Today is the 24th of July for most of parts of the world but in Utah it’s Pioneer Day or Utah Day! I had a brief thought of how I would like to do my nails for Pioneer Day but then quickly realized my “dirt under the nails freshly mowed grass” look fit the day quite well! I’m sure the Pioneer’s who settled Utah back in the 1800’s would envy these nice clean hands! 🙂
Pioneer Day is the day the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley back in 1847. You can read more about it HERE.
I love Pioneer Days! I grew up in Panaca, Nevada which is a tiny little town on the border of Utah and Nevada and oddly enough, the town of Panaca celebrates Pioneer Days because it was settled by Pioneers, most of whom left when they realized they were in Nevada and not Utah. I bet it was hard to tell where exactly you were on the map back in those days! 🙂
I also love Pioneer Days because most of my ancestors were Pioneers who immigrated to Utah from England and Scotland to join the LDS Church. I was named after my great, great grandmother, Anne Catherine Jarvis Milne, who walked from Boston with a handcart company to Utah. She lived to be 108 years old! Here is my Grandmother’s Story. She lived in Washington, Utah most of her life, as well as my dad’s ancestor’s who came from England via South Africa and Australia to Washington, Utah. My dad just discovered last week that his grandmother’s family was from the Hurrican and Virgin area, which we hadn’t known before. My roots go way back in this area, one of the reason why I think I love it so much here in Southern Utah! It’s in my blood!
These Pioneers had it rough. I can’t imagine living in Southern Utah in the summer time without AC or running water or electricity! We have it really good nowadays! Even my dear little grandma Irene who was born in 1920 in Washington, Utah only had one dress every year and was lucky if she got a homemade doll at Christmas time. She can barely remember anything nowadays her memory is getting so bad but she talks about her childhood alot and her favorite thing to do is to go back to Washington to her parent’s home. She loved her simple upbringing and I love reading about my ancestors and their history. I know it’s so important to learn about the past so that we can make the world a better place in the future!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Pioneer Day and thanks for reading!
Tootles–Anna
