Remembering the Pioneers

            July is an exciting time to be in Utah because there are many events leading up to the big celebration of Pioneer Day. Residents of Utah and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in other areas celebrate Pioneer Day in remembrance of the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The holiday is celebrated for several weeks and includes concerts, rodeos, and marathons as well as the big parade on the 24^th.

            President Gordon B. Hinckley presented some remarks at a Pioneer Day commemoration concert on July 22, 2001. He counsels the people of Utah and particularly members of the Church to never forget the sacrifices and achievements of the pioneers.

I have felt that we must never permit ourselves to lose sight of the great and singular achievements of those who first came to this valley in 1847. They came not for riches or gold, but rather to find a place where they could worship God under the revelations which are the foundation of this work. They were outcasts, driven and hounded, persecuted and peeled. Their reliance was on the God of heaven. When they reached this place, they stopped in spite of entreaties to go on to California or the Northwest. 

As I have said before, they knew nothing really of the climate of the area, of the conditions of the soil, of the crickets or the grasshoppers with which they soon became acquainted. They had learned all they could concerning the Great Basin, but that was precious little. No one before them had ever grown a potato or an ear of corn or moved a plow to break this sunbaked soil.

            In the months leading up to July 24, 1997, members of the Church studied the lives and accomplishments of the Mormon pioneers. There was a huge reenactment of the pioneer trek with a wagon train traveling from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Salt Lake Valley. My husband’s brother and his wife took part in this event. Their experience had a profound effect in their lives.

            In recent years the youth organizations of the Church started doing “Trek.” The youth and their leaders are divided into “families” who are members of a handcart company. The youth have the experience of walking for several days, pushing handcarts, and living in conditions similar to those of the pioneers. If the youth live near enough to the pioneer trail, they do their trek along the actual path of the pioneers. Other groups reenact the experience in their local areas. All come away from their experience with greater knowledge about their ancestors and other pioneers and stronger faith in Jesus Christ.

            President Hinckley often reminded members of the Church that we are all beneficiaries of the Mormon pioneers whether or not we had ancestors among the Mormon pioneers. In these remarks he shares the following quote made by Brigham Young in 1868 – 21 years after entering the Salt Lake Valley.

We made and broke the road from Nauvoo to this place. … Some of the time we followed Indian trails; some of the time we ran by the compass. When we left the Missouri River we followed the Platte. And we killed rattlesnakes by the cord in some places, and made roads and built bridges till our backs ached. Where we could not build bridges across rivers we ferried our people across, until we arrived here, where we found a few naked Indians, a few wolves and rabbits, and any amount of crickets; but as for any green tree, or any green fields, we found nothing of the kind, with the exception of a few cottonwoods and willows on the edge of City Creek. For some 1,200 or 1,300 miles we carried every particle of provisions we had when we arrived here.

            President Hinckley says that President Young went on to say: “We prayed over the land, and dedicated it, and the water, air and everything pertaining to them unto the Lord, and the smiles of heaven rested on the land and it became productive, and today yields us the best of grain, fruits and vegetables” (quoted in Nibley, Brigham Young, 441-42).

            Then President Hinckley says, “We must never allow recognition of their trials, of their sacrifices, of their tenacity, of their faith and their prayers in establishing this great community to lapse or be forgotten.”

            The Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and began to tame the desert. They built homes and dug ditches to bring water from the mountains to water their crops. They made the desert blossom and the Valley to become fertile. Many of them were barely settled when they were asked by Brigham Young to go to other areas to make more settlements. Most of the cities in the Mountain West were first started by Mormon Pioneers.

            I am a descendent of the Mormon Pioneers. Seven of my eight great-grandparents traveled to Utah with the pioneers. The eighth came after the transcontinental railroad was finished. Pioneer Day has always been an important day in my life as I remember the trials and sacrifices of my ancestors and their associates.  

Pioneer Day

                Pioneer Day has always had extra special meaning to me. Pioneer Day is a holiday for both the State of Utah and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is celebrated widely in the State and commemorated by members of the Church all over the world.

                Pioneer Day was always a family day when I was a child. Our family often celebrated it by going to the mountains. We would arise very early in the morning – usually to the sound of dynamite blowing up a tree trunk – to milk the cows and feed the animals. Then we would haul one load of hay to the pasture for the cows to munch on all day. We would gather picnic supplies and climb into our old truck. On this special day our mother gave us white “Bakers Bread” and puffed wheat, two foods we seldom ate.

                I also celebrated Pioneer Day in Primary. Our meetinghouse sat on a large piece of land, maybe an acre. I remember dressing up in pioneer-type clothes, decorating bikes and wagons, and walking around the property. As we walked we sang a pioneer song. “Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked….”

