The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1894-09-07
In Utah..
Rev. henry W. Bigler Writes
to the Telegram from the
Mormon Land.

Lts LtttUFttm s-Ou lu0 sOlu
instant at Saltair on the beach
of the Dead Sea, (Salt Lake.
there was a grand reunion of
Pioneers and members of the far
famed Mormon battalion" who
aided in the conquest of Cali
fornia in 1861.
The vast assembly was called
to order at the appointed time by
Elder Charles X. Savage who
acted as master of ceremonies.
The exercises opened with music
by the brass band after which
prayer was offered by Patriarch
John Brown. President MILFORD
Woodruff was then introduced,
who expressed great pleasure at
meeting SO many of his fellow
pioneers on the present occasion.
he gave a short address and re-
ferred to the time when he and
the pioneers arrived in Utah in
1s47, that they were all young
AMI able bodied men. most of
whom had grown old or had
passed beyond the river. Among
them the chief of the pioneers,
the late and honored President
Brigham Young and that the few
survivors of the pioneer band
would before long be numbered
among their friends on the other
shore. He stated that in the sue
cess which had attended the
labors of the pioneers and those
who followed them to these
mountains he clearly saw the
fulfillment of ancient prophecies.
Truly, said he, the barren waste
of the great Salt Lake valley had
been transformed into a beautiful
field. In referring to pioneer in,
cidents, he alluded to the i'm
mense herds of buffalos which
the pioneers met on the Platte
river. 1t took them three days
to pass through them and so
numerous were they that it was
found necessary to place guards
around the wagons at night to
keep the buffalos out of the
corrals."
President George Q. Cannon
followed. Said he was rot one
of the pioneers, though he came
to the valley, the same year they
did and passed through the pecu.
liar experience Of the first winter
in the valley when the people
lived on short rations when many
could think for the time being of
nothing more desirable than to
get enough to satisfy their hun
ger. 1t was said it was simply
marvellous to contemplate such a
change as that which has taken
place in Utah since 1917. He
would never forget the suffering
and privations of the women and
children who spent the winter of
1S47-S in the valley. He could
rot express his gratitude to the
Lord for the abundant crops and
golden fields Of to-day He sug.
gested the organization of a
pioneer society in which should
be enrolled not only the las souls
who led the van to the valley
under the immediate leadership
OF President Brigham Young but
also those who followed them a
few months later, and even the
companies who immigrated
hither in the years ls4S. 1919 and
1850. all OF whom were nionaars
in the truest sense of the word.
Re closed mis- remarks by invok-
Ing the blessings Of the Lord
upon all the people" There was
a sumptuous dinner prepared for
the pioneers and members OF the
battalion after which they and
their numerous friends present
engaged in good old time dance:
there was number of relics of
early days exhibited one of which
was the scales used BY the first
discoveries Of gold on Mormon
Island in California in ISIS.