Stansbury Island to Black rock,
from which point it can easily be drawn into the city. The Blacksmiths
"Letter to the Editor of the Western Standard, 4 February 1857," p. 1, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed March 29, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/48g6