On Friday, July 24, 1857, ELP and his family attended the
tenth anniversary celebrating the pioneers’ arrival to the Salt Lake Valley
(for a detailed description of the pioneers’ tenth anniversary celebration, see
Juanita Brooks’ The Life of George Brooks,
pages 19-21).
The following pictures of the plaque and the neighboring area,
which are located at Silver Lake in Big Cottonwood Canyon, show where ELP celebrated with the
Saints. Their festivities were cut short with news of the coming of
Johnston’s Army.
Text of the above plaque reads as follows:
No. 14 Erected July 24, 1932
THE FIRST PIONEER STATEWIDE CELEBRATION was held in this
basin July 23-24, 1857
Headed by Brigham Young, the company reaching here July 23rd
numbered 2,587 persons, with 464 carriages & wagons, 1,028 horses and
mules, and 332 oxen and cows.
A program of addresses, six brass bands, singing, athletic
events, drills by six companies of militia, and dancing, was punctuated by
salutes from a brass Howitzer. U.S. flags were flown from two highest peaks and
two highest trees, the flag-tree in front of Brigham Young’s campsite being 70
feet N.W. of here. At noon July 24 Judson Stoddard and A.O. Smoot, 20 days from
the States, with Elias Smith and O.P. Rockwell, arrived with news of the
advance of Johnston’s Army against the “Mormons.” The company returned in
orderly formation July 25th.
