1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Utah
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Utah is a state in the western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the U. S. on January 4,1896, Utah is the 13th-largest by area, 31st-most-populous, and 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Utah has a population of more than 3 million, approximately 80% of whom live along the Wasatch Front, Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast, approximately 62% of Utahns are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS, which greatly influences Utahn culture and daily life. The LDS Churchs world headquarters is located in Salt Lake City, Utah is the only state with a majority population belonging to a single church. The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, in 2013, the U. S. Census Bureau estimated that Utah had the second fastest-growing population of any state. St. George was the metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005. Utah also has the 14th highest median income and the least income inequality of any U. S. state. A2012 Gallup national survey found Utah overall to be the best state to live in based on 13 forward-looking measurements including various economic, lifestyle, the name Utah is derived from the name of the Ute tribe. It means people of the mountains in the Ute language, according to other sources Utah is derived from the Apache name Yudah which means Tall. These Native American tribes are subgroups of the Ute-Aztec Native American ethnicity and were sedentary, the Ancestral Pueblo people built their homes through excavations in mountains, and the Fremont people built houses of straw before disappearing from the region around the 15th century. Another group of Native Americans, the Navajo, settled in the region around the 18th century, in the mid-18th century, other Uto-Aztecan tribes, including the Goshute, the Paiute, the Shoshone, and the Ute people, also settled in the region. These five groups were present when the first European explorers arrived, the southern Utah region was explored by the Spanish in 1540, led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, while looking for the legendary Cíbola. A group led by two Catholic priests—sometimes called the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition—left Santa Fe in 1776, hoping to find a route to the coast of California, the expedition traveled as far north as Utah Lake and encountered the native residents. The Spanish made further explorations in the region, but were not interested in colonizing the area because of its desert nature, in 1821, the year Mexico achieved its independence from Spain, the region became known as part of its territory of Alta California. European trappers and fur traders explored some areas of Utah in the early 19th century from Canada, the city of Provo, Utah was named for one, Étienne Provost, who visited the area in 1825. The city of Ogden, Utah was named after Peter Skene Ogden, in late 1824, Jim Bridger became the first known English-speaking person to sight the Great Salt Lake. Due to the salinity of its waters, Bridger thought he had found the Pacific Ocean
3.
Irrigation
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Irrigation is the method in which a controlled amount of water is supplied to plants at regular intervals for agriculture. It is used to assist in the growing of crops, maintenance of landscapes. Additionally, irrigation also has a few uses in crop production. In contrast, agriculture that only on direct rainfall is referred to as rain-fed or dry land farming. Irrigation systems are used for dust suppression, disposal of sewage. Irrigation is often studied together with drainage, which is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area, Irrigation has been a central feature of agriculture for over 5,000 years and is the product of many cultures. Historically, it was the basis for economies and societies across the globe, archaeological investigation has found evidence of irrigation where the natural rainfall was insufficient to support crops for rainfed agriculture. Ancient Egyptians practiced Basin irrigation using the flooding of the Nile to inundate land plots which had surrounded by dykes. The flood water was held until the sediment had settled before the surplus was returned to the watercourse. The Ancient Nubians developed a form of irrigation by using a device called a sakia. Irrigation began in Nubia some time between the third and second millennium BCE and it largely depended upon the flood waters that would flow through the Nile River and other rivers in what is now the Sudan. In sub-Saharan Africa irrigation reached the Niger River region cultures and civilizations by the first or second millennium BCE and was based on wet season flooding, terrace irrigation is evidenced in pre-Columbian America, early Syria, India, and China. These canals are the earliest record of irrigation in the New World, traces of a canal possibly dating from the 5th millennium BCE were found under the 4th millennium canal. Large scale agriculture was practiced and a network of canals was used for the purpose of irrigation. Ancient Persia as far back as the 6th millennium BCE, where barley was grown in areas where the rainfall was insufficient to support such a crop. The Qanats, developed in ancient Persia in about 800 BCE, are among the oldest known irrigation methods still in use today and they are now found in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The system comprises a network of wells and gently sloping tunnels driven into the sides of cliffs. The noria, a wheel with clay pots around the rim powered by the flow of the stream, was first brought into use at about this time
4.
