| Show July 24 1847 Memorable Date in States State's History July 22 1817 1847 The 18 The rhe cliffs of af Emigration Emigration Emigration tion canyon threw back the sound of ot creaking wagon wagan wheels On this day Orson Pratt and Erastus Erastus Erastus Eras- Eras Snow with 42 others arrived Inthe in inthe inthe the valley of af the Great Salt Lake They were the vanguard of af tho the people peaple who had come seeking peace relief from persecution who had trekked across the great plains and the mountains to this far basin west of at the towering peaks of the They saw first the site of af tho the empire they dreamed of at building an empire beyond the borders bordors bor bar ders dors of the United States lying in inthe inthe inthe the northernmost territory under the jurisdiction of ot Mexico Few people peaple knew anything about this basin The trappers and a few tew explorers had seen it Mexico itself knew little and cared less about Its farthest outpost But in the eyes of these sturdy first comers tho the empty arid valley reachIng reaching reaching reach- reach Ing out to the tho gray waters of af the lake of salt was an Eden a land of af hope and promise One event stands out above others athers on the following day July July- 23 1847 1817 It was on this day that William Carter plowed the first furrow Potatoes were planted before a shelter had been built The em empire ire had been begun Brigham Young Arrives The main body bady of the pioneer party w with th Brigham Young in the tho lead reached a point paint in tho the canyon canyan mouth from tro-m which they could look across the valley to tho the west on July 24 The journal of Orson Orsan Pratt tells of ot these momentous days July 2 24 This forenoon commenced commenced com com- planting our potatoes after wl which ch we wo turned the water upon them and gave tho the ground quite a soaking In tho the afternoon the other camp arrived and wo we found all aU the tho Sick lick improving very fast and were wore SO Ie a as to be bo able to walk around Brigham Young had boo b been cn seriously ill W on the trip as had others Toward ToWArd To To- WArd c evening another thunder thundershower thundershower shower from front tho the southwest but not Dot enough rain to benefit tho ground Tub Tuly 26 The 26 The brethren nm arB quite e a 4 busily employed in wooding g their their ploughs etc and In ploughing ploughing plough plough- ing and planting and in various branches preparatory t to farming Soldiers Build Bower July 31 The 31 Tho soldiers constructed quite a comfortable bower bouer for meet meet- ings The corn planted four or five days dRs since has come up finely and looks well uell We Yo proceeded to In lay out outa a n site for a city which we called Great Salt SnIt Lake Cit City Out of af the desert valley crops craps sprang almost almast miraculously From Fram dawn until until until un un- til darkness halted them the people labored planting building carrying out those thase dreams of af empire and sal sal- Streets of ar a a. large city were laid out aut running at right angles Blocks Blacks contained 10 acres Thomas Thamas Bullock wrote to his bis brother brather Durin During the short space between July 23 and August 26 we ploughed and planted about 81 acres with corn potatoes beans buckwheat turnips and a n variety of garden sau sauce e. e Wo We irrigated all aU the tho land surveyed sur and laid out a n cIty the streets will be bo eight rods wide having ing two sidewalks of ot 20 feet each to be bo ornamented with shade trees one block is reserved reserved reserved re re- served for a n temple and three for public grounds promenades having fountains of ot the tho purest water running running run run- ning through each square We Wo have found a s place where the land is acknowledged to belong unto the tile Lord and the tho Saints being his people people people peo peo- are arc entitled to as much as they can plant We Ve also built 27 log houses laid off oft a acre 10 block for fora a fort On February 2 1848 the treaty of or Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed MexIco's Mexico's Mexico's Mex Mex- ico's claims to the great basin were ceded to the United States Thus the Mormon people peaple once more found themselves themselves themselves them them- selves on an territory belonging to the country they had chosen to leave Inthe in inthe inthe the hope hape of finding peace But tho building went on Fifteen hundred miles of ot wild country lay between between between be be- tween the Mississippi river then the Continued on Page PaJe Six Pioneers Progress Rapidly in New Salt Lake Empire Continued from Irons rage Page Five western frontier And the Great Salt Lake empire In the making Planting reaping building planning went forward The Tho L. L D. D S. S Millennial MillennIa Star reported th there re were houses In Great Salt Lake City fort and 1671 persons March 6 1848 June 6 1848 James Brown bought th the Miles MUes M. M Goodyear fort and laid claims at atthe atthe atthe the present site of Ogden The first to arrive arric had seen giant crickets When the thc crops were planted plant plant- ed a ditch filled with water was constructed constructed constructed con con- about the fields The crickets did did not like to jump over water But the crickets increased At times