Sesquicentennial ses-kwee-sen-ten-ee-yul. That's a word-and-a-half to describe a century and a half.
And that's how long it has been since the first Latter-day Saint pioneers straggled into Salt Lake Valley in late July 1847. More than 1,000 miles of wearisome trail lay behind them and hopes for a better future ahead.With echoes of Utah's 1996 statehood centennial still reverberating, the state will dive headlong into another year of observances and memorials. The focus this time will be on the pioneer era that preceded statehood, and will even go farther back to the time when Native Americans, American Indians, trappers, traders and other pre-territory groups wrote Utah's history. Events will range from re-creations of the epic first trek across the plains to community celebrations.
The out-of-sequence timing of the two celebrations is unfortunate, organizers agree, but since history can't be altered, 1997 planners are shifting the spotlight into reverse. The 1997 observance will look at the era prior to statehood, in hopes of making new generations of Utahns aware of their past, Rhonda Greenwood said. She is coordinator for the state's sesquicentennial celebration.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also marks the occasion as a milestone in its own history, as well as that of the state. Its observance will be noted worldwide, said Elder Russell M. Ballard, a member of the Council of the Twelve and church sesquicentennial chairman. Since the mid-1800s, when the infant church numbered its membership in thousands, growth has brought the total to more than 9.4 million, with units around the world.
The church and state observances are being meshed through a coordinating council, but each is taking a little different direction and has its own theme.
The church theme, "Faith in Every Footstep," connotes a broader recognition that there have been "pioneers" throughout the world over the history of the church. They are those who have been the first in their areas to espouse LDS principles and, through their faith, lead the way for others, said Elder Ballard.
"Ours will be not just a celebration of the Salt Lake Valley pioneers but will include pioneers in every corner of the world. Wherever the church is established - in Europe, Asia, everywhere - we are encouraging them to find their `first' members and celebrate their lives," he said. "This is an opportunity to relive their stories, read about church history and go back in time. It's a way to connect the generations."
For those Latter-day Saints who descended from the Utah pioneers, however, the celebration will have special significance, Elder Ballard said. "It's a time to contemplate the price they paid, to remember what kept them on the trail for 1,300 miles with a wagon or pushing a handcart. They knew what they believed was true."
A worldwide Day of Service is planned July 19 to involve all LDS congregations in a meaningful observance of the pioneer anniversary. A two-day gala in Cougar Stadium at Brigham Young University July 24 and 25 will be the crowning event for Utah's church members and others who want to join the celebration, Elder Ballard said. Traditional Utah pioneer observations that cluster around the July 24 date, including the annual Days of '47 Parade in Salt Lake City, also will have special emphasis.
Updated calendars will be released throughout the sesquicentennial year. The Deseret News will publicize upcoming events sponsored by the church, the state and local groups in a timely fashion.
The state council was created in 1994 to provide three years of preparation time. It is chaired by Sons of Utah Pioneers Director J. Elliott Cameron and designed to represent all of the major entities expected to participate in the observation. Council members include Spencer Kinard of the Utah Travel Council; Wil Numkena, Division of Indian Affairs; Garn Hatch, Mormon Trails Association; George Ivory, Oregon-California Trails Association; Barbara Smith, Days of '47 Committee; Glen M. Leonard, Museum of Church History and Art; Marty Ott, National Park Service; William Smart, former Deseret News executive editor; Booth Wallentine, president, Mormon Pioneer Trails Foundation; Pat Hearty, Utah Historic Trails Consortium; Louise C. Green, Daughters of Utah Pioneers; John Knudson, state trails coordinator; Dwane Van Hooser, chairman, Ogden Pioneer Days; Courtland Nelson, director, Division of State Parks and Recreation.
Cameron sees the sesquicentennial as a time for all Utahns to be pioneers. "We hope every Utahn will take the opportunity to exercise some creative kind of program or event," he said. "Every group should plan some celebration or activity to note 150 years in this valley."
