Pioneer legacy

 


Driving on the freeway today in Utah County, there was a message on one of those traffic advisory billboards that warn you of crashes or delays ahead, and sometimes just give driving advice. It said:
IT'S A CAR
NOT A HANDCART
USE THE BLINKER
Good chuckle! I was reminded that today is "Pioneer Day" in Utah, when we commemorate the arrival of the first pioneers in the valley in 1847. I was also reminded that blinkers are considered to be optional and unnecessary accessories by too many.
I could ponder and discuss either of those two impressions, but I'm more inclined to honor my own pioneer ancestors, and the others of that era who laid foundations for our time and demonstrated so many qualities I admire.
I have ancestors who "crossed the plains" in wagons - none from the handcart groups that I am aware of. But they suffered plenty of challenges and hardships, must more than I am used to in my life.
My second-great grandmother, Lucy Simmons Groves, and her husband Elisha were part of a large company led by Brigham Young to the Salt Lake Valley in that first year. Lucy bore a child less than a week before leaving Winter Quarters, and was caring for several other children, both her own and those of her brother who had been asked to join the Mormon Battalion. During the journey, Lucy was thrown from the wagon by a sudden jerk and was run over by the wagon wheels. The front wheels passed over her chest and shoulder, breaking three ribs; and the rear wheel broke her right leg just above the ankle. The bones were set, but then the leg was rebroken in a subsequent accident. I can't imagine caring for a newborn baby, dealing with excruciating pain, overseeing several other young children, and having to "press forward" in such conditions!
There are countless stories like this one, of people filled with determinationa and faith. I #GiveThanks for the example our pioneer forebears set for us. We honor them best not with parades, fireworks, costume reenactments, etc. - but by learning from and emulating their examples.



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