Displayed on the wall at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Pioneer Memorial Museum is a photo taken during the semicentennial celebration of pioneers from the LDS Church first arriving in Utah in 1847.
The multiday Pioneer Jubilee, held in 1897, included rodeos, pageants, parades and concerts, according to DUP. The black-and-white photo shows more than 250 of the original 1847 pioneers on Temple Square with the Salt Lake Tabernacle in the background.
One notable aspect of the picture, said Maurine Smith, director of DUP, is the ribbons and badges each person is wearing.
"Each one of these people in the picture that were now survivors of 1847 received one of these gold badges with a ribbon," Smith said.
The DUP museum is one of several places in the area that offer artifacts, art, exhibits or hands-on activities to help visitors connect with Utah's history. While many include information about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, some also highlight other settlers and Native American tribes.
“We collect the history of all of the pioneers, not just the Mormon pioneers,” Smith said. “We collect the history of Johnston’s Army, the railroaders, the explorers and of anyone who passed through Utah getting to the gold fields. We collect the histories, the photographs and the artifacts of all of those people.”
Visiting museums that share information about the history of the pioneers and other settlers can help people today learn more about how early Utahns adapted to a different life, culture and climate, Smith said.
“The history comes from the pioneers themselves,” said Cindy Muir, events and advertising coordinator for the John Hutchings Museum of Natural History in Lehi. “People who traveled this direction, whether they were Mormon or non-Mormon, we can look back and see how they lived, the struggles that they went through, all of the things that we no longer use. But … the things we have and use today come from the things that they had and used, and the way they lived.”
The collection at the Hutchings Museum includes information about pioneer living, including schools, as well as textiles and other items including period quilts, baby clothes, washers, sewing machines, hats and more, Muir said.
“We have a large variety of items throughout history,” she said.
The pioneer memorabilia at the Tooele Pioneer Museum also helps show what life was like for the area’s early residents.
“I think it generates an interest in our heritage to come to the museum to view the things that are there, to read about the histories and see what people use to have to go through as far as to what they had to use,” said Tim Booth, director of the museum. “It gives (the people) a better understanding of pioneer heritage and their pioneer heritage, and the history associated with the people.”
Other museums offer hands-on experiences for visitors, such as making a quilt from worn clothes, making pottery or even getting a shave from a barber.
“You don’t get to see history; you get to do history,” said Tresha Kramer, public relations director of This Is the Place Heritage Park. “You get your hands on history. You get to come in and participate. This is just the place to slow down, step back and take a day where you can really have an interactive, fun experience.”
Learning about the history of the state’s early residents can help people today gain an appreciation for the past and what the pioneers sacrificed to make possible the lives many people in Utah have now, Kramer said.
This Is the Place Heritage Park and the Hutchings Museum also both offer a Native American experience, and the DUP Pioneer Memorial Museum and Tooele Pioneer Museum each display artifacts from Native American cultures in the western United States.
At This Is the Place Heritage Park, a live-action experience teaches about the history of the Native Americans who interacted with the pioneers during their settlement. Native Americans were important to the survival of the settlers, Kramer said.
“The mingling of cross cultures wasn't something that just happened then, but is still happening today,” said Zac Thunderchild Palmer, supervisor of the Native American village at This Is the Place Heritage Park. “We are able to teach not only the present nature of Native American culture in modern society but also … a historical aspect of it as well and how Utah came to be, and how settlers and Native Americans interacted with each other.”
If you go …
What: Daughters of Utah Pioneers Pioneer Memorial Museum
When: Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., open until 8 p.m. Wednesdays
Where: 300 N. Main, Salt Lake City
How much: Free
Phone: 801-532-6479
Web: isdup.org
Note: The museum will host an open house July 25 featuring music, entertainment and refreshments as well as a working blacksmith, children's activities and storytelling.
Also …
What: John Hutchings Museum of Natural History
When: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., closed holidays
Where: 55 N. Center St., Lehi
How much: $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and children, group rates and annual passes available
Phone: 385-201-1020
Web: lehi-ut.gov/recreation/museum
Also …
What: Tooele Pioneer Museum
When: Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 47 E. Vine St., Tooele
How much: Free
Phone: 435-882-1902
Also …
What: This Is the Place Heritage Park
When: Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., Salt Lake City
How much: Monday-Saturday: $12.95 for adults, $10.95 for seniors, $8.95 for children ages 3-11, free for children under 3; Sundays: $6.95 for adults, $4.95 for seniors, $3.95 for children ages 3-11, free for children under 3
Phone: 801-582-1847
Web: thisistheplace.org
Note: The park will offer Pioneer Day activities July 23 and 25, including a bird show from Skymasters Wildlife, a pioneer parade down Main Street, a watermelon-eating contest and more.
Email: ewhite@deseretnews.com