Tomorrow is July 24. In my home state of Washington, it’s just another summer day, but here in Utah it is a holiday known as Pioneer Day. It marks the anniversary of the day the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
I’ve written about a number of holidays, such as Independence Day and Memorial Day, so I want to continue that tradition by talking about some things I’ve learned about Pioneer Day. I’m new to Utah and its traditions, so I did a Google search for information on this holiday, and I found a Salt Lake Tribune article, entitled, “What don’t you know about Pioneer Day?”
This article is quite informative, and it gave me a grasp of the details about this holiday. Here are some interesting facts I learned:
- Several pioneers actually arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, two days before the day designated as Pioneer Day. The reason the holiday is on July 24 is because that is the day Brigham Young entered the valley.
- The valley wasn’t as barren as some say, despite being a desert. According to some reports, some areas were actually covered in grass.
- Before Utah became a state in 1896, Pioneer Day was often celebrated by citizens reading and giving speeches on the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.
- The trail that the pioneers used to cross the country to Utah was actually created by a group of immigrants traveling to California in 1846.
It’s fun to learn about history, especially local traditions. I hope you’ll have a happy Pioneer Day tomorrow! We’ll get back to ecommerce and Internet marketing topics in the eHarbor Blog next week.
The photo of the Salt Lake Valley is from Flickr, and it is the copyright of Edgar Zuniga Jr..
Tags: article, history, holiday, Salt Lake Tribune, utah