Utah

A: Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the restored Church of Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) saw in vision the area where the Saints would find security and relative peace. He prophesied that the Latter-day Saints (sometimes casually called "Mormons") would gather there in the Rocky Mountains. Succeeding prophet Brigham Youngalso saw the area in vision. Brigham Young was the leader of the first party of pioneers to enter Salt LakeValley from "Emigration Canyon" to the east. He recognized it from his vision and exclaimed, "This is the right place." So for him, the Salt Lake Valley was not a disappointment. In fact, the valley had everything the Latter-day Saints needed to be successful: It received abundant water from the mountain snows, so that with irrigation, crops could be grown. It had mineral resources, rivers, and mountain sources for wood. It was isolated, yet still a crossroads in the west that could benefit from commerce. Brigham Young foresaw that one day the entire valley would be full of houses, and that prophecy has come to pass.

Pioneer Howard Egan made the following observation:

My heart felt truly glad, and I rejoiced at having the privilege of beholding this extensive and beautiful valley, that may yet become a home for the Saints. From this point we could see the blue waters of the Salt Lake. By ascending one of the ridges at the mouth of this canyon, the view over the valley is at once pleasing and interesting. These high mountains on the east side, extending to the head of the valley about fifty miles to the south, many of them white on the tops and crevices with snow. At the south end is another mountain, which bounds the valley in that direction, and at its western extremity it is joined by another range, forming its western boundary to the valley and extending in a northerly direction until it ceases abruptly nearly west of this place. The valley between these mountains is judged to be twenty-five to thirty miles wide at the north end of the last mentioned mountain. The level valley extends to the Salt Lake which is plainly visible for many miles in a western direction from this place….This valley is bounded by high mountains, some of them covered with snow and from what knowledge we have of it at present, this is the most safe and secure place the Saints could possibly locate themselves in. Nature has fortified this place on all sides, with only a few narrow passes, which could be made impregnable without much difficulty. The scarcity of timber has probably been the reason that this beautiful valley has not been settled long since by the Gentiles. But I think we can find sufficient timber up the creeks for present purposes, and also coal in the mountains. The saints have reason to rejoice, and thank the Lord for this goodly land….

The Salt Lake Valley was also fairly barren, with a semi-arid climate and four seasons. The dry air makes both heat and cold more tolerable, but only along river banks and in the mountains do trees grow naturally. Virtually all of the early Mormon pioneers came from more verdant regions. European converts were mostly English and Scandinavian, and American converts were from the forested and more watered eastern U.S. One Scandinavian convert said that as soon as she got her first glimpse of the valley, she nearly turned around and headed back to Scandinavia. That's a lot to say for someone who spent months migrating by ship, railroad, and covered wagon to gather with the Saints. (Read more…)

Belcher's, Larus belcheri

Black-headed, Larus ridibundus

Black-tailed, Larus crassirostris

Bonaparte's, Larus philadelphia

California, Laruscalifornicus (gulls common to Utah)

[Common Black-headed (see Black-headed)]

Franklin's, Larus pipixcan

Glaucous, Larus hyperboreus

Glaucous-winged, Larus glaucescens

Gray-hooded, Larus cirrocephalus

Great Black-backed, Larus marinus

Heermann's, Larus heermanni

Herring, Larus argentatus

Iceland, Larus glaucoides

Ivory, Pagophila eburnea

Kelp, Larus dominicanus

Laughing, Larus atricilla

Lesser Black-backed, Larus fuscus

Little, Larus minutus

Mew, Larus canus

Ring-billed, Larus delawarensis

Ross's, Rhodostethia rosea

Sabine's, Xema sabini

Slaty-backed, Larus schistisagus

Thayer's, Larus thayeri

Western, Larus occidentalis

Yellow-footed, Larus livens

Yellow-legged, Larus michahellis