Show Utah Observes Pioneer Pione Day Dayo o o- o History of 79 9 Years Reviewed o o o- o Many Great Celebrations By Albert F. F Philips Seventy-nine Seventy years ago tomorrow the first gathering of pioneers was held in what is now the state of Utah when the first public discourse discourse- was preached when the first religious services services' were held when the sacrament was was administered for forthe forthe forthe I the first time tinie in the Great Salt lake valley It was Sunday The speaker was vas George Georg- A. A On th the day preceding Saturday July 24 24 1847 Brigham Young en entered en- en the Great Grat Salt Lake valley and at 2 o'clock that afternoon Joined the main body of the pioneers pioneers pioneers pio- pio pio pio- a number of whom had reached the valley on Friday and at which time Apostle Orson Pratt Pr had called the colony together and dedicated the land to the Lord Invoked in invoked In- In yoked His blessings on the s seeds eeds about to be planted and on on the I bors of the Saints In the valley Pl Pioneer neer day was established The rhe Thelong Thelong long tr trek e k across 1 mountain t al n desert and plain was ended The promIsed promised prom- prom led land was reached The Moses of ot the Mormon lormon people had led his children to the h at valley Ile Is o great creat r to be Future to be Future which was to be future home This Thiis Is the place What was regarded reg as DS the first celebration to commemorate the en entrance entrance entrance en- en trance of ot the pioneers into the Salt Sait Lake valley was Vas held In Salt Lake City on July 4 1849 There were and oratory The handful l lof of people in Utah assembled and gave thanks to the Great Giver orAll ot or All for the blessings s sho showered show show- ere ered upon them during the tie two two years since their arrival In the val yal- ley icy C There was no observance of the day in 1848 but on August Aug 10 of that year ear there was an observance ance of the harvest feast east to celebrate celebrate cele cele- brate the first harvest In the valhey val val- ley hey In the center of bf the fort which stood in the center of what Is now flow Pioneer square a bowers bower had been erected and on this was spread the many good things which the harvest had yielded Parley P. P Pratt was the orator and In his description of the event he said Large Eh sheaves aves of wheat r rye e barl barley barley bar bar- ley l and oats oats' and other products were hoisted n poles for ex exhibition There was prayer and thanksgiving congratulations songs song speeches music dancing smiling faces and merry hearts It was a great day with the pe people Of the valley At that date the population of or the city of Salt Lake Lale was 1800 and there were buildings Inside the Great Salt Lake City fort I The second Pioneer d day y celebration celebration tion was held in Salt Lake City July 24 2 1850 1350 The orator was Willard Wil Wil- lard Richa Richards afterwards secretary of the territory The city had managed managed managed man man- aged ed to organize a brass band which headed the time parade and the band occupied pled a carriage built for forthe forthe forthe the which WI wa nine feet wide and 9 D feet long and drawn by 14 horses WIDER CELEBRATION In 1831 the celebration of Pioneer Pioneer Pio Plo neer fleer day was extended extend d' d outside of Salt alt Lake City so as to include the different settlements of the Saints throughout hout the time territory In n Salt Laic rak City there were the usual exercises with oratory songs and da dan donning n in n jr Old records do not whether er or not Pioneer day was Vas observed in the time years eals 1852 and 1834 but In 1835 the presumption is that it was observed at nt least in Provo for tor on July 24 1855 1853 William Wl Nixon was killed in Provo by the burstIng burstIng burst- burst Ing log Ingo o of a cannon t i In I r 1 the day was celebrated on the headwaters of the Big Cottonwood Cot Cot- river where a temporary Dowery had been erected for the occasion The tenth celebration ot of the ad adent advent ad- ad vent tent of the pioneers Into the Salt Lake valley was held at Silver Sliver lal lake Brighton In Big Cottonwood canyon can on There Thele were wert about 2600 Continued on page e 4 u UTAH AH OBSERVES t PIONEER PIONEER DAY f i Continued from rom page paSe I. I people In attendance on the observance ob- ob servance of oC the In the day canyon i Apostle Whitney In his history of oC I i Utah thus records the Incident the notification of oC the trou trouble l between 2 Utah tah and the federal government which resulted In III Johnsons Johnson's army armr coming to Utah RELATED IN HISTORY The residents of oC