Antelope Island, UT cycling 4/29/07

[Admin]

This isn't about skiing, but for those who may wish to see another glimpse of the Intermountain West, read on.

The alarm went off at 7:30 for skiing, but after yesterday's glop-fest and even warmer temperatures today (it was pushing 90 in the Salt Lake Valley today) I turned the alarm off and rolled back over.

So, what to do? I called my buddy Todd, threw the bikes in the truck rack, and headed for Antelope Island.

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, accessed via a 7.5-mile causeway from Layton, south of Ogden (the causeway reopened in 1992 after water levels receded sufficiently to drive the road). The island's entire 28,000 acres have been a state park since 1981. We rode down the entire length of the paved road that follows the eastern shore, from the visitor's center at the north end to the Fielding Garr Ranch and back. It's only about 24 miles, but I'm not yet in cycling shape so this was a good ride to do. En route we heard non-stop song birds, watched giant jackrabbits run across the road, and observed a good chunk of the island's 600-head bison herd lounging near Seagull Point. We didn't see any of the island's namesake antelope, however. About the ranch, from http://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/fieldingranch.html:

The Garr Ranch is located at Garr Springs, one of the strongest and most consistent of the 40 springs on Antelope Island. Both indigenous people and wildlife used this water source long before Fielding Garr built the ranch. Even today, bison and deer can by seen at the springs. Archaeological findings have shown that there has been human activity at the springs for at least 1,000 years.

The first permanent structure at this site was a small log cabin built in 1848 by Fielding Garr. Garr had been assigned by the Mormon Church to establish a ranch on the island as a stronghold for managing the church tithing herds. Within two years, Garr had expanded the ranch compound to include the adobe ranch house and stone corrals. The ranch was continually inhabited from that time until 1981.

The Mormon Church operated the ranch until the mid-1870s. During the era, ranching operations encompassed the entire island. The church herds supported the Perpetual Emigration Fund, which assisted Mormon Church members from Europe in making the trek across the Great Plains. In 1869, the railroad came to Utah, and with it came the first federal surveys of the land. Because the only improvements on the island were around the ranch itself, the Federal Government opened the rest of the island to homesteading. By the turn of the century, most of the homesteaders had failed to prove their claims. John Dooly Sr., and enterprising businessman and rancher, purchased the entire island at a price of one million dollars, and it became the home of his Island Improvement Company. Under Dooly's management, twelve bison were introduced to the island at a time when the bison population in North America numbered less than 1,000 head. While some philanthropists may have been working to prevent the extinction of the species, we think John Dooly was working to profit by raising the rare species for commercial hunting opportunity.

The ranching operation continued uninterrupted through several owners. Just after the turn of the century, the focus of the ranch turned to sheep. Under the direction of John Dooly Jr., the sheep operation expanded to more than 10,000 sheep to become one of the largest and most industrialized ranching efforts in the western United States. When sheep ranching became unprofitable in the 1950s due to failing wool market, the operation turned again to cattle. The island ranch continued to function as part of the largest commercial cattle operations in the state until the island became a state park in 1981.

Photos below: