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July 185O-May 1852 -I wish I could give you an adequate acct of the celebration of the anniversary of the Mormons first entrance into this smiling, peace- ful valley, on the 24 Inst. Could any predjudiced person have been present, this alone would suffice to convince them of the social & intellectual respectability of this Community. The festivities were commenced by the firing of several cannon as a signal to congre- gate. The people assembled in the Bowery & a brilliant procession, in which were 24 young & beautiful women dressed in white, with wreathes of flowers in thier hair & 24 young men dressed uni- formly, having escorted, to the music of an excellent band, which often during the day brought my heart into my mouth, the President to the Bowery, the crowd became still & the meeting commenced by prayer- all that eloquence, poetry & music, could effect in delighting the heart & elevating the mind was experienced & this was inhanced by the associations connected with the festi- val, past trials contrasted with present comfort & ease. Not an unimportant feature in the proceedings of the day was the exhibi- tion of a monstrous but elegantly draped carriage constructed for the use of the band drawn by 14 horses-4 abreast 3 span & 2 on the lead one of these being ridden by a postillion. We had during the day political harrangues, speeches upon the condition of this Community their prospects & plans, upon the establishment of a College here, upon independent principles for the encouragement of every kind of practical & useful science or art, without that appropriation of funds to purposes foreign to the design of the In- stitution Common to similar establishments elswhere, The more serious business was diversified by singing-that by a choir com- posed of Welsh being particularly excellent, recitations [illegible] scriptures, sentiments &c.- In short we had a memorable day & although the publick dinner intended as part of the days proceed- ings was omitted for the sufficient reason that the material had not as yet arrived in the valley to make so varied an entertainment as on preceding similar occasions. Yet we indemnified ourselves at the houses of our friends by eating the best that could be procured, having more music & not a little very energetic dancing.' 9The first anniversary celebration of the Mormon entry into Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1849, was a splendid affair which received the accolades of a number of the gold- seekers on their way to California. John H. Benson, for example, described the ceremony 99 |
