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Pioneering in Sanpete Valley The more I see & hear, the more reluctant I feel to start for Cal. this fall, & this for several reasons. Owing to the enormous emi- gration we have the best reason to anticipate a famine, there, then the grass is all but eaten down between this point & the mines ren- dering the Journey dangerous & probably involving the destruction of the teams & the character of those passing through is not such that I could safely trust myself to, as I should incur a risk of being left upon the desert as many have been this season. When I start I must do so independently, be master of my own horses & waggons, but I cannot buy animals fit to make the Journey now except at an enormous cost while I have an oppor- tunity of purchasing poor horses cheaply which will recruit during the winter. If I should not have a good opportunity of going though, I can profitably employ myself here-thanks to a free soil I can build myself a house & by one occupation or another have no doubt of being in better circumstances than at present. Wages here are exceedingly high but this you will deem an inevitable con- sequence of wheat being sold at 8 & 10 Dollars a bushel. This rambling epistle written at various times, in various moods, neces- in some detail including his invitation to participate in the huge banquet, "Strangers were invited to join in the march to the dinner. It was estimated that 6,000 to 8,000 took dinner. All were urged to sit in. I hesitated but did so after two urgent invitations." He concluded his description of the celebration, "I was greatly impressed with the spirit of buoyancy and determination which seemed to pervade the throng." Most travelers echoed these senti- ments. The second commemoration of Pioneer Day, in which John Hudson participated, was more critically reported by the California argonauts perhaps, for one reason, because a shortage of food prevented the preparation of a public dinner to which they could be invited. Henry S. Bloom "Went down to the great Mormon celebration; quite a time. A great many people present, emigrants. They dispensed with their public dinner today on account of pretended poverty. A great deal of ostentation and pomp was displayed. They bid open defience to the United States, her government and her people. They were also very insulting to the emigrants." Madison B. Moorman agreed with this point of view, "I saw nothing in honor of the `Star Spangled Banner' of our glorious Union, and all interest that had been awakened by irrelevant circumstances, now gone way, & I looked upon them as seceders and vain-glorious pretenders: -" On the other hand, many "pilgrims to the mines" did participate, and a careful deline- ation of some of the major events of the day revealed an evident spirit of patriotism among the Mormons. The MillenniaI Star gave a detailed description of the day's events including the address of President Brigham Young and reading of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Benson, "From St. Joseph to Sacramento," pp. 50, 51; Henry S. Bloom, Journal, p. 17, Utah State Historical Society; Moorman, ]ournal, 23 July 1850; Manuscript History, July 1850, p. 58; Millennial Star 12 (1850):337-43; Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 31 August 1850. 100 |
