the best part was

The Beach family, Charles, Doretta, Lela and Claude, set out from Cornwall, Ontario on October 18, 1921. This is Doretta's diary.

Moving to desert for winter
(flock of 4000 sheep)

The Semloh Hotel, Salt Lake City [DPL], Utah. Nov. 8th. Left Evanston about ten A.M. Weather bright and clear. Had frost the night before that froze ice, so we could see it in the puddles of water along roadside. Scenery about the same. Roads fair [LH] until we came to Utah, then came through a long canyon, and had seen some very large sheep ranches, and caught up to a herd of sheep being taken south to winter pastures. There was a man and three dogs behind and the same in front. We had some nice time passing them, as the road was so narrow, a deep ravine on one side and steep mountains on the other. We stopped and asked how many there were in the flock and he said three thousand and eight, and had only gone a short distance when we caught up to another flock and asked how many there were in it and he said three thousand, two hundred. Both flocks belonged to him and he then was over fifty miles from Salt Lake City, and was going beyond that. It was a wonderful sight. Got here about two o'clock, got located in the Semloh Hotel, got no mail, sent telegram to Clifford.

Nov 9th. Lela sick for the first time since we left home, so we could not go sight seeing. To-day Claude went over to Mormon tabernacle [DPL]. Evening and Lela is feeling better. Weather very mild. Saw Joe Lally's friend. Lela went out for a cup of tea and lost her watch.

Nov. 10th. Lela better went out for breakfast. Claude got car which had been all washed up, and we went over to the Newhouse Hotel to the Tourist Information Bureau, to get instructions about places of interest in the city and called to see Joe Lally's friend to have ad put in paper for Lela's watch, then over to Capitol [DPL]. From there to the sacred square of the Mormons, called the Temple Block [DPL], which covers ten acres and went to the Tabernacle to hear the organ recital, the organ built under the Supervision of the Brigham Young contains 5500 pipes, ranging from two inches to thirty-two feet in length, and capable of 400 tonal variations. Was then taken through the Assembly Hall, and through the tabernacle, from the back saw the first house in Salt Lake. Then around the walks and saw Temple where only the Mormons, who did not drink, use tobacco or drink tea or coffee can worship or even get in the inside. Then we had lunch and went over to see the Bingham Canyon Mines where there are gold, silver, copper and other metals. We went up in the Canyon about seven miles, second speed all the way and did not get all the way up, as it was getting too late, but saw enough. People living on both sides and just a narrow road between and mountains on both sides, thousands of feet high, then turned and came back another road through farming country, oats, alfalfa and sugar beets. Saw men drawing beets with two teams of horses, going to the refineries. The view of the mountains covered with snow and smoke at the foothills and the sun shining at the top was beautiful. The city is in a valley and very smoky when there is no wind and is smoky to-night.

Over Greater Salt Lake

Rogerson Hotel, Twin Falls, Idaho. Nov. 11th. Left Salt Lake City about half past nine and on paved roads came to a little town called Farmington, where we inquired how we could got to see Great Salt Lake, and they directed us. We started and had to go six miles out of our way and when within a mile of it got off a high road in ditch and after working almost half an hour a man came and drew us out, but we did not give up. Went on and was disappointed, as it was not a bit nice and a terrible smell, the water so dead looking and dirty along edge. Then back to Farmington and on until we came to a city of thirty five thousand, Ogden, Utah. Had lunch. All the way along there were one little town after another, and apple, peach and apricot orchards and sidings where they were shipping thousands and thousands tons of sugar beets, and to a town called Brigham named after Brigham Young seventy miles of paved roads. Then went a short piece and stopped to see the hot Sulphur Springs, and in the pool there they bathed it was nice and warm enough to bathe, and the pool was a hundred feet square, but the pipe where it poured in eight or ten inches across the water was too hot to put your hand in. From there on nothing unusual, getting to Snowville about half past five and putting up for the night, forty miles from a railroad and the poorest stopping place we have had just in the beginning of the desert, a store and hotel all in one and the night cold.

Rogerson Hotel, Twin Falls, Idaho, Nov. 12th. Arrived in here Twin Falls about five P.M. Leaving Snowville about half past nine. The roads not very good crossing into Idaho. About an hour after we left the scenery not much. Stopped at Albion for lunch and between Albion and Burley the roads were fine. After passing Nuntaugh we came to the Snake River, the banks very perpendicular, rock a hundred feet high and will follow it the most of the way through Idaho, and about six feet from the bank there was a huge crack so deep we could not see the bottom, as though it might have been made by earthquake and on through farming districts, and when we got within ten miles of this city we had paved roads. Father called Herb Beach's up over phone and we are to be there to-morrow afternoon.

Nov. 13th. Left Twin Falls about ten o'clock following the Snake River most of the way and it is well named passing the Twin Falls and the Thousand Falls, stopping at Glen Falls for lunch and getting to Mountain Home about three o'clock and sure received a royal welcome, only going about a hundred miles, and got a lot of mail on our arrival.

Ruth Beach, Mother, Mrs. Beach, father,
Mr. Herbert Beach, Jim Beach, & Claude

Nov. 14th. Just visited all day. Claude went over the car and he and Jim went to town in the evening.

Rev 2000-02-18