the capital and nd neighboring settlements were In the midst of oC a a. pe peaceful celebration of oC PIoneer day when the word came caine that an army was was was' marching to Utah to put down a rebellion against the government The celeS cele- cele S bation was held on the banks of oC Silver Sliver lake at the head of Big Cottonwood Cottonwood Cottonwood Cot- Cot canyon From Irom two lofty mountain peaks and some of the tallest trees surrounding the encampment encampment en en- the Stars and Stripes had been teen unfurled and early in the day the people had assembled in spa- spa to be addressed by their lea leaders ers Prayer was the choir sang sanS bands played cann cannon cannon can can- n non n roared and the military performed performed performed per per- formed its evolutions Dancing boating feasting games and other innocent amusements followed While the festivities were at their height four young men rode into camp seeking the presence of Gov Young They were Mayor Abraham O. O Smoot of Salt Lake Judson Stoddart Porter Rockwell and aid Judge Sills Ellis llis Smith pot post master of ot Salt I Lake ake City and they gave him information that an army ol of 2000 men had been ordered to move I. I upon Utah due to reports made to the govern that the lives of federal officials and property were unsafe Upon the receipt of the news G Governor vernor Young called a council ol of leading men and laid the subject before them but the main body of campers campers campers' were not informed until until un un- un- un til they had assembled for prayers in inthe the evening when General Daniel Daniel Dan Dan- I iel H. H Wells spoke and Imparted the news Benediction was pronounced pronounced pro pro- flounced and the assemblage dis dia- dia persed It was a ad ending to what in n the beginning gave promise promise prom prom- I ise e of oC a delightful celebration HELD AT BRIGHTON No observance of the day was held in the years 1857 1858 and 1859 but in 1860 the day dav was observed observed ob ob- ob- ob served the exercises being held at Brighton No general celebration of oC Pioneer day lay was held in the years rears 1861 and 1862 1863 and 1864 but in 1865 the citizens of southern Utah celebrated celebrated cele cele- braVed the day on Pine mountain two and one-half one miles above Pine line valley alley in lii Washington county where re last weeks week's celebration was held on the same mountain Governor Governor Gover Gayer nor George H. H Dern participating Congressman J. J M. M Ashley chairman chairman chair chair- m man n of the house committee on territories territories ter ter- addressed a great audience in the Bowery in the exercises held in Salt Lake City on July 24 1865 of During the interim from 1866 to 1880 Pioneer r day was observed with the ordinary exercises hut in 1880 the thirty third anniversary of the advent of the pioneers there was a great pageant staged on the tue streets of f Salt Lak Lake A parade three miles in In length formed on First South street led by surviving pioneers rs and interspersed with a dozen brass bands of oC the city an and adjacent set- set Fifteen thousand people witnessed the parade and then lis listened listened lis- lis to speeches in the Taber Taber- nacle There were a number of floats which depicted various Industries Industries In In- and also portrayed the long I ago It was the greatest pageant ever held in Salt Lake City up to that time FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY Y The next net great pageant on Pioneer d day y was in 1897 on the tire occasion of oC the othe fiftieth anniversary of oC the entrance entrance entrance en en- trance of oC the pioneers into the Salt Lake valley and the several parades were were the greatest ever seen in Utah The pioneer C festivities continued for Cor a. a a week It was jubilee year The festivities began on Tuesday July 20 and after atter a great parade the Pioneer monument which stands at atthe atthe the intersection of oC Main 1 and nd South T Temple mple streets and which is surmounted surmounted sur sur- mounted by a bronze statue of Brigham Young was dedicated by President Wilford Woodruff and a reception to the surviving pioneers S was tendered rendered them in the Tabernacle Tabernacle Taber- Taber 1 nacle where they were each pre- pre stinted and decorated with golden badges The jubilee w was s under the direction tion of oC the state a commission of or fifteen having been appointed by Governor Heber M. M Wells and arid w was s known as the semi centennial commissIon commission com com- mission with Spencer Clawson as asS S chairman The latter appointed a number of aides BrIgham aides Brigham Young Jr director general and Nat M