Holiday in Utah, United States
Pioneer Day
|
---|
|
Observed by
| Utah
, United States
|
---|
Significance
| commemorates the first entry of Brigham Young and a group of Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847
|
---|
Celebrations
| parades, fireworks, rodeos, and other festivities
|
---|
Date
| July 24
|
---|
Next time
| July 24, 2024
(
2024-07-24
)
|
---|
Frequency
| annual
|
---|
Pioneer Day
is an official holiday celebrated on July 24 in the
American state
of
Utah
,
[1]
with some celebrations taking place in regions of surrounding states originally
settled
by
Mormon pioneers
.
[2]
[3]
It commemorates the entry of
Brigham Young
and the first group of Mormon pioneers into the
Salt Lake Valley
on July 24, 1847,
[4]
where the
Latter-day Saints
settled after being
forced
from
Nauvoo, Illinois
,
[5]
and other locations in the
eastern United States
.
[6]
Parades
,
fireworks
,
rodeos
, and other festivities help commemorate the event. Similar to
July 4
, many local and all state-run government offices
[1]
and many businesses are closed on Pioneer Day.
[7]
In addition to being an official holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day is considered a special occasion by many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
[8]
[9]
On Pioneer Day, some Latter-day Saints walk portions of the
Mormon Trail
or reenact entering the Salt Lake Valley by
handcart
.
[10]
Latter-day Saints throughout the United States
[11]
[12]
and around the world may celebrate July 24 in remembrance of the LDS Church's pioneer era, with songs, dances, potlucks, and pioneer related activities.
[13]
[14]
While the holiday has strong links to the LDS Church, it is officially a celebration for everyone, regardless of faith and nationality, who immigrated to the
Salt Lake Valley
during the pioneer era, which is generally considered to have ended with the 1869 arrival of the
transcontinental railroad
.
[15]
Notable non-LDS
American pioneers
from this period include Episcopal Bishop
Daniel S. Tuttle
, who was responsible for Utah's first non-
Mormon
schools (
Rowland Hall-St. Mark's
) and first public hospital (St. Mark's) in the late 19th century.
[16]
The Intertribal
Powwow
at
Liberty Park
in
Salt Lake City
honors the cultural heritage and contributions of the area's
Native Americans
, helping Utahns to gain a deeper understanding of the region's history.
[17]
[18]
History
[
edit
]
The earliest precursor to Pioneer Day celebrations in Utah occurred on July 24, 1849,
[19]
when the
Nauvoo Brass Band
led a commemoration of the second anniversary of the Latter-day Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley.
[20]
The celebration of Pioneer Day in 1857 was interrupted with news of the approach of
Johnston
's Army, heralding the beginning of the
Utah War
.
[21]
Immediately following the occupation of the
Utah Territory
by federal troops, Pioneer Day was sparsely celebrated.
[22]
Pioneer Day continually expanded into the surrounding areas as the
Mormon Corridor
spread throughout the
Intermountain West
.
[22]
In 1880, Latter-day Saints commemorated the
Golden Jubilee
of the
church's formal organization
in 1830; tens of thousands of people in hundreds of communities participated in enthusiastic celebrations.
[22]
In the years that followed, federal enforcement efforts of anti-
polygamy
laws (including the 1882
Edmunds Act
) resulted in greatly subdued celebrations.
[22]
The 1886 commemoration was particularly notable for its
mourning
theme, with the
Salt Lake Tabernacle
decorated in black instead of the usually colorful
bunting
, and the
eulogizing
of Latter-day Saints who were in hiding or imprisoned for polygamy offenses.
[22]
By 1897, the celebration included not only the 50th anniversary of the initial arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, but also the end of the polygamy issue, the completion of the
Salt Lake Temple
, and statehood for Utah.
[22]
The centennial in 1947 and the sesquicentennial in 1997 were especially large celebrations in Utah. One writer indicated that the 1947 celebrations seemed to incorporate the entire year, with July 24 only being an apex to the events.
[23]
The holiday generates a great deal of road traffic; Utah Department of Public Safety statistics states Pioneer Day has the second highest holiday
traffic fatality
rate in Utah, with the earlier July 4
Independence Day
having the highest rate.
[24]
The holiday has received criticism for its lack of inclusiveness for non-Mormons.
[25]
As a result, a small, growing contingent has started celebrating Pie and Beer Day instead of the traditional Pioneer Day.
[26]
Pie and Beer day is a play on words: "pie and beer" sounds like "pioneer." Pie and Beer Day was created as a counter culture alternative.