The council chose as its theme "The Spirit of Pioneering," which also suggests more than the original pioneer entrance into the Salt Lake Valley, Greenwood said.
"Everyone can celebrate, including Latter-day Saints, non-Latter-day Saints, all of our ethnic and cultural groups. We all have pioneers in our past. The sesquicentennial is an opportunity to recognize the pioneers of 1847," she said, "but it also recognizes the Native Americans who were here first - the trappers, traders and explorers. We need to know that pioneering continues. If you don't have ancestral roots in the LDS pioneer movement, you still can identify with those qualities of courage and determination that brought them to Utah."
Each group that came to Utah over the years - whether for religious purposes, to work in the mines or other industries or simply to take advantage of a great lifestyle - has had its leaders and its own peculiar history. This is a year to remember them, Greenwood said.
The Utah Legislature allocated $250,000 to the council to plan and coordinate sesquicentennial events. Of that amount, $78,000 was earmarked for grants to projects all over the state, Greenwood said.
Among the many projects is the production of a video about the trail and a book, "Finding the Right Place," by William Hill, a New York historian. The book will be used by fourth and seventh graders in Utah's public schools, whose history unit focuses on the state. The State Office of Education received a $5,000 grant to obtain the textbook.
A newsletter, "The Sesquicentennial Star," is being published periodically to keep interested parties updated on events as they evolve.
The council is helping communities, schools and other interested groups to determine appropriate activities by offering "97 Ways to Celebrate in 1997." Requests for these suggestions, the newsletter and other information about the celebration can be directed to the council offices in the old Rio Grande Railway station, 300 Rio Grande, telephone 533-3513, 533-3597 or 533-3598. Calendars also will be listed at Web site (http://www.ce.ex.state.ut.us/history/sesqui/)
County commissions have appointed ambassadors to head sesquicentennial celebrations in their own areas. Some of the ambassadors continued over from the centennial efforts in their areas, while others are new to the assignment, Greenwood said. The council also is contacting various ethnic and cultural groups to invite their participation.
Official products bearing the state logo also will be available.
The "pioneer connection" also involves several other states, which will note the passage of Mormon pioneers through their areas. LDS wards and stakes along the pioneer trail in Nebraska and Wyoming also are planning special commemorations. Groups in both states have identified and marked pioneer sites and will participate in recreations of the journey as they pass through their locations.
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Additional Information
January sesquicentennial events
Kicking off a year of sesquicentennial events is a full calendar for January:
- 8-25 - "Arcadia," by Pioneer Theater Company. 581-6270.
- 10 - Celebrity Concert Series, violinist James Greening, Cox Auditorium, Dixie College, St. George.
- 10-13 and 17-20 - "Whatsoever: the Story of Abraham," St. George Opera House.
- 11 - Native American Heritage and Dance Program, Indian Walk-in Center, 120 W. 1300 South, 486-4877.
- 13 - 145th anniversary celebration of settling of southern Utah, Parowan. - 13-22 - Martin Luther King celebration. (A complete listing of community discussions, special TV presentations, lectures, etc., will be printed later.)
- 16 - "The Pioneering Spirit: Notable Utah Women, Featuring Patty Bartlett Sessions, Pioneer Midwife," noon, White Chapel, sponsored by Utah State Archives and Historical Society; Centennial Concert, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Zoltan Kocsis, Southern Utah University, Cedar City, 586-7700.
- 17 and on through the entire year - Mormon Pioneer Trail exhibit, Museum of Church History and Art, 45 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City.
- 18 and continuing through Oct. 12 - Pioneering: Past, Present and Future, international children's art exhibit, Museum of Church History and Art, 45 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City.
- 20-24 - Utah Genealogical Association Sesquicentennial Institute, Best Western Salt Lake Plaza, 225-3256.
- 23-24 and 27-31 - "Trail of Dreams," an original musical production, Utah Valley State College, Ragan Theater, 7:30 p.m.
