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Show THE CITIZEN 10 Salt Lake City Yesterday and Today Founders of an Inland Empire PIONEERS OF 1847 YEARS ago the Mormon Pioneers landed in Salt Lake City. They Traveled many hundreds of miles, over desolate wastes, inhabited by Indians and wild beasts, endured the bitter cold of winter and excessive heat of summer, and all other manner of hardships and privations in order to find a place where they might make their homes and live in peace. It is rather difficult perhaps to imagine the conditions which existed here then, as we graze about our beautiful city of lawns, trees and gardens, and view the prosperous orchards and farms that surround us. Let us turn back the pages of history and vizual-iz- e, if we can, that intrepid little band of western empire builders as they emerged out of Emigration Canyon and entered this valley. IGIITY-ON- E so the oxen could get over the steep mountains with the wagons. Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow started for the valley, but Snow discovered his coat had fallen from his saddle. A thousand miles from civilization coats were precious things so he retraced his steps in search of it. Orson Pratt continued his journey on foot further down into the valley, keeping to the north. He came through what is now Ft. Douglas, through the University grounds, on over into the City Cemetery and to the East side of City of the mountains, then wended their way northward toward the Great Salt Lake. They found the soil, as they proceeded, unfit for agricultural pur- poses, so retraced their steps back to camp. , Ground Plowed. July 23rd word was sent back to the rear camps, which were still in mountains, to inform President Young and the Pioneers of the discov- eries and explorations already made, The first camp moved forward into Salt Lake City, camping where the City and County building now stands. Committees were organized to attend the various branches of business, preparatory to putting in crops, and in about two hours after their arrival they began plowing at what is now the southeast corner of First South and Main streets. The same afternoon they built a dam to divert water from City Creek with which to irrigate the soil. tion at the appearance of the valley as a resting place for the Saints, and felt amply repaid for his journey. While lying upon his bed in my carriage, gazing upon the scene before us, many things of the future concerning the valley were shown to him in a vision. The next day being Sunday, the Pioneers, like the Pilgrims at Ply-th- e mouth, gave thanks to God for his goodness in preserving them and bringing them to this Great Basin in the midst of the Rocky Mountains. This Is The Place. On July 27th Samuel Brannan and several others explored the surround- ing country as far as Tooele valley. On the 28th they went along the eastern base of the Oquirrh mountains. It was a barren country with no water& They saw the Utah Lake in the dis. tance. On their trip they met goats, sheep and antelope. They returned more satisfied than ever that they were already encamped upon the spot Entrance to Valley. On July 21, 1847, Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow entered Salt Lake City. Brigham Young had taken ill several days previous with mountain fever (presumably typhoid fever) and the company, on this account, did not travel as rapidly as they had done before. Orson Pratt, therefore, went ahead with part of the company. Brigham Young sent Erastus Snow to overtake him and admonish him to keep to the north when he entered the valley. Progress was slow through the canyons, as roads had to be made 0iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii( ICECREAM This picture of an Emigrant Train was taken probably in the early Sixties. BLUE RIBBON THE SUMMER FAVORITE Thousands of people are now listed among the regular con- sumers of Colvilles Blue Rib- bon Ice Cream. And its no wonder. Blue Ribbon is the ice cream that creates a taste for ice cream. Its the one dessert, the one hot weather favor, that is I I jj 1 always dependable. Blue Rib- - 1 bon is made from the purest and richest of cream and only fresh 1 fruits are used in its fruit flav.. I ors. i Always frcteh, and always smooth. Ioqlvhieicscheamcq! I ( SALT LAKE CITY. UTAH . 535 South 5th West Telephone Wasatch p.i 5170-517- 1 Creek Canyon. He did not go down, however, because it was so steep, but continued along the east wall until he reached its mouth. Then he went on down around the Temple Block and what is now the main business section of the city. As he wended his way southward he again met Erastus Snow, who had been over toward the Sugar House district, having been lured there by the sight of what he thought was grain, but which proved s, to be only canebreaks and that section at that time being a large swamp. When he saw this he thought of President Youngs admonition to keep to the north. After traversing about twelve square miles they returned to camp in Emigration Cancat-tail- yon. The following day Orson Pratt, George A. Smith and others rode down and explored a portion of the northern part of the valley. They visited the warm and hot springs at the foot At that date City Creek had three branches, one of which flowed through the grounds where the Hotel Utah now stands, down through the Z. C. M. I. property, and on down through the City and County Building grounds. Another took off due west along North Temple street and the other flowed towards Warm Springs. Crops Planted. In Orson Pratts diary of July 24th appears the following: Potatoes were planted in the forenoon on a portion of the ground previously plowed by the Pioneers. About noon, President Young arrived at the Pioneer encampment on City Creek, accompanied by the brethren who constituted the rear company. Wilford Woodruff, in whose carriage President Young was riding at the time they emerged from the mountains into the valley, stated in his President journal of that date: Young expressed his entire satisfac- - where their contemplated city should be built. Soon after their return Pre- sident Young called a meeting of the Twelve. Orson Pratt states further: President Young said, Here is thjjr. forty acres (which was afterwards changed to ten acres) for the temple. The city can be laid out perfectly square, north, and south, east and west. It was then moved and carried that a block be laid off for tho Temple and that the city be laid out into lots of ten rods by twenty each, exclusive of streets, and into blocks of eight lots, containing ten acres in each block, and one and a quarter acres in each lot. It was further moved and carried, that each street be laid out eight rods wide, and that there a sidewalk on each side, twenty feet wide, and that each house be built in the center of the lot, twenty feet from the front, that there might be uniformity throughout the city. It was also moved that there be four public |