| OCR Text |
Show RECREATION The history of the recreational development of the Great Salt Lake has been one of rise and fall. In the early days, people came from all over the country to bathe in the Lake's buoyant waters. The resorts, which were developed to accommodate bathers, languished as the waters receded. Boating, popular since the 1930' s, has suffered from lack of facilities and the problem of corrosion. Hunting in the marshlands on the eastern shore of the Lake is probably the most important recreational use of the Lake today. Auto racing on the Bonneville Salt Flats, while pursued as recreation by only an adventuresome few, is also an important recreational use of the area surrounding the Great Salt Lake. The new state park on Antelope Island has yet to establish itself as a major recreational feature of the Great Salt Lake, but if initial use trends continue, its future seems assured. HISTORY OF RECREATIONAL USE OF THE GREAT SALT LAKE In 1831, seven years after Jim Bridger first looked upon the Great Salt Lake, Captain B. L. E. Bonneville and his party explored the Lake and bathed in its waters. In 1847, with the arrival of the Mormon pioneers, the recreational use of the Great Salt Lake began in earnest. On July 4, 1851, the first organized bathing excursion to the Lake was undertaken by a group consisting primarily of Mormons from Salt Lake City. It was an overnight affair led by Brigham Young. Few made the trip because it took two days and a recently constructed bathhouse at Wasatch Springs was more accessible. |