Delta, Utah
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Delta is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,436 at the 2010 census, Delta was originally a railroad switch called Aiken. In 1905 Aiken was renamed Melville when Millard County began plans to set up irrigation, people were given free land to move to the new town as long as they agreed to develop a 40-acre lot. The name was again because of the similarities between Melville and Millville, another town in Utah. The name was changed on May 12,1908 to Burtner, the name was finally changed to Delta on May 11,1911. The name is fitting as the area was a delta of Lake Bonneville. One of these camps, then titled Central Utah Relocation Center was located near Delta, the Topaz Museum, located in Delta, works to preserve important sites at the relocation center, and to provide information on the history of the camps. A history of the area is kept and displayed at The Great Basin Museum, John Williams Gunnison was leading a federal surveying team near the Sevier Lake. He was ambushed by the Pahvant Indians and killed, Delta is located at 39°21′11″N 112°34′25″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 3.2 square miles or 8.3 square kilometres. Delta experiences a climate with hot summers and cold winters. Because of Deltas altitude and aridity, temperatures drop quickly after sunset, daytime highs in the winter are usually above freezing, but nighttime lows drop well below freezing, occasionally falling below 0 °F or −17.8 °C. Delta’s climate is similar to that of Salt Lake City, the Sevier River flows near Delta. The Sevier River is generally used by irrigation before it reaches its eventual end, DMAD are the initials for the Deseret Melville Abraham and Delta water company. Just upstream of Delta, the Sevier River is dammed to provide water, reservoir storage. This reservoir is referred to as the DMAD, agriculture is a major economic force in Delta and the Sevier valley. Downstream of Delta, the Sevier River is dammed again for irrigation and this reservoir is named Gunnison Bend Reservoir, in honor of John Williams Gunnison. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,209 people,1,006 households, the population density was 1,018.3 people per square mile
5.
Millard County, Utah
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Millard County is a county located in the U. S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 12,503 and its county seat is Fillmore, and the largest city is Delta. The county was created in 1851, the county and its seat were named for Millard Fillmore, thirteenth President of the United States. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 6,828 square miles. It is the third-largest county in Utah by area, the Sevier Desert covers much of Millard County, being the seafloor of ancient Lake Bonneville. Near the center of the county lies Sevier Lake, a dry remnant of Lake Bonneville. Mountains rim the area, some of which harbor beautiful forests, contrasting with the deserts below, especially the Pahvant Mountains, Fillmore and other farming communities lie at the base of the Pahvant Mountains. Delta sits several miles from the banks of the Sevier River in the middle of the basin, about 17 miles southwest of Delta, near Black Rocks northwest perimeter is a feature named the Great Stone Face, which protrudes about four stories above the general elevation. For many years locals have claimed that this formation, when viewed at the correct angle. At ground level, within view of the Great Stone Face, is a large, notch Peak is located about 50 miles to the west of Delta. The skyline appears to have a notch out of it when viewed from Delta. Little Sahara Recreation Area is about 25 miles north of Delta and it is a very popular area for ATV riders. As of the census of 2000, there were 12,405 people,3,840 households, the population density was 2 people per square mile. There were 4,522 housing units at a density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 93. 94% White,0. 10% Black or African American,1. 31% Native American,0. 48% Asian,0. 20% Pacific Islander,2. 76% from other races, and 1. 21% from two or more races. 7. 18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, by 200586. 7% of Millard Countys population was non-Hispanic whites. The proportion of African Americans had doubled to 0. 2%, Native Americans were now 1. 5% of the countys population. Asians had fallen to only 0. 4% of the population,11. 0% of the population was Latino, just above the 10. 9% for Utah as a whole
6.
