Show CHAPTER XE THE "MUD HEN" SURVEY The first survey of the lake made by the Mormons was direction of Albert Carrington in April 1848 Carrington’s account of the expedition is so brief 2 can be much form in of it that its original given conducted under the 19th Thomas J Thurston Joseph Mount Madison April D Hambelon Albert Carrington Jedediah M Grant and William W Potter started at two P M with a skiff on wheels for the ford of the Jordan with a view of exploring the Great Salt Lake and its islands for two weeks Got aboard and proceeded down the Jordan till after dark and camped on its west bank estimated distance by stream 15 miles channel good current strong On the 20th we killed a mud hen from which circumstance we named our skiff the "Mud Hen" Rowed two miles on the east passing two outlets on the west and two inlets side made by the waters of North Canyon Creek and the canThe Jordan suddenly spread out without yon north of it our boat We stepped leaving any channel that would float out and drew our boat four miles water varying from one to four inches bottom sandy covered with two or three inches of slime or soft mud we did not discover a living in great abundance Got thing in the water water-fohauled aboard and steered for the first island Antelope our boat over a bar one half mile and when one and a half or two miles off the island the water again shoaled so that our boat struck bottom There were several Indian ponies and three Indians in sight ontothe island two feet Antelope Average depth of water from Jordan On wl 27 1847 Brigham Young accompanied by several July men had gone on an overnight exploring expedition along the south shores of the lake to Tooele valley Since they followed the immigrant road and made no new discoveries this "exploration" is worthy of very little consideration Orson Pratt Exodus of Modern Israel 29 gives an account of it 2 Albert Carrington "Log of the Mud Hen" in "Salt Lake Stake History 1847-6entry for April 24 1848 np 1 9" |