Today is a Holiday in the State of Utah. We are commemorating the day that the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. Actually the scouts entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 21, 1847, but the main body of the group along with their leader, Brigham Young, entered the Valley on July 24, 1847. They were not the first white men to enter the Salt Lake Valley. Jim Bridger, mountain man and trapper, is credited with "discovering" the Great Salt Lake in 1835 or 1836.
The ill fated Donner Party actually passed through the Salt Lake Valley a few weeks prior to the Mormon Pioneers. The Donner Party actually carve the wagon trail down Emmigration Canyon that the Mormon Pioneers used to enter the Salt Lake Valley. There were two main groups of Mormon Pioneers that entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, The Vangard or the group led by Brigham Young, and the Second Group which arrived in September 1847.
There are many events through out the State commemorating this Holiday, the most well known are the Days of '47 Parade and Rodeo which will and are taking place in Salt Lake City. The Pioneer Days Rodeo in Ogden is also quite well known, but there are several other rodeos taking place through out the state. The Deseret News Days of '47 Marathon will take place tomorrow, the interesting thing about the Marathon is that it follows the last 26 miles of the Pioneer trail down Emmigration Canyon and ending up in Downtown Salt Lake.
One of the main reasons that the Mormon Pioneers chose to settle the Salt Lake Valley and Utah in general was that it was a place that no one else wanted. That has changed, people are drawn here for the skiing, the natural beauty and the life style. We still enjoy one of the lowest violent crime rates in the United States. Sadly, that number is on the rise.
So come on up or down and join in the celebration! Come and see why most of us have stayed here!
Kanarraville, Utah
Torrey, Utah
Saint George, Utah
These are just three of the areas that my ancestors helped settle.
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