Great Basin
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The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America. The region spans several physiographic divisions, biomes/ecoregions, and deserts, the term Great Basin is applied to hydrographic, biological, floristic, physiographic, topographic, and ethnographic geographic areas. The name was coined by John C. Frémont, who, based on information gleaned from Joseph R. Walker as well as his own travels, the hydrographic definition is the most commonly used, and is the only one with a definitive border. The other definitions yield not only different geographical boundaries of Great Basin regions, the Great Basin physiographic section is a geographic division of the Basin and Range Province defined by Nevin Fenneman in 1931. The United States Geological Survey adapted Fennemans scheme in their Physiographic division of the United States, the section is somewhat larger than the hydrographic definition. The culture area covers approximately 400,000 sq mi, or just less than twice the area of the hydrographic Great Basin, the hydrographic Great Basin is a 209,162 square miles area that drains internally. All precipitation in the region evaporates, sinks underground or flows into lakes, as observed by Frémont, creeks, streams, or rivers find no outlet to either the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean. The region is bounded by the Wasatch Mountains to the east, the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Ranges to the west, the south rim is less distinct. The Great Basin includes most of Nevada, half of Utah, substantial portions of Oregon and California and small areas of Idaho, Wyoming, the term Great Basin is slightly misleading, the region is actually made up of many small basins. The Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake, and the Humboldt Sink are a few of the drains in the Great Basin, the Salton Sink is another closed basin within the Great Basin. The Great Basin Divide separates the Great Basin from the watersheds draining to the Pacific Ocean, the southernmost portion of the Great Basin is the watershed area of the Laguna Salada. The Great Basins longest and largest river is the Bear River of 350 mi, Lake Tahoe, North Americas largest alpine lake, is part of the Great Basins central Lahontan subregion. The hydrographic Great Basin contains multiple deserts and ecoregions, each with its own set of flora. The ecological boundaries and divisions in the Great Basin are unclear, the Great Basin overlaps four different deserts, portions of the hot Mojave and Colorado Deserts to the south, and the cold Great Basin and Oregon High Deserts in the north. The deserts can be distinguished by their plants, the Joshua tree and creosote bush occur in the hot deserts, the cold deserts are generally higher than the hot, and have their precipitation spread throughout the year. The climate and flora of the Great Basin is strongly dependent on elevation, as the elevation increases, because of this, forests occur at higher elevations. Utah juniper/single-leaf pinyon and mountain mahogany form open pinyon-juniper woodland on the slopes of most ranges, stands of limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine can be found in some of the higher ranges
7.
Sevier Lake
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Sevier Lake /sɛˈvɪər/ is an intermittent and endorheic lake which lies in the lowest part of the Sevier Desert, Millard County, Utah. Like Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake, it is a remnant of Pleistocene Lake Bonneville, Sevier Lake is fed primarily by the Beaver and Sevier rivers, and the additional inflow is from the lakes watershed that is part of the Escalante-Sevier hydrologic subregion. The lake has mostly dry throughout recorded history and is a source of wind-blown dust in dust storms that frequently sweep the Wasatch Front. In January 1880 the lake was dry, and had been so for the past one or two years. The Sevier River which once flowed to the lake is now diverted for irrigation. In 1987 however, the lake was similar to the recorded description of 1872. The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition named it Laguna de Miera after a cartographer on their 1776 expedition, in 1825, trappers working for William Henry Ashley trapped the region, and Jedediah Smith named it after him, the Ashley Lake. On some maps, it was named after Joseph Nicollet in the mid-19th century, the lake is currently named for the river, which is derived from Rio Severo, a local name given by early Spanish explorers. During late 2011, due to a wet year, many man-made reservoirs in Millard County began dumping excess water through the Sevier River onto the Sevier Lake bed. Standing water existed on the playa for the first time since 1984 and extended down past Needle Point, in the deepest points water levels were over three feet deep. Due to high salinity content, of over 20% TDS, the water never fully froze from the winter temperatures, currently an exploration-stage Sulphate of Potash mine project is underway on Sevier Lake. This is being headed up by Emerald Peak Minerals, extensive exploration drilling has been completed over the entire playa and in 2013 EPM announced a measured and indicated resource estimate of 31.486 Mt of potassium sulfate. Terminal Lake Systems - Sevier Lake, Utah Water Research Laboratory, Utah State University Utah History Encyclopedia
8.
