UTAH, a territory of the United States of North America, lying between N. Lat. 37. and 42., W. Long. 105. 30. and 120.; bounded on the N. by Oregon, E. by Nebraska, Kansas, and New Mexico, S. by New Mexico, and W. by California. Length from E. to W. 720 miles, breadth 347; area, 187,923 square miles. It occupies the immense rocky table-land, that stretches from the Rocky Mountains on the east to the Sierra Nevada on the west. The former of these chains separates Utah from Nebraska and Kansas, and the latter from California; and both rise in some places above the snow-line, and can only be crossed by a few difficult passes. The country lying between them is divided into two parts by the Wahsatch Mountains, a ridge stretching north and south, and rising from 4000 to 7000 feet above the surrounding country. West of this range lies what is called the Great or Fremont Basin, a region about 400 miles long from E. to W., and 250 broad, and inclosed on all sides by mountains, having on the E. and W. the Wahsatch Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, N. the Blue Mountains of Oregon, and S. a range that has received no name. This basin, which is from 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea-level, has its own system of lakes and rivers, with no communication whatever with the ocean. It contains several isolated mountains, and a chain called the Humboldt River Mountains, stretching from N. to S. about the centre of the country, and attaining a height of between 2000 and 5000 feet above the surrounding country. The eastern part of Utah, between the Wahsatch and the Rocky Mountains, is occupied by a vast and sterile valley. Through this valley flow the Green and the Grand Rivers, the former entering the territory from Oregon, and the latter rising in the Rocky Mountains within its borders. Both flow nearly parallel towards the S.W., and after entering New Mexico unite to form the Rio Colorado, which enters the Gulf of California at its head. The length of the Green River is about 400, that of the Grand River about 300 miles. These rivers drain the whole of the eastern valley of Utah, and receive many affluents from both sides. The valleys watered by these rivers form the only habitable parts of Eastern Utah. The Great Basin contains no large rivers, but many important lakes. Of the latter the most remarkable is the Great Salt Lake, towards the N.E. of the basin. It is about 70 miles long by 30 broad; and though it receives many rivers, among which are the Bear River from Oregon, and the Jordan from Utah Lake, it has no apparent outlet. Its waters are so salt, that no animal can live in it; and the evaporation that takes place in hot weather leaves a thick saline incrustation on the shores. The largest river here is the Humboldt, which falls into a lake of the same name towards the west of the basin. Not far from this, among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is Pyramid Lake, so called from a singular pyramidal hill which rises in its centre to the height of 600 feet. Of the geological character of Utah little is known, but traces of volcanic agency are not unfrequent; and hot springs exist in various places. The climate is generally milder and drier than in the same parallels on the Atlantic, and the thermometer seldom rises above 100° in summer, or falls below zero in winter. Rain seldom falls between April and October. There is very little wood in the country, except on the mountains, where pines and firs are almost the only trees. The general sterility of the land is such that only a very small portion of the
surface can ever be brought into cultivation. The Mormon settlements, however, which occupy the valleys along the western base of the Wahsatch Mountains, are, when well irrigated, very fertile; but much of the country is too far distant from any rivers to be successfully cultivated. In 1850, Utah contained 16,333 acres of cultivated land; producing 107,702 bushels of wheat, 210 of rye, 9899 of maize, 10,900 of oats, 1799 of barley, 332 of buckwheat, 44,128 of potatoes, 289 of pulse, 70 lb. of tobacco, 9222 of wool, 83,309 of butter, 30,998 of cheese, and 4805 tons of hay. Manufactures have as yet made little progress in this country; but they are steadily on the increase, and are indeed necessitated by the difficulty and expense of obtaining supplies of the necessities of life from abroad. Very little trade is carried on. Utah was acquired by the United States from Mexico by the treaty of 1848; and was erected into a territory in 1850. Its government is exactly similar to that of New Mexico. But the country is chiefly important in connection with the Mormons, the first of whom arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. An account of the character and history of this singular sect is given in the article MORMONISM. Brigham Young, the head of the sect, was appointed governor of the territory; and the numbers of its inhabitants were rapidly increasing. But recent events seem to indicate that the Mormons have not found even here a secure retreat. The discovery of gold in California led to the settlement of many emigrants not Mormons in these regions; and the persecutions to which they were subjected resulted in disputes between the governor and the United States authorities. In order to put an end to these disturbances, the president despatched, in 1857, a detachment of the federal army against Young, who was treated as an open rebel. This expedition, having been detained to quiet the disturbances in Kansas, was not able to resume the march for Utah till October 1857; and, owing to the inclemency of the weather, was obliged to spend the winter at Fort Laramie in Nebraska. In May 1858, the expedition had arrived at Utah, and Cumming, the new governor, reported to the president that Brigham Young had given up all thoughts of resistance, and consented to receive peaceably the federal authorities. The Mormons are said to be moving in large numbers towards the south. The population of the territory in 1850 was 11,380; but more recently there were estimated to be 38,000 Mormons in the Utah.