On a sort of related point...
Is it just me, or is the Salt Lake valley the single really habitable (by non-native americans) area within the bounds of Mexico (as of independence) that is *least* controllable from Mexico city? For all of the issues of controlling the Yucatan, it least it was *lot* closer. Was the Lake Tahoe area equally inaccessible?
Tahoe's much easier to get to, by going up the west coast and then in from what would be Sacramento etc. Not easy, but easier than Salt Lake.
Looking forward to see how the Republic of Texas shakes out (since Clay will sign a treaty pledging military protection, and probably any number of other things, but he'd go so far as to veto something that threatened to annex it). Also Oregon; Clay won't be interested in "settling" its ownership, so perhaps we see more LDS there under the mistaken assumption that it will be British, or enjoy some British protection?
Did Clay promise a single term? Sometimes he made pronouncements like that, sometimes he didn't.