Misplaced Pages

#207792

158-510: The peak is historically significant as it was a landmark during the establishment of Salt Lake City in July 1847, and also holds religious significance for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Because of this importance, in 1934, a stone monument was built atop the summit and interpretive signage was added when the nature park was developed in 1996. Culturally,

316-639: A "home mission" to reactivate lapsed members and call them to repentance, preaching for a renewed commitment to religion throughout the Mormon Reformation . During the time of the Utah War , he moved his family south to Provo in April 1858; they moved back to Salt Lake City in July. During this time there were no public worship services in Salt Lake City, and Woodruff and the other members of

474-565: A Federal prison just outside Salt Lake in the Sugar House area. Consequentially, the non-LDS Liberal Party took control of City government in the 1890 election. Three years later the Liberal Party and People's Party dissolved into national parties anticipating Utah statehood, but both LDS and non-LDS leaders would govern Salt Lake City from that point onward. The city became Utah's state capital on January 4, 1896, when Utah entered

632-550: A balance between capitol of a major religion and modern secular metropolis. While founded by Mormons, the city is increasingly dominated by non-members, with its LDS population falling steeply and steadily since the 1990s. Considerable changes are being made to alter the downtown in adjustment to the phenomenal growth of the area. In the early 2010s, the LDS Church purchased the Crossroads and ZCMI malls and rebuilt them into

790-562: A copy for his files. In his Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , B. H. Roberts wrote that Woodruff's record was a "priceless" documentary of the discourses of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Woodruff's diaries are featured prominently in Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's book, A House Full of Females: Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870 . Woodruff

948-564: A dress and sunbonnet as a disguise. He was able to visit Phebe before her death on November 9, 1885, but fearing arrest, did not attend her funeral, instead watching it from the president's office. After Phebe's death, he lived at Emma's house or with friends. After the death of John Taylor in July 1887, Woodruff assumed leadership of the church as the senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . Woodruff wanted to reorganize

1106-418: A few hours after birth in 1878. Although Woodruff and Mary Ann Jackson were divorced, he provided a home for her and sent money to her to support her and their son, James. James came to live with Woodruff as a young man in 1863. Among Woodruff's children was church apostle Abraham O. Woodruff . Woodruff's daughter Phebe was sealed as a wife to Lorenzo Snow in 1859. During Woodruff's time as president of

1264-486: A flag "for the nations" that he could take to the Rocky Mountains . After Smith's death, while the church was headquartered in a temporary settlement called Winter Quarters , Brigham Young became ill and claimed to have a near-death experience, in which he "actually went into Eternity...[and] came back." Young stated he spoke to Smith during this event, which appears to revived interest in flying an "ensign" where

1422-423: A house for Sarah in 1872. Woodruff bought new mowers and rakes, which he used at both Randolph farm and his Salt Lake City farm in 1873. He built a house for Delight in 1876 in Salt Lake City. He helped his older sons, Wilford Jr. and David Patten, with their own farming businesses. Phebe was still Woodruff's most visible wife, appearing with him in public. Beginning in 1877, Woodruff was the first president of

1580-535: A large plaza on the land as well as a parking structure below. There was much public outcry about the sale of public lands to a private organization, but a Church representative assured residents that the plaza would be a "little bit of Paris", a characterization that would be used against the LDS Church later. Concerns also lay in plans to ban such activities as demonstrations, skateboarding, sunbathing, smoking, and other activities it considered "vulgar". The Utah ACLU believed that these restrictions were incompatible with

1738-790: A member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. He was ordained at Far West, Missouri, in April 1839 where the other members of the Quorum of the Twelve had traveled. He suffered from malaria in Commerce, Missouri, during the July epidemic. In 1839, he and John Taylor were the first two apostles to leave from the Nauvoo/Montrose area to go on missions to Britain. He spent over a month in the Staffordshire Potteries and then traveled to Herefordshire, where he preached to members of

SECTION 10

#1732787602208

1896-832: A member of the Relief Society General Board from 1892 to 1910. Woodruff spent more time with Emma's children than his children from other wives. He corresponded most frequently with Emma's and Phebe's children, giving them advice on living a virtuous life and saving money. He built homes for his wives, and he sent money to his wives and children, probably based on their individual needs. In the 1880s, Woodruff met Lydia Mary Olive Mamreoff von Finkelstien Mountford, who grew up Christian in Jerusalem. Woodruff and Mountford became friends, and she spent time with Woodruff's family at their summer home. While historian D. Michael Quinn and others have speculated that Mountford

2054-788: A member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Woodruff was dedicated to the Latter Day Saint Church, which distanced him from his family, who did not believe in the church. He returned to Kirtland in November 1836, where he studied Latin and Greek grammar at the Kirtland School, a school for adult education, which met in the attic of the Kirtland Temple . In January 1837, Smith called Woodruff to join