Intermountain Power Plant
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Intermountain Power Plant is a large coal-fired power plant at Delta, Utah, USA. It has a capacity of 1,900 MW, is owned by the Intermountain Power Agency. The power plant consists of two each with a generation capacity of 950 MW. Generating units are equipped with General Electric tandem compound steam turbines, the boiler houses of Intermountain Power Plant are 91.75 metres and the flue gas stack is 213.67 metres tall. The HVDC Intermountain transmission line runs between Intermountain Power Plant and Adelanto Converter Station in Adelanto, California, construction on the plant began in September 1981. Commercial operation of unit 1 started in June 1986, and unit 2 in May 1987, when built, it was the largest coal-fired power project in the United States. In 2004, units 1 and 2 were uprated and these works were conducted by GE and Alstom. The plant was designed for four units, however, only two units were built. The Intermountain Power Agency planned to build the unit of 900 MW capacity. This unit was expected to go online in 2012, however, the project was cancelled after its major purchaser, on December 28,2011, one of the generators failed causing the shut-down of one unit for several months. The plant is scheduled to be converted to gas by 2025 at a cost of $500 million. Energy Capital Group, LLC is developing ECG Utah Solar 1, the project’s planned interconnection point is the IPP switchyard which is a point of delivery for the Los Angeles, Anaheim, Riverside, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank utilities. The switchyard connects to the Southern Transmission System the 500 HVDC line that travels 488 miles directly to Adelanto Converter Station switchyard in Adelanto, Ca. LADWP is a California Balancing Authority and operates the switchyard which makes this project as though it is on California soil for the state Renewable Portfolio Standard
9.
Elizabeth of Aragon
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Elizabeth of Aragon, also known as Elizabeth of Portugal, T. O. S. F. was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Order and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. Elizabeth showed an enthusiasm for her faith. She said the full Divine Office daily, fasted and did other penance, religious fervor was common in her family, as she could count several members of her family who were already venerated as saints. The most notable example is her great-aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary and her marriage to King Denis of Portugal was arranged in 1281 when she was 10 years old, receiving the towns of Óbidos, Abrantes and Porto de Mós as part of her dowry. It was only in 1288 that the wedding was celebrated, when Denis was 26 years old, Denis, a poet and statesman, was known as the Rei Lavrador, because he planted a large pine forest near Leiria to prevent the soil degradation that threatened the region. Elizabeth quietly pursued the regular practices of her youth and was devoted to the poor. Naturally, such a life was a reproach to many around her, eventually, her prayer and patience succeeded in converting her husband, who had been leading a sinful life. Elizabeth took an active interest in Portuguese politics and was a decisive conciliator during the negotiations concerning the Treaty of Alcañices, signed by Denis and Sancho IV of Castile in 1297. In 1304, the Queen and Denis returned to Spain to arbitrate between Fernando IV of Castile and James II of Aragon, brother of Elizabeth and she had two children, a daughter named Constance, who married King Ferdinand IV of Castile, a son Afonso. Elizabeth would serve as intermediary between her husband and Afonso, during the Civil War between 1322 and 1324, the Infante greatly resented the king, whom he accused of favoring the kings illegitimate son, Afonso Sanches. Repulsed to Alenquer, which supported the Infante, Denis was prevented from killing his son through the intervention of the Queen. As legend holds, in 1323, Elizabeth, mounted on a mule, peace returned in 1324, once the illegitimate son was sent into exile, and the Infante swore loyalty to the king. After Denis death in 1325, Elizabeth retired to the monastery of the Poor Clare nuns and she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, devoting the rest of her life to the poor and sick in obscurity. In spite of age and weakness, the Queen-dowager insisted on hurrying to Estremoz and she again stopped the fighting and caused terms of peace to be arranged. But the exertion brought on her final illness, as soon as her mission was completed, she took to her bed with a fever from which she died on 4 July, in the castle of Estremoz. She earned the title of Peacemaker on account of her efficacy in solving disputes, although Denis tomb was located in Odivelas, Elizabeth was buried in the Convent of Santa Clara in Coimbra, in a magnificent Gothic sarcophagus. After frequent flooding by the Mondego River in the 17th century and her body was transferred to the main chapel, where it was buried in a sarcophagus of silver and crystal. She was beatified in 1526 and canonized by Pope Urban VIII on 25 May 1625 and her feast was inserted in the General Roman Calendar for celebration on 4 July
10.
