White Rock Bay Antelope Island

by Donna Greene

Title

White Rock Bay Antelope Island

Artist

Donna Greene

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles, is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake, which is located in Utah. The first known non-natives to visit the island, "we rode on horseback over salt from the thickness of a wafer to twelve inches", were John C. Fremont and Kit Carson during exploration of the Great Salt Lake in 1845, who "were informed by the Indians that there was an abundance of fresh water on it and plenty of antelope". It is said they shot a pronghorn antelope on the island and in gratitude for the meat they named it Antelope Island.

Antelope Island has natural scenic beauty and holds populations of pronghorn, bighorn sheep, American bison, porcupine, badger, coyote, bobcat, and millions of waterfowl. The bison were introduced to the island in 1893, and Antelope Island Bison Herd has proven to be a valuable genetic pool for bison breeding and conservation purposes. The bison do well because much of the island is covered by dry, native grassland.

Antelope Island State Park is a Utah State Park and the entire island is included in the park. When the Utah State Parks System was created, proposals were made to turn Antelope Island into Antelope Island State Parkand the proposal gradually gathered public support, but Antelope Island was privately owned at the time. Originally, Antelope Island was used as a ranch for cattle and sheep, starting from the earliest days of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints controlled the ranch on the island from 1848 until approximately 1870. The island was purchased in 1870 by John Dooly, Sr, and he established the Island Improvement Company which managed the island and ranches from 1884 until 1981. The State of Utah purchased the northern part of the island in 1969, and acquiring the remainder in 1981 when the state purchased the historical Fielding Garr Ranch. Subsequently the cattle and sheep were removed. The

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November 17th, 2013

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