Stansbury Expedition of 1849-50
First detailed weather
observations on the Great Salt Lake:
–May 1. Sunrise 57F, cirrus. Noon 71F cirrus. 3 PM 69F
cloudy. Sunset 63F calm
–April 16. About 4 o’clock a violent gale came up
accompanied by thunder and
lightning from the west which instantly prostrated most of our tents and a copious fall of hail
mingled with rain which wetted
the party to the skin.
–May 8. Gunnison Island. We set out at 5 o’clock on our
return. When within 3 or 4
miles of camp a most furious gale of wind broke down upon us from the NW, which soon raised such a
sea as to render the
progress of our heavy boat so slow that we did not reach camp until 10 o’clock, cold tired &
hungry.
Exploring the
Great Salt Lake: the Stansbury Expedition of 1849-50. Edited by Brigham
D. Madsen. University of Utah Press. 1989.