Pioneer Day ...

... Which is a Utah State Holiday -


- July 24th honors the arrival of the Latter-Day Saints into the Salt Lake Valley back in 1847. My great grandfather was with the first wagon company lead by Brigham Young. My great grandmother arrived with the Edward Bunker Handcart Company in Salt Lake City on October 2, 1856. A couple of quotes on this company. -

- "About 320 individuals were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Iowa City, Iowa. This company left Florence, Nebraska on July 30" (lds.org). -

- "... the companies were fitted out with hand carts. I was given charge of a Welsh company and left Iowa City June 23rd 1856... The Welsh had no experience at all and very few of them could speak English. (Bunker, Edward, Autobiography, 1894, 22-23). -