By DONETTA ALLE
On July 24, 1847, after a trek of 1,000 miles that began on April 16, Brigham Young stopped at the top of what is now known as Emigration Canyon and declared: 'This is the right place. Drive on.'
This occasion is the reason behind the festivities, parades and rodeos of Utah's 'Days of '47' celebration. Commonly known as 'Pioneer Day,' July 24 is celebrated by Utahns and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the anniversary of the founding of Zion.
Although the official day for the anniversary of the pioneers' entrance into the valley is the 24th, Saints entered the valley several days earlier. Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt arrived on July 21, and an advance party followed on the 22nd.
Ever industrious, the advance party immediately began preparing the land for planting by flooding it and setting up a crude irrigation system. Pratt dedicated the land for the prosperity of the Saints.
By the time Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley and uttered his famous words, five acres of potatoes had already been planted. At the time, Young was ill with mountain fever.
The Saints had much to do, but they took Sunday the 25th off as a day of worship and thanksgiving.
The reaction of the men in the party to the Salt Lake Valley was joyous and hopeful. 'Thoughts of pleasing meditations ran through our minds while we contemplated the house of God (that) would stand upon the top of the mountains,' Wilford Woodruff wrote in his journal.
On the other hand, some of the women were less than pleased with the results of their journey. Clara Decker Young, Brigham's wife, cried and said of the valley: 'It seemed the most desolate place in the world.' Many wanted to continue the journey, saying they would rather go another 1,000 miles than stay in Utah.
However, members of the pioneer company dug in and prepared the valley for crops and the building of Zion. By the 28th, the site for the temple was chosen and a city plan of perfect square blocks centered around the temple laid out.
Within a month, 80 acres of land had been planted, the city surveyed, 29 log homes built, nearby valleys explored, trade shops started, an adobe fort built and Indians befriended.
All this by the 148 members of the original pioneer company. The company consisted of 143 men, 3 women, 2 children, 73 wagons, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs, a cannon, a boat and some chickens.
When the pioneers left Nauvoo for the Rocky Mountains, Brigham Young had not been sustained as the president and prophet of the church. He was sustained December 27, 1847, in Kanesville, Iowa.
Ever since that first July 24, Saints in Utah have celebrated the entrance of the pioneers into Utah. In 1897, the 50-year anniversary, a statue of Brigham Young was erected in Salt Lake City in honor of the celebration.
'This Is the Place' monument was erected at the Centennial Celebration in 1947. That same year, a group of 148 people gathered to re-enact the trek made by Brigham Young's company. They did, however, have an easier time than their ancestors, outfitting their automobiles with simulated covered wagons and plywood oxen.