Tall+Tale

Forming The Great Salt Lake What would you do if you were as tall as a skyscraper and weighed over 20,000 pounds? Well this is what John Richard has to live with. John is a brown haired, tan colored, stubby giant. He grew up in Utah with 16 brothers and 9 sisters and he was the youngest. He loved to go ‘n walk ‘round in the stores, but now he couldn’t. Because he was turning into a giant by the second. John had plenty ‘o problems in his life. One day he went to town and with every step he was shakin’ the ground. The townspeople yell,” quit shakin’ the ground!” Then he walks right into town squashin’ 16 cows, 4 wagons, 2 farms, and a tree in just one step. All of the townspeople yell,” Stop walkin’ and go back to where you belong.” So, he goes home cryin’ as hard as a baby. He goes in his tiny little home and lays in his little bed and cries himself to sleep. The next mourning he wakes up and eats a breakfast fit for kings, which means a lot of eggs, bacon, and toast. After that, he goes to town and on the way, he steps and bang, the ground made a hole the size of Rhode Island. But when the problem gets even worse, it starts raining and everyone starts yellin’. So John went to town and by the time he got to town, he was at least 30,000 pounds. When he got o where the townspeople were they were shouting at him to go back home so he doesn’t make any more holes. So he goes home and yells out,” Why don’t people like me anymore?” Then he goes in his house an’ slowly falls asleep. John wakes up to birds chirping, so he goes outside to admire them. He starts walkin’ to town and walks right past the giant hole that he made. John notices it and runs as fast as a cheetah to town. He shouts,” I made a huge hole and it is full of water!” John wakes up every one in town, so they all come out, even the youngins’ come to look what he is yellin’ ‘bout. “Wow” said everyone when they saw the hole. “What should we call this hole full of water?” asked a woman near John. John replied,” We should call it the Great Lake.” “No” said the woman, we should call it The Great Salt Lake. “Well we can call it The Great Salt Lake,” announced John. And that is how the Great Salt Lake got its name. PJ Ladd