Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-01-04
1917 10 1890

Fofty.eight years ago last July the
Utah Plons.rs, under the guidance Of
President Brigham Young, entered
tho valley Of the Great Salt Lskc
through Emigration CaDyon--'hs de-
fls which clsaves tho mnu ntain range
10 the east ofSall Lake City, just south
Of Fort Douglas. This vast area wa.
then Mexican territory; anu the Pio-
neors took possession In the name
Of the United States OF Amer.
lcs, unfolding for the nrit time
In this balmy atm sphere tho
glorious Stars and 5tripe'-emblsm Of
freedom among men. Few white men
had seen this valley; none had ven.
iursd TO make II their home. Its APP
pearanee was extremely iorbldding--a
broad and barren plain, hommed In by
IN untains, blislering In the mid,um-
msr sun, a narrow, winding stream
cieaving II In twain and finding it,
goal IN briny lake where no animal
INV Nuulu w hNNh-AhN lAAi W e'sNh
seemed to hang over all, ~ n 10 pre-
serve II from mans invsiion, a. the
paradise OF the lizard, the cricket nud
tho rationale. Yet here the leader Of
that noble band declared was "the very
place" for their home, and theirs the
destiny to awaken this arid waste %
| ufe bv an iusuifed tourh
The spirit Of those Pioneers and
their oompatriois may be dlsoerned In
n manifesto issuei to them In camp on
the Missouri river, January II, lsi7,
lust previous to the commencement OF
The long anu arduous Journey into an
unknown country. This "word and
will Of the Lord concerning the Camp Of
Israel In their journey Tugs to the West"
had these paragraphs among long
la, Of ins ruo .ant;
Lot all the people Of tho Church Of
Jesus Christ of Lalter.day Saints, and
those who Journey with them, DO organ
| iced into companies, with n covenant
aud a promise TO keep all the command
monts and statutes Of tho Lord our God.
/
And this shall be our covenant, that
we will walk In all the ordinances Of the
Lord.
Seek yo aud keep all your pledges one
with another, and coyet not that which IL
| thv brolher's,
Keep yourselves from evil to tako tho
name OF the Lord la vain, Tor 1 am tho
Lord your God, oven tho God OF your
fathers, tho dod. of Abraham. aud OF
Isaac, and Of Jacob.
am He who led the children OF Israel
out Of the land Of Egypt, and my arm Il
stretched out In the last days to save my
people Israeli
These Pioneers were Mormont-
exiles from the beautiful city Of Niu.
VOC, where their ProphetRnd Patriarch
had been msriyTed and themselves
despoiled OF their possessions. In the
light OF the past half century who can
iAil 10 see that they were truly the
Camp Of lsrael-tho arm Of whose Coz
was stretched out In tho last days TO
save His peopls9 TIE darkened hours
Of that time, the sublime faith maui.
fested, and the salvation In this prom
ised land-rlch above oil other lands
which We now behold, bear a witness
that Is beyond retaliation.
The tolls and trials Of this vanguard
OF progress and those who augmented
their ranks have been often told.
There ia no space to recount them here
,urlhsr than to suggest few chief
fea,ureii tut they should be inscrlbe d
indellbly on tho hearts OF every son
ana daughter OF Utah, that the saorl-
Zee may be comprehendsd and the
blessings which followed be Apprecia g..
ed. The Pioneers struggled and sur
fered, and In the hour OF their neces.
sity there was brought forth the
great scheme OF irrigation, to render
the parehed soil capable OF yielding
food Tor mau. In the ftsl Ave years
after ls47 the science OF irrigation had
become part OF lie Itself in these val
leys; settlements stretched out north
and south hundreds Of mile; the State
OF Dsseret had been organized and
served it, purpose, Statehood had been
asked and refused, and the Territory Of
Utah had been created; The savage In.
habitants Of the land had been met Ia
fierce battles and had been overcome;
uewspaper-the DEsRRET News
had been instituted; the University NJ
Dsserei [uow UtAhl had been char
tered; municipal anu county govern.
ments had been securely eslablishe o.
thorough system OF securing desirable
emlgrAnts had been adopted; a perfect
aehcme OF colonization was In vogue.
In brief, In those i've years Of privh.
ton and Couil RIatlve weakness there
was laid In THIS regon tho toundsli ~
for The greatest empire o. olvihz,tiDu
whicn the world has ever known.
Within the same Ie;Ud the hslu
that brought the Camp OF l,rlvl 10
safety had been performing mighty