                There were only a few days each summer that my family did not work in the fields. Those days were usually Independence Day, Pioneer Day, and Labor Day. Of course, we never worked in the fields on Sundays.

                I am very proud of my pioneer heritage as seven of my eight great-grandparents crossed the plains with the pioneers, and the eighth crossed a few years later on the train. I have often wondered how members of the Church without pioneer ancestors feel about Pioneer Day, and I appreciate the counsel of the Brethren who remind us that there are pioneers today.

                The word pioneer is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it means to go ahead of others to explore or settle a new area, as in the Utah Pioneers. As a verb, it means to be the first to use something, a new method, activity, or area of knowledge. By this simple definition, all converts to the Church are pioneers.

                President Dieter F. Uchtdorf was reared and joined the Church in Germany. He had no ancestors among the Utah Pioneers, but he still loves and honors “the faith and courage of those early pioneers of the Church. My own ancestors were living an ocean away at the time. None were among those who lived in Nauvoo or Winter Quarters, and none made the journey across the plains. But as a member of the Church, I claim with gratitude and pride this pioneer legacy as my own.

                “With the same joy, I claim the legacies of today’s modern-day Church pioneers who live in every nation and whose own stories of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice add glorious new verses to the great chorus of the latter-day anthem of the kingdom of God” ("Faith of Our Father" Ensign, May 2008, 70).

                Today I honor all pioneers, my ancestors and others who crossed the plains to Utah as well as those who are forging new paths today. Happy Pioneer Day to all of you!

Acts of Courage

                It is Days of 47 time again, time to remember and honor the courage and strength of the Mormon Pioneers.  The first pioneers crossed the plains to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 to build a place where they could enjoy religious freedom.   They entered the Valley on July 24^th, and the date of their arrival, known as Pioneer Day, is celebrated with parades, rodeos, and other activities.  This time of celebration is important to my family as seven of my eight ancestors were part of the Mormon Exodus and my eighth ancestor entered the Valley a few years later by transcontinental railroad.

                The Mormon pioneers, most of whom were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, migrated from Illinois to the Salt Lake Valley, located in the Territory of Utah (the present state of Utah).   This area was once part of the Republic of Mexico before the Mexican War, but it became American territory after the United States won the war over the annexation of Texas.

                The Mormons were forced out of the American Midwest because of their religion.  They were chased out of Missouri with threats of death; they settled in Illinois where they built a beautiful city known as Nauvoo.  A few years later enemies of the Church killed the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum in Illinois in an effort to destroy the Church and extinguish the religion.  When the enemies realized that the Church was not falling apart, they forced the Mormons out of Illinois.

                The pioneers began leaving Nauvoo in February 1846 by crossing the Mississippi River on top of thick ice.  They traveled westward in winter weather until they left the United States.  They wintered in Winter Quarters, near present-day Omaha, Nebraska.  There they repaired old wagons and built new ones; they gathered supplies and made plans.  They built log cabins and planted crops in the spring for the people who would follow them.   People who could not afford teams and wagons built handcarts to carry their belongings.  The advance pioneer companies entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847 and were followed by approximately 70,000 people.  Some handcart companies were caught in early winter weather and suffered greatly.  The Mormon Exodus is said to have ended with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. 

                This video, narrated by President Gordon B. Hinckley, illustrates the sacrifices made by the Mormon Pioneers.  His retelling of the experiences of the Martin Handcart Company at the Sweetwater River is particularly poignant.  The pioneers were struggling with cold, hunger, and discouragement when three 18-year-old boys came to their rescue.  The names of these three young men are etched in history:  George W. Grant, C. Allen Huntington, and David P. Kimball.  These young men carried nearly every member of the handcart company across the icy river and died years later from the effects of the experience.  Their acts of courage, compassion, and service saved many of the handcart pioneers, and the report of their acts brought tears to the eyes of President Brigham Young. 

Builders of the Nation

                Since July 24^th marks the anniversary of the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, I thought I would write something about pioneers.  I began thinking about the pioneers on Sunday when our congregation sang a hymn entitled “They, the Builders of the Nation” (Hymns #36, written by Ida R. Alldredge with music by Alfred M. Durham).  I was so touched by the words to this hymn that I could not get it out of my mind.  This presentation of “They, the Builders of the Nation” by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with music provided by the Orchestra at Temple Square is beautiful and touching.  I appreciate the brief addition depicting the Mormon Pioneers as they crossed the plains.

                They, the builders of the nation, Blazing trails along the way;

                Stepping-stones for generations Were their deeds of every day.

                Building new and firm foundations, Pushing on the wild frontier,

                Forging onward, ever onward, Blessed, honored Pioneer!

                Service ever was their watch-cry; Love became their guiding star;

                Courage, their unfailing beacon, Radiating near and far.

