Utah’s Pioneer Day is Monday! I thought it would be the perfect time for “What Did Brigham Young Really Say?”
It’s pretty well known that “.. this is the place” is not what he said, as the Mormon Pioneers entered the valley here in Salt Lake City, and gazed out over the scenic landscape for the first time. Some people think maybe he said, “This is the right place, let’s drive on.”
He wouldn’t have said “let’s drive on”, because that would have taken the Mormon Pioneers further West, to Wendover, or perhaps even Boise. Did he stop and say “.. well obviously, somebody forgot to turn on the GPS, we need to turn around and go back to Arizona.. it’s warmer down there anyway..”? No! I really think Brigham Young, as a leader, in his infinite wisdom, probably said something like “..stop! stop here! We’ve gone far enough, and my feet are killing me! Who’s got an extra band-aid”?
No one really knows for sure what Brigham Young said on that day, July 24th, 1847. We can only speculate. I personally think he uttered something much less profound than “this is the place”. I think because all those little kids pushing handcarts clear from Nauvoo, and constantly saying “.. are we there yet?”, ol’ Brigham Young most likely said “.. stop asking if we’re there yet.. don’t make me come back there!!”
Jon Carter