2212-885: A member of the local congregation. Woodruff joined Smith's original Church of Christ on December 31, 1833. He was impressed with how the missionaries ( Zerah Pulsipher and Elijah Cheney) preached their message voluntarily and free of charge, and how they purported to heal the sick. Woodruff left his home in Richland after members recruited him to join Zion's Camp in April 1834. He met prominent church leaders, including Joseph Smith, in Kirtland, Ohio, before leaving with Zion's Camp for Missouri in May. When Zion's Camp left Missouri, Woodruff stayed to help members in Clay County, Missouri . He

2370-612: A mission in New England. Smith called Woodruff to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in July 1838, and he was ordained in April 1839. Woodruff served a mission in England from August 1839 until April 1841, leading converts from England to Nauvoo . Woodruff was away promoting Smith's presidential campaign at the time of Smith's death . After returning to Nauvoo, he and Phebe traveled to England, where Woodruff preached and supported local members. The Woodruffs returned to

2528-748: A new flagpole which was placed in front of the Salt Lake City Council Hall in 1963. When the nature park was dedicated in 1996, three flagpoles were constructed at the trailhead entrance plaza near the base of the peak. The poles allow the Flag of the United States , Flag of Utah , and a variant of the Flag of the Kingdom/Flag of Deseret to be flown. In May 1916, Charles W. Nibley , the LDS Church's Presiding Bishop , petitioned

2686-534: A non-LDS governor to replace Brigham Young . In response, Brigham Young imposed martial law , sending the Utah militia to harass the soldiers, a conflict called the Utah War . Young eventually surrendered to federal control when the new territorial governor, Alfred Cumming , arrived in Salt Lake City on April 12, 1858. Most troops pulled out at the beginning of the American Civil War . In order to secure

2844-468: A party from Salt Lake City arrived on October 8. Woodruff's group arrived in the valley on October 15. Woodruff initially focused on building cabins, farming, and grazing his cattle. He experimented with different varieties of wheat. He sold goods from outside of Utah in a retail store. His efforts were not successful, and he focused on farming and herding in 1856. In 1852, Woodruff began serving as church historian . Phebe gave birth to Bulah in 1851 and to

3002-723: A place to settle, leaving his family in Winter Quarters. Woodruff suffered various ailments, as did most of the other migrants. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24 and immediately planted crops. Woodruff learned to fly fish in England, and his 1847 journal account of his fishing in the East Fork River is the earliest known account of fly fishing west of the Mississippi River . Woodruff returned to Winter Quarters that October 31; Phebe

3160-481: A policy that heirs should request in writing for others to perform temple work for their relatives. Woodruff spent his 70th birthday working in the temple in 1877. 154 women from St. George performed temple ordinances vicariously for women who "had previously been sealed to [Woodruff] vicariously" and those who were related to him, Thompson, or the Hart families. Two years earlier, in 1875, Woodruff performed baptisms for

3318-605: A political office. Republican leaders connected Smith's statements with Thatcher and Roberts's political activity and used it to criticize the Democratic Party. Smith's remarks became controversial, with some members calling for the church to not interfere in politics, and with others supporting Smith's position. In response, Woodruff published a statement where he stated that the church did not wish to interfere with members' political endeavors. In December 1895, Woodruff said that Thatcher and Roberts would not be presented for

SECTION 20

#1732787602208

3476-536: A second gold medal. Athletes in short-track speed skating and cross-country skiing were disqualified for various reasons as well (including doping ), leading Russia and South Korea to file protests and threaten to withdraw from competition. Heightened fear of terrorism following the September 11 attacks turned out to be unfounded, and the games proved safe. The 2002 games ended with a dazzling closing ceremony, including bands such as Bon Jovi and KISS (who shared

3634-464: A son who died shortly after birth in 1853. Wilford adopted an orphaned Paiute boy named Moroni Bosnel in 1855. He also purchased a 6-year-old Paiute boy; it is unclear if the boy was part of the household as a slave or a son. An adopted son named Saroquetes helped Wilford Jr. manage day-to-day ranching duties in the 1850s and 1860s. Woodruff served multiple terms in the Utah territorial legislature . He

3792-598: A surveyor general in the Utah Territory, to establish a land office in Salt Lake City, and to extend the federal land laws over the same. The land office opened 9 March 1869. In 1857, when the Mormon practice of polygamy came to national awareness, President James Buchanan responded to public outcry by sending an army of 2500 soldiers, called the Utah Expedition, to investigate the LDS Church and install

