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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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

[ST.LOUIE1]

Well, if it isn't our Lightfoot Louie! LOL!

LOL! Geez, you know all my nicks. Although, 'Lightfoot Louie' was from a bitter old woman. Snorf!!!

Good afternoon, sweetwolf. You've been scarce around here lately.

Yes, and I've missed some really good threads. : (

Really nice thread today, very eye catching too. : )

:-) Thanks. I love it that you appreciate what I do.

Always have, always will. : )

(((((((((((lfl)))))))))))))

LOL

[Mama_Bear]

LOL! Geez, you know all my nicks.

Yep, I pay attention. ;-)

Although, 'Lightfoot Louie' was from a bitter old woman. Snorf!!!

LOL!! Well, just as long as everyone knows that it wasn't me that hung that name on you.....I may be old, but I'm not bitter.

It is funny though. Makes me laugh whenever I think of it.

[JustAmy]

Good Morning Hugs for my Bro!!
Isn't this a fun trip today? Utah is beautiful.

[ST.LOUIE1]

LOL! Geez, you know all my nicks.

Yep, I pay attention. ;-)

Especially to 'passed around e-mails'. LOL!

Although, 'Lightfoot Louie' was from a bitter old woman. Snorf!!!

LOL!! Well, just as long as everyone knows that it wasn't me that hung that name on you.....I may be old, but I'm not bitter.

LOL! No, the one in question has been banned. : )

It is funny though. Makes me laugh whenever I think of it.

Yeah, and I kind of like it. LOL

[ST.LOUIE1]

Good Morning Hugs for my Bro!!

Awwwww.....the kitty is sooooo cute.....just like *you*. : )

Isn't this a fun trip today? Utah is beautiful.

It is that.....and Lori has made it very interesting. : )

[JustAmy]

" 'Lightfoot Louie' was from a bitter old woman."

I am NOT bitter and I am NOT old! Oh ... you were not talking about me, were you?

[Mama_Bear]

Especially to 'passed around e-mails'. LOL!

Uh huh. As I have said before, the walls of FR are often very thin. ;-)

LOL! No, the one in question has been banned. : )

What a shame. < /sarcasm>

[ST.LOUIE1]

" 'Lightfoot Louie' was from a bitter old woman."

I am NOT bitter and I am NOT old!
Oh ... you were not talking about me, were you?

LOL!! You 'know' who I mean.

She's a very good FRiend of yours. LOLOL!!!!!

[Mama_Bear]

It is that.....and Lori has made it very interesting. : )

I heard that. :-) :-)

Sorry about the text being hard to read. I was afraid it was too dark, but Billie said it wasn't. Guess it depends on how each person's monitor is set.

[Mama_Bear]

I am NOT bitter and I am NOT old! Oh ... you were not talking about me, were you?

LOL! You are so funny, Amy.

[dansangel]

(((((((Mama_Bear))))))))

Thank you for the fine education on Utah. I now know things I never new before, plus it makes me want to visit the western part of our nation even more! Beautiful presentation - just perfect!

((((((((((HUGS))))))))) to all of my finest sistahs and Happy FRiday to ALL!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Especially to 'passed around e-mails'. LOL!

Uh huh. As I have said before, the walls of FR are often very thin. ;-)

And so are so called FRiends. LOL

LOL! No, the one in question has been banned. : )

What a shame. < /sarcasm>

Snorf!!

[dansangel]

[[[[[{{{{{(((((Louie_Wolfie_Man)))))}}}}}]]]]]

I *missed* you!

[ST.LOUIE1]

It is that.....and Lori has made it very interesting. : )

I heard that. :-) :-)

Knew you would....bears have big ears. : )

Sorry about the text being hard to read. I was afraid it was too dark, but Billie said it wasn't.
Guess it depends on how each person's monitor is set.

Doubt it, dark text on a dark background is a no-no. : )

[ST.LOUIE1]

[[[[[{{{{{(((((Louie_Wolfie_Man)))))}}}}}]]]]]
I *missed* you!

Hi, toots! : )

[dansangel]

Hi, toots! : )

How ya doing sweetie-pie? It has been *ages*!!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Time out, beautiful ladies....I shall return. : )

[dansangel]

(((((((((Amy)))))))

Love the good morning bee that you posted - you have some of the cutest graphics!

Have a wonderful FRiday - are you FReeping tonight?

[Aquamarine]

Things have been going well for those on the Right this week ! It's about time!

Have a nice day everyone. :)

[JustAmy]

"Lori has made it very interesting."

She has made it very interesting .... I want to visit again.
Anyone interested in genealogy should visit the LDS church library in Salt Lake City.


Lori ...

Thank you for this wonderful thread.
I enjoy touring the states.