A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....07-25-03...Utah - "This is the place"

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997. Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Today we leave the comfort of our air-conditioned tour bus for the open-air, ox-drawn Conestoga wagon as we join the sons and daughters of the Utah Pioneers in celebrating their annual Pioneer Days. (With our apologies to our Finest Utah FRiends for arriving a day late.)

"Pioneer Day" - July 24

Pioneer Day in Utah, a state holiday, is recognized by the Mormons as the day they entered into Utah Valley (what is now called Salt Lake City) on July 24, 1847. It was on that day, the President of the Church, Brigham Young, pronounced from a nearby mountain top "This is the place". Along with Brigham Young were 143 men, 3 women, and 2 children that entered into the uninhabited Salt Lake Valley.



The Mormon Trail

From 1846 to 1869, more than 70,000 Mormons traveled along an integral part of the road west, the Mormon Pioneer Trail. The trail started in Nauvoo, Illinois, traveled across Iowa, connected with the Great Platte River Road at the Missouri River, and ended near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Generally following pre-existing routes, the trail carried tens of thousands of Mormon emigrants to a new home and refuge in the Great Basin. From their labors arose the State of Deseret, later to become the Utah Territory, and finally the State of Utah.


PACKIN' THE WAGON

Many pioneers overestimated the amount of cargo they could haul. As the long journey weakened and wearied the oxen, loads were lightened. Such heirlooms as prized furniture, book collections, china, and pianos were often abandoned along the trail. Sometimes precious items were left along the trail with the hope of picking them up at a later date. Such was the case with the Kimball family in 1847. As they approached the mountains, they unloaded their piano...... (shown below)
......dug a large hole, wrapped the piano in buffalo skins, carefully placed it in the hole, and then covered it with dirt. The following spring an ox team transported it to Salt Lake City.


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The "Nauvoo Neighbor" suggested the
following list of provisions every
family wagon should have:

1 good strong wagon, well covered with a light box 2 or 3 good yoke of oxen between the age of 4 and 10 years 2 or more milk cows 1 or more good beeves 3 sheep if they can be obtained 1000 lbs. of flour or other bread or bread stuffs in good sacks 1 good musket or rifle to each male over the age of 12 years 1 lb. powder 4 lbs. lead 1 lb. tea 5 lbs. coffee 100 lbs. sugar 1 lb. cayenne pepper 2 lbs. black pepper 1/2 lb. mustard 10 lbs. rice for each family 1 lb. cinnamon 1/2 lb. cloves Cooking utensils to consist of a bake kettle, frying pan, coffee pot, and tea kettle Tin cups, plates, knives, forks, spoons, and pans as few as will do A good tent and furniture to each 2 families

.

.

.

1 doz. nutmegs 25 lbs. salt 5 lbs. saleratus 10 lbs. dried apples 1/2 bushel of beans A few lbs. of dried beef or bacon 5 lbs. dried peaches 20 lbs. dried pumpkin 25 lb. seed grain 1 gal. alcohol 20 lbs. of soap each family 4 or 5 fish hooks and line 15 lbs. iron and steel A few lbs. of wrought nails One or more sets of saw or grist mill irons to company of 100 families 2 sets of pully blocks and ropes to each company for crossing rivers 1 good seine and hook for each company From 25 to 100 lbs. of farming and mechanical tools Clothing and bedding to each family not to exceed 500 pounds Ten extra teams for each company of 100 families

The key to surviving the westward trek
was to take enough but not too much.

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They traveled by the tens of thousands in creaking wagons, by horseback, and on foot. Many made the 1,297-mile westward trek on foot, pulling 500 pounds of provisions and belongings in rickshaw-like handcarts. They built bridges. They braved unforgiving weather and fought disease. They buried their dead along the way. They were the Mormon people and in 1847 they began the greatest organized mass migration of a single group in America's history, to a place of refuge and religious freedom in Salt Lake City, Utah.

These are the men, women and children who built a community that grew into Salt Lake City, now a beautiful, bustling metropolis.


