Pioneer Day
In Utah we celebrate each year, our Mormon Pioneers entrance
into the Valley of Salt Lake on The 24th of July 1847.
I love this holiday for many reasons but I will only mention
a few here.
Family Activities
My brother once told me that his favorite holiday was
Thanksgiving, because family is together and there are few pressures or
expectations for the day. No Gifts given
or received just a time to be together and appreciate all we have been blessed
with and lots of our favorite foods to enjoy
I second that 100 percent and add Pioneer day to the days
when we count our blessings and have BBQ’s and good food is shared with family
and friends.
There are parades with floats, old cars, horses, wagons,
hand carts and so many fun things to watch and enjoy. There are rodeos, baseball games, and of
course fireworks by the thousands.
Pioneer Heritage – A time to Honor my Ancestors
I am so thankful for so many pioneer ancestors in my family
and in Cathy’s family. We are both
blessed with a rich heritage of people who sacrificed everything to come to
America and to be Mormon Pioneers in Utah, Idaho and surrounding areas.
The trip from Winter
Quarters to the Salt Lake Valley took months filled with the most difficult
experiences. En route, Jim Bridger, scout and frontiersman, met Brigham Young
in Wyoming and advised him not to stop in the Salt Lake Valley because nothing
could be raised there. It is said that Bridger offered a thousand dollars for
the first ear of corn grown in the valley. But Brigham Young and the Mormon
pioneers pressed on. The ox teams made straight for the Salt Lake Valley. Their
prophetic leader pitched camp on the east bench of the valley and said, in
words later to gain fame, "This is the place." The aspirations,
dreams, and plans of the prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to bring the
Saints to Utah matured through faith, prayer, sacrifice, and hard work.
Sixteen years after the
first pioneers arrived in this valley, My Great Grandmother Agnes Murray, at
the age of 5, left Scotland with her parents to come to Zion. Her grandparents were at the pier to see them
off. Her Mother was only 32 years old
when she said good-bye to her parents for the last time.
During the voyage across the
Atlantic ocean, on the 12th of June 1863, her mother gave birth to
her sister Mary. Her Mother was sick
during the ocean voyage and all during the time they were crossing the plains,
never leaving her bed. Her father and
other women would take care of the 4 children.
Her father always had to do the cooking.
The children would gather wood and buffalo chips for the fires and they
cooked and made bread to bake in skillets over the open fire. They were given a supply of provisions every
week from the supply wagons.
Her father had his fiddle
with him and at night they would often sing and play. One of their favorite hymns was “Come Come Ye
Saints”. Often they would dance their
hearts full of rejoicing, because they were coming to Zion.
When they reached Echo
Canyon her mother died. The captain of
the company called a halt for the day.
He gave them the top boards from one of the provision wagons to make a
casket. They held a funeral service and
buried her. When her brother Jim, who
was 8 years old, looked into the grave, he cried, “Don’t put my Mama in the
hole, don’t put my Mama in that hole.”
When they arrived in Salt
Lake in October 1863 her father said all he had was four motherless children
and not a dollar in his pocket.
From this little family, guided by the faith
of a mother, came a legacy of thousands of active Latter Day Saints.My Great Grandfather, James Henry Denning was born in January 1853. His parents had joined the church in 1850 and on Feb. 15, 1853, they went on board the ship called "International" to sail from Liverpool, England. My Great Grandfather was only three weeks old. The ship laid in the Irish Channel until the 28th of Feb., before sailing, it was waiting for favorable weather conditions.
There were 425 Saints, under the direction of Christopher Arthur, aboard. Baby James Henry took terribly ill on this hard two-month voyage, he was thought to be dead, so they strapped his body to a board (as was the custom) and raised the board to shove him overboard. One of the Saints shouted, "Wait, I believe I saw the baby breathe!" They pulled the board back and unwrapped the baby and HE 'WAS BREATHING. He lived to fill a noble and wonderfully useful life; loved and respected by everyone.
There are literally thousands and thousands of stories like this from which we can gain strength and inspiration. However, when I study my own genealogy, they become my family… my Great Grandmother, my Great grandfather. People who know and love me and made sacrifices to make my life better, people whose faith in the Lord Jesus Christ allowed them to do accomplish extraordinary things so I could be here today.
My wife Cathy and I are now serving a mission for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Philippines. The Church was introduced to the Philippines
during World War II. Many of the members
we have met here are first or second generation Mormons. This makes them pioneers of the Gospel in
this beautiful land. What a privilege
it is to serve here and help them with Self-Reliance training.
Thanks for sharing those great stories. I remember Grandma telling me those stories. I also am grateful for my pioneer heritage.
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