What Pioneer Day is all about
In Utah, Pioneer Day is an official state holiday celebrated every year on July 24th. It honors the original settlement of Utah by Mormon pioneers on July 24, 1847.[1] Like other state holidays, the government and most local businesses close. This year in recognition of Pioneer Day, I took some time to learn about Utah’s history and what this holiday is all about. Here’s what I learned.
On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the “sort-of-founder” of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“LDS Church"), was murdered by a mob.[2] He and his brother, Hyrum, were in jail in Carthage, Illinois. The mob stormed into the jail and shot them both dead.
After Joseph Smith’s assassination, there was a succession crisis. As the assistant president of the LDS Church, Hyrum would have been the clear successor. Since he was killed too, confusion ensued. To decide how to move forward, church leaders scheduled a conference for August 8, 1844 to decide the issue.
The two leading candidates for succession were Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon. With majority support at the conference, Brigham Young ultimately became the second president of the LDS Church.[3] But, Rigdon did not give up his claim. In response, the church excommunicated Rigdon, who went on to establish a separate sect in Pennsylvania.
Over the next two years, the LDS Church continued to face religious persecution in Illinois. So in 1846, Brigham Young led a small group of Mormon “pioneers” west to establish a new home for the church. After traveling some 1,300 miles, the group set camp in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. From there, Brigham Young led the settlement of modern-day Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas.
In 1849, Brigham Young and the LDS Church proposed The State of Deseret to the United States (U.S.). Deseret is a word from the Book of Mormon that means “honeybee” and signifies “industry”. It was an ambitious proposal, but it was not approved. Deseret would have included parts of nine modern-day states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming.
In 1850, following the end of the Mexican-American War, the U.S. created the Territory of Utah. The original territory included all of modern-day Utah and portions of modern-day Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming. Brigham Young became its first appointed governor in 1851 and served until U.S. President James Buchanan forced him to resign in favor of a new non-Mormon appointee.
Between 1861 and 1868, the Territory of Utah relinquished land to the newly formed Territories of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming. The land it retained makes up modern-day Utah.
In 1896, the territory was approved for statehood and Utah became the 45th U.S. state. Compared with other territories, it took Utah a long time to get approved for statehood. Historical accounts suggest this was due to it’s unwillingness to outlaw polygamy until the 1890s.
When Utah became a state, it retained the territory’s “beehive” emblem and “industry” motto. The beehive symbol relates to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The early pioneers had few material resources at their disposal and therefore had to rely on their own industry to survive.
Since July 24, 1847, Utah has evolved tremendously. It abolished polygamy, it became an international destination for skiers, and it is becoming a hotbed for technology innovation.
Utah is growing fast. In 2010, Utah was the second-fastest growing state in the U.S. And from 2010 to 2019, the state’s population soared 16 percent to 3.2 million.[4]
Utah is also diversifying. The non-white population increased almost 2 percent from 2010 to 2019 and the Mormon population was down to 61 percent as of 2019.[5][6] Believe it or not, Salt Lake County is now majority non-Mormon.
Historically, many Mormon and non-Morman Utahns have viewed Pioneer Day as a religious holiday. But I now view it as a secular one.[7]
As a non-Mormon, I choose to celebrate the virtues of thrift and perseverance represented by the beehive emblem. And I choose to celebrate our history of self-reliance represented by the industry motto. I hope other non-Mormon Utahns will join me and I hope Mormon Utahns will include me.
As Utahns, we all have much to be proud of. We need to continue to evolve. And based on our history, I have no doubt we will.
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[1] By “Mormon” I mean a “Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”.
[2] Technically, Mormons do not view Joseph Smith as a “founder”. Rather, they see him as the restorer of the church Jesus Christ established when he walked the earth. Joseph Smith was the first president of the LDS Church.
[3] Technically, I think the entire Quorum of the Twelve Apostles assumed leadership and years later restructured to make Brigham Young the second president of the church.
[4] Source.
[5] Source.
[6] Source.
[7] Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving are two examples of historically religious holidays that are now viewed as secular.