Pioneer Day on July 24 is celebrated as when Brigham Young's company first arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847. But there are many other days that can be considered a "pioneer day" in other areas. In taking a look through the 2010 Church Almanac, here are some other notable dates in the 19th century pioneer history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
April 6, 1830: The "Church of Christ" was organized at the Peter Whitmer Sr. home in Fayette, N.Y.
January-Feburary 1831: The Saints began to move to Ohio after Joseph Smith received a revelation Dec. 30, 1830, where they were commanded to gather in Ohio. The first revelation given through the Prophet Joseph Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, was on Feb. 4, 1831 (See Doctrine and Covenants 41).
Summer 1831: A branch of the church in Colesville, N.Y., was asked to immigrate to Missouri and settle in Kaw Township.
July 20, 1831: Independence, Jackson County, Mo., was designated the center place for Zion (See Doctrine and Covenants 57).
Aug. 2, 1831: Sidney Rigdon dedicated the Land of Zion for the gathering of the Saints during a ceremony in Kaw Township, Jackson County, Mo. On Aug. 3, Joseph Smith dedicated a temple site at Independence.
June 1832: The gospel was preached in Canada — the first place outside the United States.
Feb. 17, 1834: The first stake in the church was created in Kirtland, Ohio.
July 20, 1837: The first mission of the church — the British Mission — was organized, opening up missionary work outside of North America.
April 26, 1838: The name of the church as "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" was given in revelation (See Doctrine and Covenants 115).
July 6, 1838: The Saints began to leave Kirtland, Ohio.
Oct. 27, 1838: The Missouri extermination order was signed.
April 20, 1839: The last of the Saints left Far West, Mo.
April 25, 1839: Commerce, Ill., was selected as a gathering place for the church members. On May 1, two farms were purchased by Joseph Smith and others. It was the first land purchased in what later became Nauvoo.
June 6, 1840: Forty-one Mormons sailed for the United States from Liverpool, England, and were the first Saints to gather from a foreign land.
June 27, 1844: Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed by a mob that rushed the Carthage Jail in Carthage, Ill.
Feb. 4, 1846: The Mormon migration from Nauvoo began.
April 24, 1846: The first temporary settlement of the westward-moving Saints was established at Garden Grove, Iowa. Others included Mount Pigsah, Iowa, on May 16; Kanesville (Council Bluffs), Iowa, on June 14; and Winter Quarters, Neb., in September.
April 5, 1847: The first pioneer company left Winter Quarters, Neb., under Brigham Young's leadership.
July 22-24, 1847: Brigham Young's pioneer company arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
Feb. 14, 1849: Great Salt Lake City was divided into 19 wards of nine blocks each.
Jan. 26, 1851: The second stake in the church and the first outside the Salt Lake Valley (since the pioneers arrived in Utah) was the Weber Stake created by Brigham Young with headquarters in Ogden. Stakes were also created in Provo on March 19, and San Bernardino, Calif., on July 6.
March 24, 1851: 500 pioneers called to settle in California left from Payson. The group settled in San Bernardino, Calif., which became the first Mormon colony outside the Great Basin since the arrival of the pioneers in 1847.
June 9, 1856: The first handcart company left Iowa.
Sept. 24, 1860: The last of the 10 groups of pioneers to cross the Plains using handcarts arrived in Salt Lake City.
Oct. 1, 1861: The first baptisms in the Netherlands took place.
March 23, 1876: Advance companies from Utah who were called to settle in Arizona arrived at the Little Colorado and marked the beginning of Mormon colonization in Arizona.
April 6, 1877: The St. George Temple was dedicated. It was the first temple to be completed in Utah.
May 19, 1878: The first settlers arrived in Colorado, opening Mormon settlements there.
Oct. 18, 1881: Ngataki was the first Maori baptized in New Zealand. The first permanent branch was organized on Aug. 26, 1883.
Jan. 31, 1886: The first church meeting was held in the first meetinghouse built in Mexico on the Colonia Juarez settlement in northern Mexico. The first stake in Mexico, the Juarez Stake, was organized in the English-speaking Mormon colonies in northern Mexico on Dec. 9, 1895.
June 3, 1887: A contingent of eight families camped on Lee's Creek in southern Alberta, marking the beginnings of the Mormon settlements in Canada. Under the direction of President John Taylor, a gathering place for Latter-day Saints in Canada was selected, and on June 17 a site was chosen for what later became Cardston.
May 23, 1893: The first ordinance work — baptisms for the dead — was performed in the Salt Lake Temple, which was dedicated on April 6, 1893. The first endowment work and sealings were performed on May 24.
June 9, 1895: The first stake outside the United States was created in Cardston, Alberta, Canada.
Source: 2010 Church Alamac
Compiled by Christine Rappleye