the parties, and beyond which contracts are rendered void or at least cannot be enforced by law.
U′tah (named from the Ute Indians), a western state of the Union, a trifle larger than Idaho; area 84,970 square miles; breadth 275 miles; extreme length 345. It is bounded on the north by Idaho and Wyoming, on the south by Arizona, on the west by Nevada and on the east by Wyoming and Colorado. The state, which ranks eighth in size, was first settled by the Mormons in 1847, and by them called Deseret. It occupies an elevated plateau, at an average altitude of 5,000 feet, from which mountain-peaks rise 11,000 to over 13,600 feet, with correspondingly deep valleys. The Wasatch range forms its chief topographical feature in the northern and middle regions, with the notable water-basin of Great Salt Lake northeast of the Great American Desert and north of Utah Lake. The population of the state in 1900 was 276,749; in 1910 it had increased to 373,351. Its capital is Salt Lake City (92,777). The other chief towns are Ogden (25,580); Provo City (8,925); and Logan (7,522).
Surface and Drainage. Besides the high, central Wasatch range, with its eastward spurs known as the Uintah Mountains, there are many other elevations southeast and west. The chief ones are Needle, Wah-Wah, Beaver River, Parowan, Henry, Deep Creek, Abajo, La Salle, Thomas, Desert, Terrace and Goose Mountains. From these ranges soar lofty peaks, as Mts. Peale and Gilbert and Emmons, Wilson, Hodges, Tokewanna and Lovenia Peaks, each of which exceeds 13,000 feet in height. The lake and river drainage also is considerable and varied, embracing (besides Great Salt Lake, 2,500 square miles in extent) Lake Utah and Bear and Sevier Lakes and Green, Grand, Colorado, Snake, Bear, Sevier, Virginia, Jordan and San Juan Rivers. In San Juan County, in the uninhabited arid almost inaccessible southeast, are the greatest natural bridges in the world. Emery Knowles discovered them in 1895. They number three. Augusta Bridge is 265 feet in height, 35 in width, 83 in thickness and 320 in span; Caroline 182, 60, 60 and 350 feet respectively; and Edwin 111, 30, 10 and 205. This is the slenderest and most graceful bridge. Each consists of light sandstone. The mountains around rise 11,000 to 13,000 feet.
Resources, Mining and Agriculture. The natural resources consist of the yield from minerals and from agricultural operations almost entirely. In 1910 the production of wheat amounted to 5,708,000 bushels; of oats to 2,494,000 bushels; of corn to 394,000 bushels in 1910; of beet sugar (in 1909) to 48,884 tons. The area devoted to crops in 1910 was 1,368,211 acres, embracing hay and forage, besides the cereals named. The minerals include coal, of which in 1910 2,517,809 tons were mined; copper, the yield of which in 1910 was 125,185,455 pounds; silver 10,445,900 ounces ($5,640,800); gold $4,312,700 (the yield being 208,627 ounces); and lead, 57,081 short tons. Other mined products embrace clay, salt, zinc, bismuth, iron, cement and building-stone. The wool-product in 1910 was 4,819,500 pounds. In 1910 Utah had over 1,800,000 sheep, 75,810 dairy cows, 336,524 neat cattle and 117,953 horses and mules.
Manufactures. There has been considerable progress in the development of manufactures in recent years. In 1909 the number of industrial establishments was about 750, employing some $52,600,000 of capital and turning out products to the aggregate value of $61,989,000. The two principal industrial centers are Salt Lake City and Ogden, the leading industries throughout the state being the smelting and refining of copper and lead ore, flour and grist-mill products, engineering work, railway repairing, printing and publishing, confectionery manufacture cheese and butter making, the preserving and canning of fruits, vegetables and condensed milk, together with foundry and machine output, the brewing of malt-liquors and cattle-slaughtering and meatpacking.
Commerce, Finance and Transportation. The railway mileage in 1910 was 1,985 miles, the more important lines being the Rio Grande Western, the Oregon Short Line, the Central Pacific, the Los Angeles and the Union Pacific. There were eight short lines also. In 1911 the state had 21 national and 68 state banks. The taxable property assessment for 1908 was close to $146,133,649, while the debt amounted to $900,000.
Education. The school-system is under a board, aided by a state and a county superintendent. Education is free, as are the text-books. Education from 8 to 16 is compulsory. Illiteracy is only 5% of the population, and half of the 6,141 illiterates are foreign-born. From a school population of about 105,000 in 1910 the enrollment was 87,721; while the average daily attendance was 69,246. Normal schools for the training of teachers are maintained at Salt Lake City in connection with the state University of Utah and also at Cedar City. Higher education is represented by the University of Utah, which has 125 instructors and 810 students; by Brigham Young College at Logan (Latter Day Saints) with 32 instructors and 704 students; and by Westminister College (Pres.) at Salt Lake City; there also is an agricultural college at Logan. The state university is co-educational, and, besides its normal-school department, has a school of mines and a school of arts and sciences.
