"The valley, sometimes called the Great Basin, has an elevation of from four to five thousand feet, being surrounded and intersected by mountain ranges, which rise from five to seven thousand feet above the level of the basin. The Wasatch range extends along the east side of the valley; at its western base is a narrow strip of land, the most fruitful in the Territory. In many other parts the soil is alkaline and sterile. In other districts there are fertile basins, with soil of good quality, yielding in places from fifty to ninety bushels of grain to the acre. There are immense deposits of coal, iron, and other valuable minerals, among them being gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, sulphur, alum and borax. Salt works have been established in different places along the shores of the great lake, the water of which contains about 16 per cent, solid matter, 97 per cent, of which is common salt. In the chasms and ravines of the mountain streams are found cedar, pine, quaking asp, oak and maple, but timber is difficult of access. This, however, is compensated for by the immense deposits of coal in the neighborhood, and in the Territory itself, and by the railroad facilities the Territory now enjoys for shipping timber from Oregon and California. "The hardships of early times, which are now well-known in history, have given way to prosperity, and the hidden resources of the hills and dales are appearing to bless the children of the Mormon pioneer. Thriving towns and cities extend from north to south, from east to west, over the whole territory, and Mormon colonies are planted along the Rocky Mountains, from Mexico in the south, to Canada in the north. Their industry is proverbial; they view the building of cities, hamlets and villages as a divine call, taking hold of the often perilous labor with the invincible determination born of religious zeal and duty. "Salt Lake City has a population of about fifty thousand, but it must not be understood that all these are Mormons. The tide of prosperity that has come to this people, has brought with it thousands of citizens from all parts of the United States, until the population is as mixed, in a religious sense, as that of any of the states of the Union; churches of all the Christian denominations, the halls of the agnostic, the synagogue of the Jew, and the gathering place of the infidel, are alike represented.