Commemorating Pioneer Days
July 24, 1847 - July 24, 2016
Brigham Young (1801-1887)
Brigham Young was the first Latter-Day-Saint territorial governor in American History... as a past government leader, a statue of Brigham Young stands as a monument in the United States capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Brigham Young established over 350 communities building railroads, cultural centers, temples; founded banks, stores, schools, universities; created industries for work and commerce. His leadership and success as a great American colonizer mark and exemplifies him as a true visionary.
July 24, 1847
Mormon pioneers settle in Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young succeeded Joseph Smith as president of the Mormons, and under his direction a vanguard of Mormons arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley.
January 22, 1853
The beginning of the development of the Salt Lake Temple. President Brigham Young appointed architect Truman O. Angell, Sr. (a brother-in-law to Brigham Young) to commence preliminary architectural drawings of the Salt Lake Temple. He held that position until his death in 1887, when the responsibility passed to his son Truman O. Angell, Jr. The son was replaced by Joseph Don Carlos Young, who completed the Temple in 1893.
April 6, 1893
The dedication of the Salt Lake Temple. The laying of the capstone marked the completion of the exterior of the Temple. It was a day of jubilation for the Church. Soon after President Wilford Woodruff flipped the electric switch that lowered the capstone in place, the unified voices of some 40,000 people who had assembled on Temple Square to witness the event shouted "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb! Amen! Amen! Amen!" which was repeated three times. The architect, Joseph Don Carlos Young, then declared that the capstone was laid, at which time the choir and congregation sang triumphantly the hymn "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning!"