| 193 Elder Brannan's estimate of the country, as well as his report of its reputation, was quite different from Elder Heber C. Kimball's, who accompanied the Pioneers to Salt Lake Valley, and after his return wrote a letter to "Emma Smith" [widow of the Prophet], "and Brother Joseph, her son," from "Winter Quarters, Camp of Israel, Omaha Nation, January 10, 1848," in which he writes of the country as follows:-
"The valley appears well calculated for raising and sustaining a vast amount of stock. The grass is rich, heavy on the ground, and well mixed with rushes; cattle appear to be exceedingly fond of it, and according to the universal testimony of mountaineers, the valley is one of the best kind of places to winter cattle; the weather being moderate, and snow never more than seven inches deep. On the sides of creeks grass grows to an amazing height. One place we noticed where it was twenty-five feet high.
"We found the common bulrush fifteen feet high and one and one half inch in diameter at the base. The soil is of a light loose nature, of a rich black kind in the neighborhood of the outlet, but as you ascend nearer the mountains, more inclined to be sandy. The general feeling of farmers was, that it will yield heavy crops of wheat, and no doubt is entertained as to producing corn, as the experiment has been made in the neighborhood. It is generally supposed that there is not sufficient rain for farming purposes, but while we were there we had a refreshing shower every few days. However this may be, the lack is easily remedied by the process of irrigation, which in that place will require very little labor."
Upon learning that their brethren had decided to locate in Salt Lake Valley, the California colony abandoned their settlement of New Hope and scattered, following agriculture and other pursuits. When the gold excitement of 1849 came some of them engaged in the mining business. Some finally found their way to Utah, some have united with the Reorganization, while some apostatized.
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