times' sections of ot the valley swarmed with them They were enormous having havinga a Do body as large as a mouse and extraordinarily extraordinarily extraordinarily ex ex- long legs which enable them to leap inconceivable distances Says Clerk Thomas Bullock In his dutiful way There has lias been a large amount of spring crops put in 1848 18 and tb they y were doing well till tIU within a few days daS the crickets have done considerable considerable considerable consid consid- erable damage both to wheat and corn The seagulls have come com In large flocks from the lake and sweep the crickets as the they go 10 it seems th the hand hamI of the Lord is in our favor The seagulls came to the rescue and even cn when they could no longer eat cat crickets they continued nevertheless swallowing them and emitting them again in sickness continuing the destruction destruction destruction de de- of the menace The seagull monument stands to their memory tot toI today to to- t I day in the temple grounds Parley P. P Pratt left a vivid vi description description description tion of the first winter in the valley He wrote in part Not having ha had any experience In InthIs Inthis Inthis this climate and ond suppose from front the tho appearance of the ground in summer summer summer sum sum- mer and fall and from all aU that could be learned concerning it that it was very ery dry the roofs of or the houses were made rather flat The result was wa that nearly every cry house honse leaked during the first winter and umbrellas where such sueh a luxury as an umbrella was owned were frequently in demand to shelter those engaged in cooking and even in bed persons would be seen sitting or lying under an 11 umbrella The first winter inter the Saints spent In the mild valley was a remarkably tf J t 4 V y c I Iw w c r y p 4 fir sA A The Tho first view ever taken of Salt Lake City It was made mado in 1853 six years after the pioneer had arri arrived ed This is near the point where City creek coursed from its canyon one This was most fortunate forthe forthe for the people for neither their food nor their clothing was of such a 3 character charac charae- t ter r to enable them to endure very cold Jd Web weather th cr Many were without shoes Their clothing too was pretty wen welt exhausted and the skins they could procure were m most st ac Be- On January 22 1849 type was set et for the valley currency It was signed by Brigham Young Heber C. C Kimball and Thomas Bullock and consisted consisted consisted con con- of bills of 1 and 50 M cents each This was the first type set and printIng printing printing print print- ing done in the aU valley e In the month of July of ot this year the general assembly of the provisional state of Deseret applied for admission to the Union of States A month before before be be- fore one of the great historical events of the American Americ n west had occurred In June Junc 1849 the gold seekers had reached Salt Lake City Gold had been discovered the previous previous pre pre- ious year car and in the spring of ot 1849 many Mormons set out for California Mainly these were people discouraged by hardship in the valley and were convinced that Brigham Young would change his mind about building in a a. desert lan land Some of ot them returned with quantities of ot gold dust and gold coins were minted Discovery Discover of Gold But behind this event e stirring as it itis itis itis is the discovery of gold was of paramount paramount paramount para para- mount significance in other ways It had a drastic effect on the lives Ilves of ot the pioneers for it brought hordes of gold- gold crazed persons to the valley a U C Among them were renegades murderers and thieves Many were penniless and anti hungry All AU that summer the forty forty- formed a continuous procession across the country The facilities atthe of at the Mormon communities were taxed to the limit Peace no longer was possible possible possible pos pos- sible in the basin The seekers gold-seekers started the trek which continued after atter the gold fever had abated in the veins of ot America t But the leader Brigham Young had no intention of changing his mind or of at moving to another land The work of ot empire building spread out carried onward with greater impetus than be be- fore Provo City was established in October 1849 In September Young had selected a site for the elt city of ot Og Og- den The city was laid out the following following follow follow- ing year In November Manti was set set- On September 9 1850 President Millard Millard Mil Mil- Millard lard Fillmore approved the act of congress congress congress con con- gress creating the territory of ot Utah The first territorial officers were appointed appointed appointed ap ap- pointed in the same month This fall American Fork Lehi and Nephi were established On February 3 1 1851 t Brigham Young was appointed governor of Utah terri terri- tory He said in his message to the legislature the following January In accordance with the resolution of the tho legislature locating the seat of at government government government gov gov- at valley and authorIzing authorIzing authorizing author author- izing me to appoint commissioners to select a site for the capitol and scat seat of government I complied with that requirement The commissioners made their