The international geography . — Thesettlements of the Basin Range region may be grouped under three classes :the Mormons originally about Salt Lake in Utah, the mining towns in themountains, and scattered ranches of Mormons and Gentiles, where streamscan be used for irrigation. The Mormons exhibit in their polygamousand superstitious creed an example of religious atavism. Their convertshave been gathered from the eastern United States and from westernEurope. Their history includes many deeds of violence and cruelty, yetmuch may be said in their favour. Their settlements in Utah were estab-lish
The international geography . — Thesettlements of the Basin Range region may be grouped under three classes :the Mormons originally about Salt Lake in Utah, the mining towns in themountains, and scattered ranches of Mormons and Gentiles, where streamscan be used for irrigation. The Mormons exhibit in their polygamousand superstitious creed an example of religious atavism. Their convertshave been gathered from the eastern United States and from westernEurope. Their history includes many deeds of violence and cruelty, yetmuch may be said in their favour. Their settlements in Utah were estab-lished half a century ago without the intemperance of every kind that hascharacterised the frontier towns of those who would in a census be classedas Christians. Their desert home has been transformed into a productivefarming country by persevering industry and thrift. Polygamy, now for-mally abandoned, was never practised by more than 4 per cent, of the mar-riageable men; the Mormons should be classed as merely one more of the. Fig. 366.—The Ancient Beds of Lake Bonneville{in Utah) and Lake Lahontan (in Nevada). TheMap measures 550 by 420 miles. The United States 7b7 many superstitious sects of the so-called civilised nations. Salt Lake Cityon the shore of the lake is the centre of Mormon activity. The most famous mining town of the Basin Ranges is Virginia City innorth-western Nevada. Many millions of gold and silver have been takenfrom the Comstock Lode, above wliich the city was built, and many othermillions have been spent in efforts to prolong the life of the mines thereopened. The discovery of the lode about i860, at a time when the yieldof gold in California was decreasing, caused the greatest rush known inthe history of western mining. Thousands of persons hurried over theSierra Nevada, in the hope of locating a paying claim; other thousandsfollowed to open saloons, gambling resorts, and opera houses, and thus,like parasites, to live upon the miners. The rapid growth o
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgeography, bookyear19