- 24 - Celebrity Concert Series, BYU Ballroom Dance Company, Cox Auditorium, Dixie College, St. George.
- 25 - East Canyon Ice Fishing Derby, East Canyon State Park, sponsored by Ladies of Angle Fishing Society. 829-6866.
- 29 - Celebrity Concert Series, Riverside Light Opera, Cox Auditorium, Dixie College, St. George.
Ongoing events include:
- All year - 14 historic markers on display in the Holladay area (guidebook available, 272-3263); Promontory, The End of the Pioneer Era exhibit, Golden Spike National Historic Site; sesquicentennial speakers bureau available through Utah Humanities Council, 359-9670; Pioneer Schoolhouse exhibit, Treehouse Children's Museum, Ogden.
- Janaury - Milford Community History Month, personal histories highlighted.
- January-February - Zion National Park, "The Great American West," Zion Canyon Cinemax IMAX Theater, showings at noon and 2, 4 and 6 p.m.
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Several re-enactments of trek planned
Modern travelers whisking across the plains of Iowa and Nebraska and into the mountain country of Wyoming can hardly appreciate the rigors of the pioneer trail that brought the first white settlers to Utah.
Mere hours by car can hardly be equated with 111 days of exhausting struggle experienced by the first group that made the trek by covered wagon, on horseback or on foot, uncertain even of the exact destination. For thousands who followed in the years until the railroad reached Utah in 1869, the trail was fraught with trials and even death as one of the most remarkable migration stories in America unfolded.
In observance of Utah's pioneer sesquicentennial, several re-enactments of that first trek are planned.
They include a bicycle trek leaving Nauvoo, Ill., June 13 and arriving in Salt Lake City July 7; and a bus tour leaving Omaha, Neb., July 14, arriving in Salt Lake City July 22.
The most nearly authentic of the re-enactments - and the most rigorous - will be a 111-day wagon train trip from Winter Quarters, Neb., to This Is the Place State Park on Salt Lake's east bench. Participants will leave Winter Quarters April 17, arriving in Salt Lake Valley on the July 22 anniversary of the initial pioneer entry into the valley. (Utah traditionally celebrates on July 24 when pioneer leader Brigham Young joined the first group to enter the val-ley.)
This year's journey will continue last year's re-enactment of the pioneers' travel from Nauvoo, Ill., to Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1846.
The main body of the Mormon Trail Wagon Train - 150 Years, comprised of wagons, handcarts, outriders and walkers - will follow the main trail. A smaller group, led by Russ Leger of the Iowa Mormon Trails Association, will traverse the southern Mormon Trail from Council Bluffs, Iowa, joining the main group at Grand Island, Neb., for the remainder of the trip.
The train will be limited to 75 wagons, 150 outriders and 60 horseback riders, said President Brian J. Hill of the Kearney, Neb., Stake, chairman of the executive committee. Space will be available for 200 passengers each day. Calls regarding participation are being taken at the Mormon Trail Visitors Center at Winter Quarters, telephone 1-800-552-6191. *****
Mingled emotions at the sight of `the Valley'
"It happened to be my turn to drive that day, Sept. 28, 1847. The reach of our wagon was broken and tied together after a fashion and the way the front wheels wobbled about was a sight to behold. I kept expecting every minute to see the poor old concern draw apart and come to grief, but it held together and when my eyes rested on the beautiful entrancing sight - the Valley - oh! how my heart swelled within me. I could have laughed and cried; such a comingling of emotions I cannot describe." Ann Agatha Walker Pratt, one of the second company to arrive in Salt Lake Valley.
In commemoration of the pioneer settlement of Utah, the Deseret News will run a series of articles titled "In Their Own Words" through the first half of the 1997 sesquicentennial year. Each weekly article will consist of excerpts from journals, diaries or other written records left by the early settlers of Utah Territory.
The first of the series will appear Tuesday, Jan. 14, continuing weekly through the July 24 celebration marking the 1847 date when pioneers first entered Salt Lake Valley.