Pioneer

The month of July is not only America's birthday, it is also my state's birthday. Utah was founded on July 24, 1847.

Every year gives me an opportunity to pause and reflect on the sacrifices my pioneer ancestors made in order for me to have the ease and comforts of life I enjoy today. 

The history of my pioneer ancestry is one of remarkable courage and faith as they treked across the great plains from Illinois to the Rocky Mountains to escape religious persecution and settle in a land that would ensure peace and prosperity. After 111 days on the trail and over 1000 miles later the first band of Mormon pioneers, consisting of 148 members, reached the Salt Lake Valley. 

When the pioneers entered Immigration Canyon, Brigham Young, the church's leader... also known as the great colonizer of the West, was in a wagon where he lay sick. When his wagon came within view of the Salt Lake Valley below he sat up, looked it over, and said... "This is the right place. Drive on!" 

After months on the trail, the Mormon settlers were finally home. Their arrival changed and defined the region forever. It is the place I love! It is the place I call home. 

Faith was the driving force that pressed the pioneers onward and to find refuge. They walked, pulled and pushed handcarts, rode in wagons pulled by oxen, and rode on horses. Most came with only the bare necessities for survival and left everything else behind. They were not only pioneers... they were refugees! They were driven from their beautiful city Nauvoo. They endured the harshest of elements where many perished on the trail. It is a story of my ancestors. One that I am proud of and humbled by.

I love to share the stories of my ancestors, especially with my grandchildren. Their stories start at their birth place... overseas. Reading about their conversion inspires me to live in such a way to bring honor to their names. It took great courage to sail the seas to a foreign land and trek across the plains to a new home on the western frontier. They were brave in every sense of the word. 

We see pioneers all around us... every single day. Refugees are fleeing their homes for places of safety and peace. They are coming to seek a better way of life. They are paving the way for others to follow. They are courageous and brave, just like my ancestors were over 150 years ago. 

How are we pioneers today? Think of all the firsts' you have done and the example you have set for others. I have never met you in person... but I see it and know it as I read your stories. What a privilege it is to know you!

In July of 2008 I introduced my grandchildren to our pioneer heritage. I filled a suitcase full of maps, books, trivia questions, bandannas, journals, and a bonnet and hat. 

The suitcase became known as "the traveling suitcase" as it would be the keeper of many wonderful and exciting adventures going back in time. 

On this particular day, we mapped our ancestors' journey from Liverpool, England, to the states. Then followed the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo, Ill, to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Now it was time to start to the "traveling suitcase" adventure. We loaded up in the car and headed 50 miles south to This is the Place Heritage Park at the mouth of Immigration Canyon in Salt Lake City. I read stories of our ancestors as we traveled, creating a visual re-creation of life as a pioneer on the western frontier. 

By the time we arrived at the State Park, excitement was at an all time high. Pioneer life was seen everywhere and the kids were able to experience hands on activities such as weaving, wool spinning, gardening, rug beating, blacksmithing, newpaper printing, school work, and other arts and crafts and responsibilities of the day. They even got a shave at Brigham's Barber Shop and cracked the safe at Zions Bank. Most of the old cabins and buildings were brought from their original places around the state in order to create the pioneer village. 

Oxen and other animals roam the State Park. Taking a wagon ride or hitching a ride on the train got us from place to place easily. Relaxing under big shade trees and eating ice cream cones was a welcome relief from the heat. Entertainment of the early days were re-enacted for enjoyment and encouraged participation.

Living in the past for a day and participating in our ancestors' heritage was a trip back in time that was both rewarding and educational. It connected us to our ancestors in a very real way. It brought their stories to life as we interacted with the "pioneers" in the village.

This is the Place Heritage Park is an experience that will leave you with a clear understanding of life as a pioneer. It's very enlightening and gives the visitor a greater appreciation and perspective on what it means to be a pioneer of the past. 

Overlooking the Salt Lake Valley from This is the Place Heritage Park, Immigration Canyon.

