OCR Text |
Show ROLLO-glyphics closed with a Grand Ball in the Salt Lake Theater. The hall was profusely decorated with flags, the outstanding feature being an electric flag suspended at the front of the archway of the stage. It was a blaze of beauty never to be forgotten by those who witnessed witnes-sed it and the new Governor stood under it when . he delivered de-livered his inaugural address. He said, "Our future will ibe what we make it, if, with all her resources, her location in the very heart of the continent, conti-nent, her fruitful soil, her wealth of water, her glorified fresh air, her thermal springs, her wonderful lakes, her new land to cultivate, her new mines to open, her new railroads rail-roads and factories to build, reservoirs and canals to build, if, with all these, added to the impetus that statehood gives, if Utah does noi become one of the foremost states of the Union it will ibe our fault, the fault of her own people." The-lafge "flag hung in the Tabernacle for a year and a half, then it was taken down and hung on the south exterior exter-ior wall of the Salt Lake Temple Tem-ple to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. This flag was last seen adorning the Temple. Ef ' forts have been made by various vari-ous historical groups to locate the flag but none, have succeeded. suc-ceeded. It has been suggested that because of the size of the flag and the problem of storing stor-ing it, it may have been burned. burn-ed. - . Pioneer Day, July 24, will be celebrated in Utah Monday, commemorating the arrival of the pioneers in Salt Lake Valley Val-ley in what became the most extensive colonization of the West. ' With that celebration in mind I selected to use a report re-port turned in to me this week by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Pio-neers a reprint of an article that appeared in the Deseret News in 1967 and an account as told by Mrs. Margaret Derrick Der-rick concerning the celebration celebra-tion of statehood, which came much later, on Jan. 6, 1896. The account follows: Do you know that our early Utah Citizens respected and HONORED the Flag of the United States of America? Dou you know that Utah Officials Of-ficials worked 46 years to gain statehood? Do you know that Utah's star in the field of blue is the 43th? Do you know that the year statehood ..was achieved Utah had the largest flag in our nation? ! To prepare for the celebration celebra-tion it was decided to make a flag with -Utah's star in place. Hyrum B." Clawson laid the groundwork for making the largest American Flag in the nation - he said, "We ' will make an American Flag so the people in Utah will see for the first time the 45th Star, the Utah Star.", i Six women were given the responsibility of sewing the mammoth- flag. The stripes were six-feet wide and the stars measured six feet from tip to tip. Placing the stars on the blue field was the hardest part, the blue field was cut into six foot blocks, the stars were placed in the blocks, then they were sewed together. togeth-er. It took one week working ten hour days to complete the flag which measured 78 ft. by 160 ftvIt was hung under the dome of the Salt Lake Tabernacle Taber-nacle -with 9ft. of space between be-tween the 'flag and the dome . A lighf globe was placed be hind the -45th star. It took eight strong men' to lift the flag into place. The day started with a par ade, the crowd was somethinr to behold. The Talbernack could not begin to hold , th people who came to attend th meeting that followed th' parade. An account was give? of the struggle that had taker place by Utah Officials to gal; statehood from 1849 to 1891" After nearly 50 years', Utav" was finally admitted to th Union, January 4, 1896 by proclamation , of Presiden Trover Cleveland. Heber .Manning Wells, e prominent Salt Lake Citizer was installed as the firs Governor and other officer? Who had been elected in Nov 1895 were sworn in. The beaut iful flag waving overhead ad ded to the occasion. The fiel(" of blue was placed near the organ and when the organ began be-gan to play the light behind the 45th star was turned' on, the flag rippled as the organ played and it sent a thrill through the audience. The people wept with joy, with love, happiness and humility as they saw the Utah Star take its place with the other 44 in the Union. ; The festivities of the day |