On their second morning in the valley, ten settlers rode to the foot of a dome-shaped peak just behind where the Capitol is today. With field glasses they surveyed the valley. Streams flowing from the eastern canyons looked like ribbons of willow, and emptied into a river. They climbed, that morning, to gain perspective on this valley. From there they had a clearer view of both the challenges ahead, and their opportunities.
Tradition has it they raised a humble banner as an ensign to the world.
On Saturday last, I left the Capitol and hiked to that same peak, now known as Ensign Peak. One still sees the glimmering lake, and the streams that flow. Valleys, then barren, are now very much alive. From that same peak, there now winds a black ribbon of asphalt from every direction, automobiles carrying people into a stream of vitality that now is the state of Utah. Airplanes slide from earth to air, bound for distant parts of a smaller world.