Salt Lake City is, among
many other things, the....

home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir,
and was the host city for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.



Today we give a Finest salute to the brave
pioneers who ventured west and settled
in the Utah Valley ~ and to their sons and
daughters who keep the pioneer spirit alive.

Utah's State Symbols

Utah has more state symbols than any state I have profiled to date. They are seriously into their symbols, LOL, and they have a few surprising ones. Who would have thought that the California Gull (Larus californicus), would be the state bird of Utah? Apparently even the seagulls are leaving California! ;-)

The reason for this choice for state bird is probably in commemoration of the fact that these gulls saved the people of the State by eating up the Rocky mountain crickets which were destroying the crops in 1848.

Orson F. Whitney says that in the midst of the devastation of the crickets, "when it seemed that nothing could stay the devastation, great flocks of gulls appeared, filling the air with their white wings and plaintive cries, and settled down upon the half-ruined fields. fields. All day long they gorged themselves, until the pests were vanquished and the people were saved. After devouring the crickets, the gulls returned to the lake islands whence they came."

Along with the standard state symbols; flower- the Sego Lily, symbol - Beehive, and animal - the Rocky Mountain Elk, are the state "cooking pot" - the Dutch oven, the state "fossil" - the Allasourus and the state "historic vegetable" - the sugar beet. Each of these symbols carry with them a story of Utah's rich history. Click HERE to learn more.

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As with every state I have profiled, Utah cannot be presented in full in just one post. There is so much more about this interesting state than I have been able to present here. I will leave it to you to discover the rest of Utah for yourself. Click on the pictures to learn more about these fascinating points of interest.

The Great Salt Lake occupies 2,500 square miles
northwest of Salt Lake City, but it was once part of
the much larger Lake Bonneville, which 18,000
years ago extended across 20,000 square miles
including parts of Idaho and Nevada.

10 Common Myths
about the Great Salt Lake


Ab Jenkin's "Mormon Meteor" rolling out to
begin another speed record attempt, 1931.



Attracting close to 5 million people
annually, Temple Square is Salt Lake's
biggest attraction and one of the major
tourist destinations of the West.


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And, last but not least, we offer...

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Thanks to the following websites for
providing history and images of Utah....

The Official Utah State Website


The Sons of Utah Pioneers

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 07-21-03...Military Monday 07-22-03...A Few More of our Military Finest 07-23-03...Christmas in July 07-24-03...JH2 - "New D.N.C. ad: will it work?...Wow What a Day!"

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me an FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Calpernia]

Beautiful shot! I've not been west since I was 21 years old.

[Calpernia]

Oh my. I missed that post. Meekn....Is this a result of your xmas decorating mishap?

[Mama_Bear]

At one point during my lifetime, Vermont had more cows than people

I remember reading that when I was doing the research on Vermont. I am learning so much by dragging escorting all of you Finest FReepers through these states. By the time we have visited all of them, I should have a pretty good knowledge of the United States.....if I can retain it all. :-)

[Calpernia]

I think we are going to add your idea to our bookclub.

So far we have done Space, Rain forests, ocean, plants, and now pioneering. Problems we have run into is finding a children's book to go with our themes to jump start the interest. Then if we find one...we have to do library searches to ensure it is available at the local libraries for them members.

But I like your idea of states. It will help with geography too!

[Mama_Bear]

Thanks for this news story, Free, and for that beautiful picture of Utah.

[Mama_Bear]

Maybe those spices were good because they don't spoil as easily as something like dill or basil? Or were they used for trading perhaps? Not to mention being strong enough to mask the taste of not-so-good food.

Excellent points. And I suppose 1000 lbs of flour isn't all that much for a family of five. I was just thinking about the poor oxen having to haul all that weight, along with their pianos, book collections and various family heirlooms.

It took a brave person to venture forth into the unknown like that.

It sure did. I am amazed at the fortitude and courage of the pioneers who settled the west.