M. ms Brigham m m United States mars marshal al was grand marshal The sum of f was raised to meet the he expenses expenses ex ex- of of the jubilee th-e th commis- commis ri s ners serving without pay Leading men of oC the nation were t I I invited to the festivities and nd among among those who responded in person was William ll Jennings Bryan Dr who was accompanied by his wife He had bad presided over the ninth Mississippi l commercial congress in the Assembly Assembly Assem Assem- bly hall hail In Salt Lake alte City President President President dent William McKinley was sent a special Invitation to attend and this was was delivered at the White House by a committee consisting of George Q Cannon Justice of the Supreme Court George W. W Bartch P. P H. H Lan- Lan nm Senator Frank J. J Cannon Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Joseph L. L Rawlins and Representative Representative William H. H King MONUMENT UNVEILED UNVEILED All the surviving pioneers and emigrants of 1847 were special guests of the state and were given free transportation from flom and to their thelt homes Twenty eight of the original company of pioneers were vere then living and twenty-six twenty were present On July 20 President Wilford Wil- Wil ford Woodruff unveiled the Pioneer monument which was designed by by Cyrus Edward Dallin a native of Utah and was wa presented the st state te teby by the Brigham Young Memorial l association under wh whose se auspices I it It had been erected by popular sub sub- James H. H Moyle afterwards afterwards afterwards after after- wards assistant secretary of the treasury of the United States made the presentation and Governor Heber Heber Heber He He- ber M. M Wells Veils tire the speech of ac cc- Judge C. C Goodwn Good- Good wn editor of the Salt Lake rr bune b- b une une delivered the oration AmerIe America Amer Ie ica ici was sung by the Tabernacle choir and the benediction was pronounced pronounced pro PlO by Bishop Lawrence Lawrenc Scanlon Scan Scan- Ion lon of oC the Catholic church The open air part of the jubilee week was the Pageant I of Progress Progress Progress ress which illustrated fifty years ears of Utah's growth The childrens children's parade in which pupils of the public and Sunday schools took part then followed Then carne carne- carne carne- Great Salt Lake take Real neal and Fanciful arf ad Illuminated d parade parl the Parade of oC the Counties and finally the Pioneer Pioneer Pio Plo neer Parade the crowning feature of the jubilee week The Book of oC the Pioneers a publication in two volumes bound in native leather gold silver and copper opper and containIng containing con con- taming signatures and biographical outlines of oC tIre the surviving pioneers was signed by the veterans It is among the ar archives hives of the State Stale Historical association No such Ju Jubilee jubilee jubilee ju- ju bilee had ever been seen in Utah The Pioneer monument was not completed until July 24 1900 2900 and it was then formally unveiled by Miss 1 Margaret Young granddaughter of oC the pioneer leader MEMORIAL EXERCISES Pioneer day of 1898 was was a day j for memorial exercises the in-the dif dif dif- If- If lerent ferent settlements om of or the the saints when collections were taken up to aid In the building of oC a monument in honor of the American sailors who February 15 of oC 1898 lost their lives in tire the explosion of the time Maine l in Havana harbor Pioneer square was set apart as a public park and presented the city of oC Salt Lake the dedicatory prayer being by Ap Apostle George Q Cannon Addresses Addresses Ad Ad- dresses were made by Mayor l John Clark President mt Wilford Woodruff Congressman William II It King and others It was not thrown open to the public however until July 4 14 1903 Pioneer day In rn 1908 was observed as had been the otters others since 1898 18 and on July 24 1908 at Mesa Ariz a unique celebration of the day was carried out by Indians In 1909 on Pioneer day at Provo a monument in honor of oC veterans of Indian wars was unveiled and at Fairview In Sanpete county a monument to tOe the pioneers pioneers' was unveiled By By of the legislature ure Pioneer day was made a a legal holiday tOe the act being passed in the and approved by Governor Ell Eli II Murray Murray Murray Mur Mur- ray since which time it has been observed annually The Time principal events in iii connection with the celebration celebration celebration cele cele- bration of of the d dy y y have hav been de de- de tailed Today as in the past business business business busi busi- ness generally was suspended and the day observed in the usual man man- ner fler Pioneer day will always be bea a holiday In Utah |