[27]
[28]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Utah Code 63G-1-301 (Legal holidays)
,
Utah State Legislature
, archived from
the original
on October 21, 2013
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Packard, David (July 15, 2009),
"Pioneer Day in Pocatello, Idaho"
,
Church News
, LDS Church
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Tanner, Eliza (September 1995),
"Safe from the Storms"
,
Ensign
, LDS Church
- ^
Schindler, Harold (July 24, 1997), "Ailing Young Rolls Out of Canyon, Likes Look of the Salt Lake Valley",
Salt Lake Tribune
, Mormon Trail Series, Article ID: 100F84BB82E32C16
.
Reprinted
Archived
September 11, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
with permission at Utah History to Go.
- ^
Sanford, Melissa (April 8, 2004).
"Illinois Tells Mormons It Regrets Expulsion"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Today in History: July 24"
,
American Memory
,
Library of Congress
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Kofesh, Jessica (July 22, 2017),
"Pioneer Day 2017: What's closed, open around Northern Utah"
,
Standard-Examiner
, Ogden, Utah, archived from
the original
on July 24, 2018
, retrieved
July 24,
2017
- ^
Hinckley, Gordon B.
(October 2001),
"Remarks at Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert"
,
Ensign
, LDS Church
- ^
Reynolds, Sydney Smith (June 1989),
"They Belong to Us All"
,
Liahona
, LDS Church
- ^
"Mormons Celebrate Their Pioneer Heritage"
,
Newsroom
, LDS Church, July 23, 2009
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
McGrath, Rachel (July 26, 2009),
"Mormons in Camarillo mark pioneers' Utah arrival in 1847"
,
Ventura County Star
,
Camarillo, California
, archived from
the original
on August 6, 2012
- ^
Rohrer, Grey (July 20, 2009),
"Pioneer Days celebrate western migration"
,
Cape Coral Daily Breeze
,
Cape Coral, Florida
, archived from
the original
on October 21, 2013
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Gaunt, LaRene Porter (April 2005),
"Celebrate!"
,
Ensign
, LDS Church
- ^
Bailey, Tamara Leatham (July 1997),
"For Your Info: Pioneer Parties"
,
New Era
,
13
(1?3), LDS Church: 341?356,
doi
:
10.1023/A:1006550728250
,
S2CID
26050131
- ^
Greenleigh, Alicia (July 21, 2009),
"Days of '47: The day when pioneers are cool"
,
Salt Lake Tribune
, archived from
the original
on June 15, 2013
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Quinn, Frederick (2004), "Chapter 1: Daniel S. Tuttle, the pioneer bishop",
Building the "Goodly Fellowship of Faith" ? A History of the Episcopal Church in Utah ? 1867?1996
,
Logan, Utah
:
Utah State University Press
,
ISBN
0874215935
,
OCLC
56347804
- ^
Mayorga, Carlos (July 20, 2008),
"Powwow honors Indian culture"
,
The Salt Lake Tribune
, pp. D3
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
. Archive Article ID: 9925806
- ^
Wharton, Tom (July 26, 2011),
"American Indians celebrate culture at Liberty Park"
,
The Salt Lake Tribune
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Olsen, Steven L. (1996),
"Celebrating Cultural Identity: Pioneer Day in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism"
,
BYU Studies
,
36
(1): 159?177, archived from
the original
on May 29, 2014
, retrieved
May 28,
2014
- ^
Purdy, William E. (July 1980),
"They Marched Their Way West: The Nauvoo Brass Band"
,
Ensign
, LDS Church.
- ^
"The First Statewide Pioneer Day Celebration"
,
Markers and Monuments Database
, Utah Division of State History, Utah Department of Heritage & Arts
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Pioneer Day"
,
Utah History Encyclopedia
,
University of Utah Press
, 1994, archived from
the original
on October 21, 2013
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Haddock, Marc (July 20, 2009),
"Celebrating Pioneer Day in 1947"
,
Deseret News
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Holiday Deaths (Utah 1999?2008)
(PDF)
, Utah Department of Public Safety, archived from
the original
(PDF)
on October 21, 2013
, retrieved
August 5,
2013
- ^
Means, Sean P. (July 23, 2015),
"Pioneer Day should reflect all of Utah's people"
,
The Salt Lake Tribune
, archived from
the original
on July 24, 2015
- ^
Stephenson, Kathy (July 24, 2015).
"Pie and Beer Day an alternative to Utah's traditional Mormon holiday"
.
Salt Lake Tribune
. Retrieved
July 23,
2015
.
- ^
Tuttle, Brad (July 23, 2015).
"Best Made-Up Holiday Ever? Celebrate 'Pie & Beer Day' on Friday"
.
Money.com
.
Archived
from the original on May 27, 2022.
- ^
Dobner, Jennifer (July 24, 2014).
"Pioneer Day of Mormons, Retooled for Saloon"
.
New York Times
.
