Across the country-Day 9 off to Salt Lake

Day 9

We are off to Salt Lake City  going through the Teton Bridger Wilderness and following the Snake River.  The river is about 1783 miles that will travel to the Columbia which goes all the way to the Pacific.  On the Snake River, hydro power was  started  in 1890.  In the particular area we are traveling through there is apt to be 600 inches of snow.  (And we complain when we get a foot!).

Going through Freedom.The Town is in both states of Wyoming and Utah.  Started by Mormons and where they were able to escape polygamy charges because they could walk to the other side of town. It is also known for its Freedom Rifle factory.

Facts about Wyoming..528,000 population 96,000 square miles. It has lots of dinosaur fossils  It became a a state in 1890 and was the 44th state. The Indians came west in the 1600s. Fun facts:  It is illegal to take a picture of a rabbit - J C Penny stores started here. It is illegal to wear a hat that obstructs a person's view in a public place.


On to Utah which is 84,000 sq miles, we are traveling the Logan trail Byway. We stop at Bear Lake which is 18 x7 miles

 We passed into the town of Afton WY where they had an arch that crossed 4 lanes of traffic on US 89. There are 3,011 antlers that weigh 15 tons. Here is our first stop and it is a chocolate store.  The kids were delighted and couldn't wait to get off the bus!

 We are now on the OREGON TRAIL- presented by the National Oregon/ California Trail center in  Bear lake valley, Idaho. This is a wonderful exhibit. We start by having lunch in our covered wagon.

In 1860 the covered wagons moved West where one out of every 6 died  traveling 10 to 15 miles a day for 6 months. . They counted the miles by tying a rag on the wheel and a young lad had to count the times it went around on the wheel: 404 revolutions equals a mile.  In later years the road meter was invented and cost $5.   It was usually put on the last wagon that typically belonged to the blacksmith.

The wagons [prairie schooners] were made by Studebaker called the Pierce Schooner.  The factory produced one every 7 minutes. They also didn't allow for a rider so everyone had to walk. A man named Stewart had discovered the best route to go through the  mountains called South Pass which was about 12 miles wide; but no one gave him credit for about 30 years.
Before we leave Idaho, a fun fact is the Sears used to sell the houses here and bring them in on the trains with everything included in the kit down to the screws that would be needed!

In this interactive museum we are living in the 1800's; we have decided to go west. We need to sell our farm and take the money to buy the things we need from the store here.  It will cost about $1200  total and it cost $100 for my wagon.  I will need 200 pounds of flour, 10 lbs of coffee, 10 lbs of salt, 40 lbs of bacon. These are just a few things I need. A family of 4 takes about 1000 lbs of food.  That didn't leave much room for furniture or other items.  Our guide told us that the Easterners tended to take too much and had to dump a lot on the way but the westerners understood about taking little.  The pioneers did discover that quilts were great things to keep as they were used to keep warm, trade with the Indians for things they needed, and they buried their loved ones in the quilt that was theirs.

The ride in the wagon was a little rough.  We had a wagon that allowed me to ride after I had cut my foot pretty badly on the rocks.  I had been given a white handkerchief in the beginning of our trip.  At the end of the trail the handkerchief meant I had died.  I guess my foot never healed :-(

We are getting ready to leave.  Before boarding our motor-coach we admire the beauty around us. 

The kids relaxing for a few.

When Joseph Smith came to the place where the church was built he had great aspirations. The church is 127 feet long  X 73 feet wide by 110 feet tall. It cost back then $50,000 and was finished in 1889.  There were 500 members and it held 2000.

Below is the interior where the famous Tabernacle Choir sings.  It is open to the public; but the temple above is only open to confirmed members of the church.  We were able to see a model of the interior in the museum.

We spent the night at Double Tree after we walked around the Mormon Visitor Center.  Today 60% of Salt Lake City is comprised of Mormons.

I still haven't learned anything more about the church and its members than I knew coming into it.

Along this part of the Pioneer trail, the Bear River Massacre occurred which is the known for the largest single massacre of Native Americans by the US troops. 380 out of 450 Shoshone were killed on Jan 29,1863.
Salt Lake is a terminal lake which is 1700 sq miles and changes as the water evaporates,- 950 sq miles in 1963 and 3300 sq miles in 1988. This is the largest lake not part of the Great Lakes and higher salt content than the ocean. It is the capital of Utah  which became a State in 1896. Utah is the home of 11 ski resorts.

We are off to an amazing part of the country.  Wait till you see the views tomorrow.
See you then.....