report and the governor added It appears from their observations observations observations th that t. t the location is far tar more central than this city Salt Lal Lake e and that the valley will sustain a large and dense population At Fill Fill- y AK X fT- fT oi p t f- f Y 5 fe feX X Jr ti v V V t M i S t I i irv F a 4 t t r c v r-v v r a k M c f t m u For more mor than 1300 miles across plains deserts and mountains the handcart companies moved onward toward th the basin hasin empire in the late fifties Men women and children carried worldly possessions in these li light licht ht carts The illustration is b from an actual photograph of a company fording a stream in Utah territory Taken b by Jn more City one wing of the state house will probably be finished for the ac accommodation accommodation ac- ac of ot the ensuing legisla legisla- ture Capitol Not Completed The wing was finished but the statehouse statehouse statehouse state- state house was never completed for tor Salt Lake City subsequently was was was' made tho the capital On March 3 1852 Governor Young petitioned congress to construct a national national national na na- central railroad and telegraph line Une to the Pacific coast In October the governor addressed an epistle to Mormons throughout the world in which he ho said th that t Indian troubles had abated that the chiefs of the Utes and Shoshone Indians had met In Salt Lake City and formed a a. treaty of peace Fighting the Indians of Utah was much like fighting wild beasts White Whito men would often otten stumble upon the Indians burrowed under thick grass and concealed in clumps of willows The first natives had little mentality and were far down the ladder of ot the human race Taken in a starving condition condition condition con con- to the settlements Indian women women women wo wo- men and children were unable to adapt themselves to life lite with the whites Squaws would run away from good food and lie in the hot spring lake near the city to keep warm just keeping their heads out of water aler and andin andin andin in this condition they would catch the wild fowl swimming around them and devour them raw The treaty of peace seemed a n worthless worthless worthless worth worth- less bit of paper Throughout Utah the Indians continued troublesome Brushes were numerous both whites whitesand whitesand whitesand and reds dying during spasmodic en en- counters In October 1853 came Lieutenant E.G. E.G. E.G. E. E G. G Beckwith to seek a route for fOI a Pacific Pacific Pacific Pa Pa- railroad It was during these explorations on October 26 that Captain Captain Captain Cap Cap- tain John Jahn W. W Gunnison and eight men were camped near Sevier lake There they were attacked by a band of or Pah- Pah Utes and massacred One lived to carry the news to other camps During the ensuing fall there were several other Indian fights The depredations depredations depredations depre depre- of ot the redskins were serious in iri places Bands of raiders moved up and down tho the country attacking workers workers workers work work- ers in the tho fields Some of the attacks were made on the outskirts of Salt Lake City On October 23 it was voted to wall wallIn wallIn wallin In the entire city as further protection But the Mormons did not declare war on the Indians instead they constantly sought to befriend them and make peace Governor Young was asked time and anti again to war upon Chief Walker steadfastly refusing My policy he said is Mis to give the thc Indians presents and be kind to them Instead of being Walkers Walker's enemy I have sent him a great pile of ot tobacco to smoke when he Is lonely in the mountains Land Values Gain Gala Land was becoming of some value In ln Salt Lake City and other communities The farms were returning a profit There was talk of a telegraph line ola ofa ol ot ota a railroad Emigrants were wele pouring into the west all seeking fertile acres acre As a natural result the land sharks appeared Brigham Young delivered a withering bl bla blast st t at them warning the tha people While H the emigration is 1 passing these characters Un line lino the road from tire the Sweetwater to the Ute summit of the Nevada arid like the wreckers on the seaboard lie Ue in wait walt to pre prey upon the misfortunes carelessness and ig ig- of the travelers having no eye to pity and unless at the utmost utmost ut ut- most rates ratos of extortion no dispo disposition tion to save like their name ake of the deep and like the turkey bus bID Continued Page rage Seventeen en e b Old Pioneers F Forced to Overcome Many Handicaps Handicap in St Starting ing State Continued ed from Page Pago Six z and ond prairie wolves upon land they note their victims afar alar off and hang hong upon their course with a perseverance per per- severance worth worthy of a better cause The Tho continued at length and in the same article the Mormon leader pointed out as a still harder gauntlet which the emigrant must run that of the bands of high high- wa waymen men 44 U. It i is reported he said that a numerous and well organized band bon of white highwaymen painted d and disguised dis- dis guised as Indians infest several points on tho the road and drive of off stork stock by wholesale and recent murders murders mur mur- ders den are arc rumored from that quarter Across |