[Mama_Bear]

No eggs yet. She is still eating. This is my first go with lizard breeding. So it could be 'me' with first time mom syndrome. All I can do is hurry up and wait.

How exciting.....and stressful! Keep us posted on how she is doing.

Reading about how involved you are with your kids, the book club, catching tadpoles, breeding lizards. It brings back memories of when my son was little. Every day was a new day of discovery for him and for me. I enjoyed so much being involved in his activities. Your house sounds like an interesting place, your children are very blessed.

[Technocrat]

Once pioneers arrived, they were sent to even more desolate places throughout the state to establish colonies. Here's one in the western part of the state - Delta.

A lot of them are desert and salt flats with a river an green in the middle, like this one (There are more pictures like this one at http://www.freepstuff.com/frisco.html)

[Mama_Bear]

I think we are going to add your idea to our bookclub.

Great! I have thoroughly enjoyed doing these states. Even though I have traveled through almost all of them, I realize that I don't know all that much about any of them.

[lady lawyer]

I'm proud to be a Utahan for many reasons. I'll name two.

(1) Utah is the only place in the nation where Clinton came in third in 1992 -- Bush I carried the state by a landslide, and Perot came in second.

(2) My husband and I have several ancestors who were Utah pioneers. They gave up everything they had, and left green and pleasant places like England, Wales, and South Africa, to come here to the edge of the desert where they could live their religion unmolested. Their memory is a constant reminder of what really matters.

[Mama_Bear]

Oh, thank you for this link. Beautiful photographs of Utah from the air! I will be going to go back to read more about the pictures on your website, I only had time to skim the text. Were the photos taken from your hang-glider? How exciting!!

I did a google search on Frisco, Utah, and found some photos - apparently it is a ghost town. Is that all that is there now?

[Mama_Bear]

Utah is the only place in the nation where Clinton came in third in 1992

An excellent reason to be proud! That tells me a great deal about the people of Utah.

My husband and I have several ancestors who were Utah pioneers. They gave up everything they had, and left green and pleasant places like England, Wales, and South Africa, to come here to the edge of the desert where they could live their religion unmolested.

They were certainly brave and determined people. I greatly admire the pioneer spirit that built the west.

Thanks for coming by and helping us to celebrate your state and the Utah pioneers.

[Calpernia]

Thanks Mama Bear. I just find they are more interested in learning when we are doing it with them. I see a big difference between their perceptions versus kids in their class. It is sad that parents don't have fun with their kids. Why have them if you don't enjoy them.

If I have success with Maya laying and hatching, I will post pics of the little ones.

[Calpernia]

OOO! Thank you! Printing some pics now! Great ghost town!

[Calpernia]

ciao to all for now! If I miss you later, have a great weekend.

[MeekOneGOP]

TOM! Meekie has your looney graphic!

NEENER!

Tattle-tail!

[Mama_Bear]

Good morning Fiddlstix. Happy TGIF to you.

[MeekOneGOP]

Decorating mishap ? What decorating mishap ?

[The Thin Man]

Well done, Mama_Bear! You get a B+ on your report. Would've given you an 'A' except I didn't know what "beeves" were and was forced to look it up. :-)
 

UTAH LAWS  (yes.....really)

It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon. You can have them, but you just can't detonate them.

Birds have the right of way on all highways.

It's legal for restaurants to serve wine with meals, but only if you ask for the wine list.

It is against the law to fish from horseback.

When a person reaches the age of 50, he/she can then marry their cousin.

A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.

You're not allowed to sell beverages containing more than 3.2% alcohol.

It is illegal not to drink milk.

It is considered an offense to hunt whales.

Kaysville
You must have identification to enter a convienence store after dark.

Logan
Women may not swear.

Monroe
Daylight must be visible between partners on a dance floor.

Provo
Throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.

Salt Lake City
No one may walk down the street carrying a paper bag containing a violin.

Trout Creek
Pharmacists may not sell gunpowder to cure headaches.

[Aquamarine]

Great info on Utah! I hope to go there some day soon.

You do things so well MB.