External links
[
edit
]
Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
|
---|
January
| |
---|
January?February
| |
---|
February
American Heart Month
Black History Month
|
- Birthday of Luis Munoz Marin
(PR)
- Candlemas
(religious)
- Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day
(CA, DE)
- Day of Remembrance
(CA, OR, WA, cultural)
- Georgia Day
(GA)
- Groundhog Day
- Imbolc
(religious)
- Lincoln's Birthday
(CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV)
- National Girls and Women in Sports Day
- National Freedom Day
(36)
- Nirvana Day
(religious)
- Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple
(religious)
- Promised Reformer Day
(religious)
- Ronald Reagan Day
(CA)
- Rosa Parks Day
(CA, MO)
- Saviours' Day
(religious)
- Susan B. Anthony Day
(CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal)
- Tu B’shvat
(religious)
|
---|
February?March
| |
---|
March
Irish-American Heritage Month
Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Women's History Month
|
- Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos
(religious)
- Casimir Pulaski Day
(IL)
- Cesar Chavez Day
(CA, CO, TX, proposed federal)
- Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico
(PR, cultural)
- Evacuation Day
(Suffolk County, MA)
- Harriet Tubman Day
(NY)
- Hola Mohalla
(religious)
- Holi
(NY, religious)
- L. Ron Hubbard's Birthday
(religious)
- Lailat al-Mi'raj
(religious)
- Liberation and Freedom Day
(Charlottesville, VA, cultural)
- Mardi Gras
(AL (in two counties), LA)
- Maryland Day
(MD)
- Medal of Honor Day
- National Poison Prevention Week
(week)
- Nowruz
(cultural, religious)
- Ostara
(religious)
- Pi Day
- Prince Jonah K?hi? Kalaniana?ole Day
(HI)
- Promised Messiah Day
(religious)
- Saint Joseph's Day
(religious)
- Seward's Day
(AK)
- Texas Independence Day
(TX)
- Town Meeting Day
(VT)
- Transfer Day
(VI)
- Trans Day of Visibility
(cultural)
|
---|
March?April
|
- Good Friday
(CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious)
- Hanuman Jayanti
(religious)
- Holy Thursday
(PR, VI, religious)
- Holy Week
(PR, religious, week)
- Lazarus Saturday
(religious)
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak
(religious)
- Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year
(religious)
- Palm Sunday
(PR, religious)
- Passover
(religious, week)
- Easter Monday / Bright Monday
(VI, religious)
- Ramnavami
(religious)
- Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi
(religious)
|
---|
April
Arab American Heritage Month
Confederate History Month
| |
---|
May
Asian American and
Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month
Military Appreciation Month
| |
---|
June
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender Pride Month
| |
---|
July
| |
---|
July?August
| |
---|
August
| |
---|
September
Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
| |
---|
September?October
Hispanic Heritage Month
| |
---|
October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Disability Employment Awareness Month
Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
Filipino American History Month
LGBT History Month
| |
---|
October?November
| |
---|
November
Native American Indian Heritage Month
|
- Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha
(religious)
- All Saints' Day
(religious)
- Beginning of the Nativity Fast
(religious)
- Beltane
/
Samhain
(religious)
- Barack Obama Day in Alabama
(Perry County, AL)
- D. Hamilton Jackson Day
(VI)
- Day after Thanksgiving
(24)
- Day of the Covenant
(religious)
- Discovery of Puerto Rico Day
(PR)
- Election Day
(CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal)
- Family Day
(NV)
- Guru Nanak Gurpurab
(religious)
- Hanukkah
(religious)
- L? K??oko?a
(HI, unofficial, cultural)
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
(religious)
- Native American Heritage Day
(MD, WA, cultural)
- Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple
(religious)
- Trans Day of Remembrance
(cultural)
- Unthanksgiving Day
(cultural)
|
---|
December
|
- Advent Sunday
(religious)
- Alabama Day
(AL)
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
(religious)
- Bodhi Day
(religious)
- Chalica
(religious)
- Christmas Eve
(KY, NC, SC, PR, VI)
- Day after Christmas
(KY, NC, SC, TX, VI)
- Festivus
- HumanLight
- Hanukkah
(religious, week)
- Immaculate Conception
(religious)
- Indiana Day
(IN)
- Kwanzaa
(cultural, week)
- Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
(religious)
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
(36)
- Nativity of Jesus
(religious)
- Old Year's Night
(VI)
- Pan American Aviation Day
(36)
- Pancha Ganapati
(religious, week)
- Rosa Parks Day
(OH, OR)
- Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
(religious)
- Wright Brothers Day
(36)
- Yule
(religious)
- Zartosht No-Diso
(religious)
|
---|
Varies (year round)
| |
---|
|