Richfield, Utah
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Richfield is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Utah, in the United States, and is the largest city in southern-central Utah. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,551 and it lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off Interstate 70 about 40 miles east of its junction with Interstate 15. The county can be best described as rural diversified due to the convergence of agricultural, retail, Richfield is remote from larger cities, about 100 miles or more in any direction from more populous towns, while dozens of smaller communities are found in the general area. Its remoteness, plus its location on major corridors, makes it central Utahs de facto regional capital. Many people from the drive to Richfield to shop, bowl, golf, to attend theater, concerts. They are also drawn to the community college, affiliated with Snow College, Richfield is part of Panoramaland, it is on the thoroughfare to several nearby national parks and national forests. Prehistoric people occupied the Richfield area for more than 7,000 years, fremont culture remains are found near most community sites in the Sevier area and are dated from approximately CE1 to CE1000. In the late summer of 1776, Father Escalante and his party of Spanish explorers passed through the vicinity, looking for a trail to link Nuevo Mexico. During the late 1820s, Jedediah Smith and other fur traders crossed the area, Sevier County lies on one of the variants on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico and California and was used by travelers between 1830 and 1850. In the early part of January 1864, a party of ten men under the leadership of Albert Lewis came from Sanpete County, Utah, the Mormon settlers found fertile soil, good water and wood in the nearby hills. They decided that it was a site for a settlement. These pioneers made a place for all ten men, which they called The Hole in the Ground. They carefully covered this hole with brush willows and other materials and this dugout was located on todays Main Street. These men spent the remainder of the winter in this dwelling, planning and preparing for the time when they could bring their families, the early Mormon settlements were abandoned in 1867 due to the conflict known as the Black Hawk War. But, when resettled in 1871, Richfield grew to become a regional center, the coming of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1891 opened the valley for expanded agricultural commerce and mining. In 1939, Utah Governor Henry H, blood vetoed a proposal for a junior college in Richfield. Fifty-seven years later, Snow College opened a Richfield campus, which serves about 600 students per year, as in most settled areas of rural Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a prominent role. The Mormons were highly industrious colonizers, from 1847, when they founded Salt Lake City, until 1877, they founded 360 towns
11.
Gunnison, Utah
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Gunnison is a city in Sanpete County, Utah, United States. The population was 3,285 at the 2010 census, the city was named in honor of John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer who surveyed for the transcontinental railroad in 1853. Gunnison is located at 39°9′19″N 111°49′6″W, according to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles, all land. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,394 people,513 households, the population density was 451.9 people per square mile. There were 549 housing units at a density of 103.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 88. 35% White,1. 84% African American,2. 51% Native American,0. 79% Asian,0. 58% Pacific Islander,3. 97% from other races, and 8.00 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7. 10% of the population,18. 7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12. 1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.12 and the family size was 3.59. In the city, the population was out with 25. 3% under the age of 18,13. 2% from 18 to 24,33. 8% from 25 to 44,17. 9% from 45 to 64. The median age was 32 years, for every 100 females there were 197.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.6 males, the startling ratio of women to men is due to the presence of the Central Utah Correctional Facility, which is located one half mile northeast of downtown Gunnison. This state-run prison opened in 1990, has a capacity of 1500 inmates, the median income for a household in the city was $33,147, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had an income of $27,207 versus $23,958 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,537, about 9. 8% of families and 11. 0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12. 9% of those under age 18 and 10. 9% of those age 65 or over. Gunnison is located in the South Sanpete School District and has 1 elementary school,1 middle school, Gunnison Valley High School is the Home of the Bulldogs with the traditional school colors being Blue and White. The Mighty Bulldogs compete in the 2A division, the middle school mascot is the Royal Monarch, and the elementary school is also known as the Bulldogs. The gasoline leaked throughout the soil beneath South Main Street and eventually throughout the southwest side of town, contaminating businesses and homes. On August 10,2007, local and state officials ordered the evacuation of an entire Main Street block, heavily populated with businesses
Media related to Sevier River at Wikimedia Commons