Semi-Centennial Commission Book of the Pioneers
Digital Archives
About the Collection
The "Book of the Pioneers" was created as a record of those who arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake during 1847, including the names, ages, autographs, and places of residence of all known survivors on 24 July 1897, the year of the jubilee. Separated into two volumes, pioneers with surnames beginning with A through L are grouped in volume 1 and those starting with M through Z are found in volume 2. Included are lists of members and survivors of the Brigham Young Company, the general emigration, the Mormon Battalion, and the Mississippi Company, as well as a table of the states and nationalities of the survivors.
Semi-Centennial Commission Book of the Pioneers
This series contains a two-volume "Book of the Pioneers," described on the title page as "a record of those who arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake during the year 1847; including the names, ages, autographs and places of residence of all known survivors on July 24, 1897." The volumes were created as part of the Pioneer Jubilee of 1897 under the direction of the Semi-Centennial Commission to document and memorialize both the pioneers of 1847 and the Jubilee celebration. The books are one-of-a-kind leather-bound volumes decorated with symbolic words and images. The volumes contain various information about the pioneers and the Jubilee. Most notably, they contain questionnaires distributed to pioneers who were still alive in 1897. The questionnaires solicited such information as name, place of residence in 1897, date and place of birth, date of arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, name of pioneer company, and list of "relics of the pioneer journey" the surviving pioneer owned. The books also include a number of images related to the pioneers and the Semi-Centennial celebration.
J. Willard Marriott Library Partnership
Images or other content in this collection created in partnership with J. Willard Marriott Library from the enduring historical records of the Utah State Archives.
