- Not to be confused with the different Antelope Islands on the Arizona and Utah border at Lake Powell.
The island of Antelope , with an area of ​​42 square miles (109Ã, km 2 ), is the largest of the 10 islands located in Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. The island is located in the southeast part of the lake, near Salt Lake City and Davis County, and becomes a peninsula when the lake is at very low levels.
The first non-indigenous people known to visit the island were John C. Fremont and Kit Carson during the Great Salt Lake exploration of 1845, who "rode horses with salt from the thickness of wafers to twelve inches" and "informed by the Indians that there were lots of fresh water on it and lots of antelope ". It is said that they shot the pronghorn antelope on the island and thanked for the meat they named Antelope Island.
Antelope Island has a beautiful natural landscape and has a pronghorn population, bighorn sheep, American bison, hedgehog, badger, coyote, forest cat, fawn, and millions of waterfowl. Bison was introduced to the island in 1893, and Antelope Island Bison Herd has proven to be a valuable genetic source for bison breeding and conservation purposes. Bison works because most of the island is covered by dry, dry grassland.
The geology of the island of Antelope consists mainly of alluvial plains with grassland meadows in the north, east and south of the island, along with central areas of metamorphic rock mountains and older Precambrian igneous rocks and Precambrian sedimentary rocks into the late Paleozoikum, covered by a thin layer of lake sediment Quaternary, colluvium and alluvium. Prakambrian deposits on Antelope Island are some of the oldest rocks in the United States, older than Precambrian rocks at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Video Antelope Island
State Park
Antelope Island State Park is Utah State Park and the entire island is included in the park. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to the wildlife and scenic beauty, some suggested that Antelope Island should become a National Park, but the movement never worked. When the Utah City Garden System was created, a proposal was made to turn Antelope Island into Antelope Island State Park and the proposal gradually garnered public support, but the island of Antelope was privately owned at the time. Initially, Antelope Island was used as a ranch for livestock and sheep, from the early days of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) controlled the island's livestock from 1848 to about 1870. The island was purchased in 1870 by John Dooly, Sr. and he founded the Island Repair Company that manages the island and farm from 1884 to 1981. The state of Utah purchased the northern part of the island in 1969, and gained the remainder in 1981 when the state bought the historic Fielding Garr Ranch. Furthermore, cattle and sheep are removed. The Antelope Island State Park was founded in 1981 as part of the Utah City Garden System.
The island is accessible via a 7 mile highway from Syracuse in Davis County. Access from I-15 is through exit 332, then west along Antelope Drive (SR-108). Beach islands (all western side of the island) are mostly flat with beaches and plains to the base of the mountains on the island. These steep mountains are visible from most of the northern Front Wasatch, reaching a maximum height of 6,596 feet (2,010 m), which is about 2,500 feet (762 m) above the lake's surface.
Antelope Island State Park operates a 10-watt tourist information station at 530 kHz AM. The transmitter is on the south side of the road near the island. This station can be heard in Ogden and as far south of Salt Lake City. It carries information about park operating hours, as well as promoting upcoming events that coordinate state parks.
On the east side of the island, 11 miles (18 km) south of the causeway, is Fielding Garr Farm. Here is the oldest building in Utah built by European-Americans still on its original foundation. Classes are sometimes taught on farms and tours are available. During the warmer part of the horse year is also available for hourly rental on the farm, and the tour guide can take the rider to observe the bison. The southern part of the road to Fielding Garr Ranch is controlled by a gate that is only open from 9 am to 6 pm on most days.
Antelope Island State Park has about 300,000 visitors annually. For 2010 it is the fifth most visited State Park in Utah.
Maps Antelope Island
Great Salt Lake
The island of Antelope is surrounded by the Great Salt Lake. The lake is very salty, with salt levels reaching as much as 25% of the lake, based on volume, so the Great Salt Lake does not support the fish, but supports a large number of brine shrimps that provide food for visiting waterfowl. Due to its high salinity, the island is largely devoid of fresh water available.
Activity
Antelope Island is known for its scenic beauty, especially in the northwest quadrants of the island at Buffalo Point and White Rock Bay, where mountains and hills overlook the beaches and waters reflecting the Great Salt Lake and other islands visible on the lake. Balloon festivals are held every year, around Labor Day. Bird watching on the island of Antelope is well known. Hiking and Cycling are popular activities, but water is scarce and there are some trees on the island. Although not completely desert island there is no permanent human population and the conditions are quite dry and can get very hot during the summer. Fresh free-flowing water is not available on the island, although there are some natural springs, mostly on the backs of the island's mountains and towards the southern tip of the island. Water and toilets are available in the area of ​​island visitors. There is a small gift shop and small fast food restaurant open during the main visitors season. Located in Buffalo Point. Public beaches, marinas, and overnight camping areas are available and popular in the north of the island. Watching wildlife is also popular on Antelope Island, especially the large number of bison that is part of Antelope Island Bison Herd. Coyotes and antelopes sometimes look close to the main road and campsites, and bison often roam the streets, although bison is most commonly found on the southern tip of the island near Fielding Garr Ranch. Other activities on the island include visiting the historic Fielding Garr Ranch, horseback riding and photography. The island's run track has fans, and several races are held on the island each year at 25 kilometers (16 miles), 50 kilometers (31 miles), 50 miles (80 kilometers) and 100 miles (160 kilometers).