Traveling Suitcase

We can all be pioneers! Past, Present, and Future.

Entertainment

This is the Place Heritage Park is friendly, interactive, and gives you a glimpse into the past that will truly enlighten and renew your faith. Hope you come for a visit!

Get started on your own family history search HERE and HERE.

 Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

I am a Pioneer!

We often think of a Pioneer as an ancestor who joined the church in a far away land, sailed across the seas, and made the trek across the plains to the Rocky Mountains with other saints. Their journey was long and hard. It took great courage and faith. It took determination, commitment, and sacrifice. Their journey was not without trial and tribulation. Many faced hunger, exposure, and death. Yet, they came! Our ancestors paved the way through an unknown territory in order for us, their posterity, to enjoy the lives we have today. How grateful I am for those faithful ancestors!

The Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th, 1847. That was 168 years ago today. Once our ancestors arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they toiled and labored with all their might to build up Zion. It would not take long for the desert to, indeed... "blossom like a rose."

With all the modern advances of today, we wonder if we could ever be a Pioneer. The answer is "yes!" Every day presents an opportunity to be a Pioneer. So what is a Pioneer? "If you are the first, you are a Pioneer."

Familysearch.org issued a challenge to share how we are a Pioneer today. As I thought about my life, it took me back to a time that posed trials and hardship on every end, but also opened up many wonderful opportunities for growth as I maneuvered through unknown territory.

My Pioneer story is dedicated to my father, who was also born on Pioneer day... July 24, 1928. He was my inspiration!

My father was the first member of, not only his immediate family, but also extended family, to receive a college education. He was a Pioneer. As a child I often went to the bookcase and looked at the book he had written from his college days. I would pick it up with wonder and awe at the vast knowledge that was contained in the thickest book I had ever seen. It was then that the seeds of education were planted in my mind.

However, the opportunity to attend college never came until I found myself in the most difficult of circumstances in my life. After 12 years of marriage, it was over. I suddenly found myself alone to take care of five small children. I had two choices. Either curl up in a corner and watch the world go by, or do something about it. I chose to do something about it! With the encouragement of loving parents, I headed off in a direction that would change mine and my children's lives forever. School!

I moved my family to Logan, UT and started an adventure that took me into unknown territory. It was hard raising five small children alone, attending college full time, and working part-time. My ward became my family. How grateful I was for them. My journey was long and hard. It took great sacrifice, commitment, and determination. It took faith and courage. I had many trials and hardships along the way that left me wanting for the simple days I once knew. Many nights I cried myself to sleep, when the children were safely tucked into bed. Prayer was my lifeline to press forward with faith. I knew my Father In Heaven loved me and was mindful of our needs. I persisted in achieving my goal to graduate from college with a degree that would afford me the opportunity to care for my family.

Five years later, in 1995, I graduated with a B.S. degree in FACS Education and a minor in Nutrition. I re-married my last year of school. Four years later, I earned my M.S. degree and was able to fulfill a life-long dream of becoming a county Extension Agent for USU. As I placed my own book upon the library shelf, thoughts instantly took me back to dad's book that I used to admire with awe and wonder. And now... I could add mine to it!

My brothers followed in dad's footsteps and earned college degrees. All of my sisters started college. They married and started their families, never finishing.

I went to college under the most difficult of circumstances and I finished. I am a Pioneer! I was the first girl in my family to accomplish this. When I look back and think about all the hardships and trials during that time in my life, my heart swells with gratitude in spite of them. Not only for the growth I experienced along the way, but for the opportunities that opened up. Mostly I am grateful that I showed my children the way... that even when sore trials come upon them... they can choose to stay faithful and committed. They, too, can be a Pioneer!

And thank you dad... for showing me the way. Happy Birthday!

Dad's (Jim Bates) graduation from USU, 1959

That's me (Carol) in my mother's arms

We all have a Pioneer story. Please share your's in the comments.

See the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing "Come, Come, Ye Saints" to an inspiring video at http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/videos/come-come-ye-saints-mormon-tabernacle-choir.html?