UTAH

 

If you like a state full of surprises, you'll like Utah:

• It looks different - it's mostly hostile desert, rocks, and mountains.

• It has an unusual history - starting with its first citizens, Paleo-Indians who lived here 11,000 years ago.

• Its industry is all mixed up - you'll find cowboys and computer experts, miners and movie stars here.

• It's the home of an unusual religious group - the Mormons. Some Mormon men have up to five wives (at the same time).

    Utah got its name from the Ute Indians. About 2,900 Utes still live on Indian reservations in the northeast and southeast parts of the state.
    Utah offers five national parks. There are also nine national forests here. But probably the most famous natural attraction in Utah is the Great Salt Lake Desert. It spreads across 5,000 square miles of Utah, in the state's northwest corner. This desert is full of surprises, just like the rest of the state.
    In 1846 a group of settlers called the Donner party started across the desert. They thought it would be very easy to travel quickly by wagon train (kolona povozů) here because it was so flat. But soon many of their wagons became stuck in the sticky salt (uvízly v lepkavé soli). The travelers were trapped by early winter snowstorms, and they were forced to make the decision to eat their dead co-travelers, or die.
    Today, happily, the desert's salt is put to good use. At the Mormon Salt Company workers flood some of the land with Great Salt Lake brine, wait for the heat to dry it, and sell it as road salt.
    At the Bonneville Salt Flats, race car drivers come from all over to enjoy the special qualities of the 10-mile long strip of race track. Bonneville Speedway is one of the flattest places on the earth, and has very few obstacles. It's a great place for setting and breaking the record for land speed.
    And what of the Mormons and their many wives? This religious group, known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was established in 1846. Members from other states came to Utah to be free to practice their faith in peace. Mormons believed in plural marriage - a man could have more than one wife. But in the 1890s the government forced the people of Utah to give up this practice, in order for Utah to become a state. Officially, plural marriage is illegal, but some Mormons still practice it. (Unofficially, of course.) Those who remain polygamists are excommunicated.
    Today seven of 10 Utahns are Mormons. The religion is known for its belief in strong families, hard work, and education. Mormons don't believe in using alcohol or tobacco.
    Therefore, Utah has a very high literacy rate (míra gramotnosti), low unemployment, and a very long life expectancy, 78.4 years. These positive facts, and the unusual yet beautiful scenery, make Utah a great place to visit or to live.

   
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