                Ev’ry day some burden lifted, Ev’ry day some heart to cheer,

                Ev’ry day some hope the brighter, Blessed, honored Pioneer!

                As an ensign to the nation, They unfurled the flag of truth,

                Pillar, guide, and inspiration To the hosts of waiting youth.

                Honor, praise, and veneration To the founders we revere!

                List our song of adoration, Blessed, honored Pioneer!

                I decided to research the hymn and found the following information about hymn and its writer. Ida Romney Alldredge is the aunt to former Michigan Governor George W. Romney and great-aunt to former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney.  She was born on January 7, 1892, in Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, to Catherine Cottom and Miles Park Romney.  She married Leo “Lew” Alldredge on August 26, 1911; the next year Lew and Ida moved to Douglas, Arizona, along with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The group “decided to leave Mexico due to the disruptions caused by the Mexican Revolution.”  Lew began working as a merchant in Arizona, and the couple established their home in Mesa, Arizona.

                Allredge wrote more than 30 poems in the 1920s and 1930s and “more than 400 poems in total as well as many musical works and a few dramatic works.”  She wrote many poems that were published in the Relief Society Magazine and the Juvenile Instructor.  The lyrics of her poems were put to music by “such contemporaries as George Careless, B. Cecil Gates and William Clive.”  Although her best-known hymn is “They, the Builders of the Nation,” Allredge “had songs sung in General Conference, in the Salt Lake and Arizona Temples, and at the Arizona Temple dedication of 1927.”

                One of Allredge’s “last big moments” took place in 1940 when a chorus gathered on the roof of the Arizona Temple to present an Easter sunrise services.  “They sang a cantata written by Allredge and composed by B. Cecil Gates called “Resurrection Morning.”

                Allredge passed away on June 14, 1943, in Mesa, Arizona.

                President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the pioneers:  “That first trek of 1847, organized and led by Brigham Young, is described by historians as one of the great epics of United States history.  Mormon pioneers by the hundreds suffered and died from disease, exposure, or starvation.  There were some who, lacking wagons and teams, literally walked the 1,300 miles across the plains and through the mountains, pushing and pulling handcarts.  In these groups, one in six perished….

                “These pioneers remembered the words of the Lord:  `My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion’ (Doctrine and Covenants 136:31).

                “As the long, painful struggle approached its welcomed end, a jubilant spirit filled each heart.  Tired feet and weary bodies somehow found new strength.

                “Time-marked pages of a dusty pioneer journal speak movingly:  `We bowed ourselves down in humble prayer to Almighty God with hearts full of thanksgiving to Him, and dedicated this land unto Him for the dwelling place of His people.’ …

                “Such were the trials, the hardships, struggles, and heartaches of a former day.  They were met with resolute courage and an abiding faith in a living God…” (“Come, Follow Me,” Ensign, July 1988). 

  

                I stand in awe of the Mormon Pioneers and the other “builders” who made our nation great.  They had trials, hardships, struggles, and heartaches, but they met them with “resolute courage and an abiding faith in a living God.”  They acted on faith, had positive attitudes, and left our nation better for having been there.  We can learn much from the “builders of our nation.”  Happy Pioneer Day!

               

                

Pioneer Day

In the early spring my two granddaughters called to ask me a favor: They had been selected to ride on a float for the children's parade in Salt Lake City, and they wanted to know if I would make some pioneer outfits for them. Of course, I said yes. I sewed the outfits and delivered them in April. Their mother reported that the girls looked cute in their outfits and had fun riding the float and throwing candy to the people along the route.

The Days of 47 Celebration or Pioneer Day is a huge event throughout Utah, and many different communities hold special events. There are many different categories to the celebration including concerts, parades, picnics, games, rodeos, and royalty. Families enjoy sharing historical stories together and joining in groups to share the special holiday.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrate July 24 each year as Pioneer Day. Brigham Young reached the Great Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847, and declared, "This is the place. Drive on." Brigham Young later said that he had seen the valley and Ensign Peak in a vision and recognized it when he saw it. The Mormon pioneers believed that God led them to the Great Salt Lake Valley in order that they would have a refuge from the violence of mobs and other people who did not like them.

God prepared places of safety for His people at numerous times in history. He still helps those who love Him to find the right place to live and work. "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "The future is ahead. As great things were expected of the pioneers, so are they of us. We note what they did with what they had. We have so much more, with an overwhelming challenge to go on and build the kingdom of God. We are engaged in a great consuming crusade for truth and goodness" (Stand A Little Taller, 216).

Pioneers are people who lead the way and prepare a place for those who follow them. The Mormon Pioneers left civilization and moved into unknown territory in order to escape persecution and to make a new home. They worked diligently and made the "desert blossom as a rose." It is fitting that there is a day to remember the pioneers who settled our nation, but it is more important that we are pioneers in making life better for those who will follow us.