Driving along Interstate 40 at 75 mph, it is nearly impossible to imagine sitting in an ox pulled wagon traveling along at 1 or 2 mph if the road wasn't too rough, maybe making up to twenty miles a day. No air conditioning, no heat in the winter, no fast food restaurants just off the freeway, no DVD to entertain the children, no radio, no weather service to warn of storms, no doctors, no hospitals, no traffic, no trucks, but there was plenty of wind and dust. The pioneers didn't know they had a spectacular view of the night sky, because that was the only view they had ever seen. If they wanted to eat, they had to build a fire and cook their meal. If they wanted to take a bath, too bad, it didn't happen.
Why did they travel into our Arizona desert? The answer is very complex. It starts with a prayer by a 14 year old boy in upper New York State and is still going on with their descendants today in a world wide Church called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The pioneers had joined the Church in a lot of different places. Some came from Europe, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France, Norway and Australia. Some came from New England, some from the South and the Mid-Atlantic States. Many of them walked or rode across the continent before coming to Arizona.
The pioneers were farmers, carpenters, masons, teamsters and many other trades. They carried all they owned in their wagons and started from the ground up and built towns and cities all over the Mountain West. They established schools, colleges and universities. Their children were school teachers, businessmen and contractors. Their grandchildren were doctors, lawyers, politicians and judges. Their great-grandchildren are poets, university professors and artists. Their great-great-grandchildren study political science, neuro-psychology and astrophysics.
As we their descendants sing:
They, the builders of the nation,
Blazing trails along the way;
Stepping-stones for generations
Were their deeds of ev’ry day.
Building new and firm foundations,
Pushing on the wild frontier,
Forging onward, ever onward,
Blessed, honored Pioneer!
Text: Ida R. Alldredge, 1892–1943. © 1948 IRI
Music: Alfred M. Durham, 1872–1957. © 1948 IRI
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