Wildlife
Antelope Island has a number of wildlife and is famous for its large bull population, a herd of Antelope Island islands. Although the island was named for the pronghorn antelope that John C. Fremont and Kit Carson found there as they roamed the Great Salt Lake, bison (American buffalo) was later introduced. All bison on Antelope Island is a bison plain. Antelope Island bison herd gets early when, "Twelve bison, 4 bulls (male), 4 cows (females) and 4 calves were taken by boat to the island on February 15, 1893 by William Glassman and John Dooly. the foundation for what has grown into one of the largest and oldest bison clusters in the country. "Bullies rapidly increased in number and by the beginning of the 20th century, several hundred of them were present on the island.
The silent film produced by Paramount Pictures, The Covered Wagon (1923), was filmed partly on Antelope Island where scenes requiring buffalo hunting and buffalo raids are needed. At that time, a herd of bison on Antelope Island was probably the largest bison in the United States. After much effort, about 350 animals were herded into the stitch which was then filmed under the direction of James Cruze. The film is considered by some to be the first great "Western Epic" and erect some cliches that persist in 'Western' movies, such as circling the wagon in times of danger or assault. During the film, seven buffalo were shot and killed for the hunting scene. "Do not grow sentimental for seven," said Cruze, director of the film. "The people out there want to get rid of the whole herd and they will, but for the sentimental excitement that is always raised when they talk about the buffalo rounding.The animals are worthless - there is no worse meat on earth to eat - and they ruin the whole territory for livestock grazing purposes, so buffalo remains an American sentimental reminder of the past. "
Apparently, profit is the main motive for Mr. Dooly to establish 'Buffalo Herd' on the island of Antelope. By the 1890s American Bison had become extinct in most of its initial range and became very rare. Apparently John Dooly feels that he can cultivate a 'buffalo' and ask money for others to hunt them down. While keeping bulls to hunt proves to be economically unfeasible, efforts to make farms on Antelope Island are stopped. In 1926 a major hunt was last arranged and the buffalo on the island were hunted and most of them were destroyed in one massacre. Then the rest of the population who escaped the hunt were left alone and began to increase. Finally, the State of Utah bought the ownership of a flock that once again amounted to hundreds of people. Since then, bison has been carefully managed and monitored for health and absence of disease.
Every year, at the end of October, all the island's bison is herded toward the central area of ​​'Buffalo Roundup Besar' and is sent briefly to the cage where they are examined, weighed and vaccinated and decisions are made on the destruction and selection of breeding stock. The vast majority of bison were later released within days, and again allowed to roam freely on the island. The Antelope Island Bison Herd fluctuates between 550 and 700, and is one of the largest public bison in the country. The reason for the variability of herd size is that bison produces about 150 to 200 calves each year, and since this is the primary habitat of the 'meadow' for bison, without significant predators, flocks can increase up to Ã,¼ every year.. Currently it is felt that 700 is near the maximum preferred bearing capacity for bison on the island, so the excess bison needs to be destroyed. Bison from the island is often sent to other flock locations around North America due to their genetic isolation, some unique genetic markers contained in the population, and because of their disease-free condition. Some bison are also purchased on pen sites in annual general auctions, and taken as meat or farms for commercial farms 'buffalo' in other parts of the world.
Other mammals found on the island include donkey deer (estimated at 250), pronghorn antelope (about 200 on the island), bighorn sheep (estimated 200), coyotes, bobcats, badgers, porcupines, cottontail rabbits, jackababits, and several species of ground squirrels and other rodents.
Antelope Island and Great Salt Lake attract many migratory and nesting birds and nearly 250 different bird species have been observed on the island.
The two most popular places for bird watching on the island are on the cobbled highway and near Fielding Garr Farm. Along the coastline of the island, mallard, Canadian geese, avocets, black-necked stilts, willet, long-necked curlews, sanderlings, white American pelicans, grinn pied-billed, killdeer, big blue crane, egret snow, white-faced ibis and many birds migrating can be observed.
The island's grasslands provide habitat for ringing birds, California quail, excavatory owls, forest chickens, stone doves, mourning doves, horned birds, red-winged black birds and many other species, plus some raptor species. Bald eagles, golden eagles, prairie eagles, peregrine hawks, northern pests, American birds, big-horned owls, owls, osprey, and red-tailed hawks are some species of raptors that can occur on the island.
See also
- Antelope Island State Park
- Fielding Garr Ranch
- Antelope Bison Herd Island
- Henry Mountains Bison Herd
- Fremont Island
- Stansbury Island
Note
See also
- North Shore Monster, an entity of Utah folklore
External links
- Antelope Island State Park
- W. Adolph Yonkee, et. al., ROAD AND TRAIL LOG FROM THE BEACH OF THE ANTELOPE ISLAND COUNTRY, DAVIS COUNTY, UTAH, on Geological Road, Path, and Lake Guide to Utah Park and Monument 2000 Utah Geological Association Publication 29
- Photographs of Antelope Island Park
- Field Island Antelope Travel Home Weber State University Department of Botany
- Antahope Island Bicycle Route Utah.com
- Canyon Country Hiking and Camping Notebook: Antelope Island State Park
- Antelope Island travel guides from Wikivoyage
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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