History of Utah, 1540-1886 - Brigham Young University

CHAPTER XXVIII.
COMMERCE AND COMMUNICATION.
1852-1885.
Common Roadways—Railroads—The Union and Central Pacific—The
Utah Central—The Utah Southern—The Utah and Northern—
The Utah Eastern—The Salt Lake and Western—The Utah and
Nevada—The Denver and Rio Grande Western—Imports and
Exports—Commerce and Trade—Banking—Insurance—Taxation
and Revenue—Mails and Mail Services—The First Telegraphic
Message—The Deseret Telegraph Company.
In 1860 the principal route from the Missouri to
Utah was still the old emigrant-road which had been
mainly used during the Utah and California migrations,
and which was traversed by the army of Utah
in 1857. Between Utah and California there were
three principal lines of travel—the northern, the central,
and the southern. The first skirted the upper
edge of Great Salt Lake, and thence after crossing
an intervening stretch of desert followed the valleys
of the Humboldt and Carson rivers, being, in fact,
almost identical with the Fremont route of 1845.
Notwithstanding its length, it was still preferred by
travellers, as pasture and water were fairly plentiful,
and only two small tracts of desert land were met
with. 1 The central, better known to the settlers of
Utah by the name of Egan's and to the Californiabound
emigrants as the Simpson route, though the
two were by no means coincident, varied but a few
miles from the fortieth parallel until reaching the
1 For descriptions of this route, see Horn's Overl. Guide; Kelly's Excurs.
to CaL, Remy's Jour, to G. S. L. City, passim.
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