3950-404: A variant of the Flag of the Kingdom/Flag of Deseret to be flown. A permanent hiking trail was established with stations featuring information on the valley and Great Salt Lake , and reclamation work and reseeding was done to unauthorized roads and trails on the hill. At the summit of the peak, the 1934 monument was refurbished and several interpretive signs added. On July 26, 1997, 150 years after

4108-466: A variety of names, including "Flag of Liberty," "Flag of the Kingdom," " Deseret Flag ," "mammoth flag," and "flag of all the nations." Often they were vague about their flag's appearance, instead focusing on the symbolism of gathering and the establishment of what they believed to be God's kingdom, rather than a standard shape, design or name of a banner. As part of the 2020s renovation of Temple Square ,

4266-412: A vision by saying, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." (This is commonly shortened to, "This is the place"). There is a state park in Salt Lake City known as This Is The Place Heritage Park commemorating the spot where Young made the famous statement. Settlers buried thirty-six Native Americans in one grave after an outbreak of measles occurred during the winter of 1847. Salt Lake City

4424-531: A way to ward off dependency on outside goods and arguably to hinder ex-LDS retailers. Although ZCMI is sometimes credited with being the nation's first department store, a decade earlier New York City's "Marble Palace" and Macy's vied for that title. Change was inevitable. The world started to come to Salt Lake City in 1869 with the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States at Promontory Summit , north of

4582-507: A year later. In 1853, he was sealed to two more women, Emma Smith, age 15, and Sarah Brown, age 19. Sarah bore a son the following year, but Emma did not bear any children until she was 19. Emma's first child died at age 13 months, and her fourth child, born in 1867, died soon after birth. In 1857, Brigham Young sealed Sarah Delight Stocking to Woodruff. Delight's third child died as an infant in 1869. In 1877, Young sealed his daughter, Eudora Lovina Young Dunford, to Woodruff. Their child died

4740-580: Is now wholly owned by the LDS Church. Some suppose Anderson's compromise was an effort to strengthen his 2003 re-election campaign among Latter-day Saints and west side residents. Both groups tended to have less favorable impressions of the former mayor. Much change occurred in the Wasatch Front due to the 2002 Winter Olympics . Scandal rocked the city when it was discovered that millions of dollars had been funneled into bribes to International Olympic Committee members. The games opened with

4898-735: The Anointed Quorum . In May 1844, Woodruff left on another trip to preach and promote Joseph Smith's presidential campaign. News of Smith's death reached Woodruff on July 9, and fellow apostles returned to Nauvoo in August. The apostles called Woodruff and Phebe to serve in England. They left Nauvoo in August 1844, leaving their eldest child with a family in Nauvoo. They left their three-year-old with Phebe's parents in Maine, bringing their one-year-old with them to England. Woodruff worked to square

Ensign Peak - Misplaced Pages Continue

5056-720: The City Creek Center , which is connected by walkways, and with new high density residential and commercial buildings nearby. The commuter rail FrontRunner is in place along the northern Wasatch Front , with extensions planned for the southern portion of the region. Light rail extensions to the Trax system are ongoing to provide service to the western and southern parts of the valley, as well as to Salt Lake City International Airport . The controversial Legacy Highway has one segment completed (the Legacy Parkway ), with

5214-540: The Endowment House in Salt Lake City, but the proxy endowments for these men were first done in the St. George Temple. Woodruff also compiled lists of notable men and women, for whom he performed vicarious temple work with the help of Lucy Bigelow Young. After Brigham Young's death in August 1877, John Taylor became the new president of the church, and Woodruff became president of the Twelve Apostles. Woodruff chaired

5372-512: The Genealogical Society of Utah to help church members complete generational sealings. In Wilford's 1894 address, he also stated that widows could be sealed to their deceased husbands, even if their husbands had never heard the gospel. Woodruff stated that this change in practice was not a change in doctrine, since Joseph Smith had referred to a welding link between fathers and their children. Woodruff also encouraged presidents of

5530-477: The St. George Temple . This was the first temple in which the endowment ordinances were performed for the dead as well as for the living. Under the direction of Brigham Young , Woodruff was key in implementing endowments for the dead in the temple, in standardizing the ceremonies, and in giving various sermons to encourage broader understanding of the program. Woodruff helped John D. T. McAllister with writing parts of

5688-642: The United Brethren . Almost all of the members of the United Brethren converted to Mormonism. Outside of London, the missionary work in England was successful, and by August 1840, there were around 800 members, with local members acting as leadership and proselyting missionaries. Preaching in London was difficult, and Woodruff had dreams about serpents attacking him before he and his companions were able to baptize 49 people. Many converts left to join

5846-518: The United States government for not protecting their rights, and hoping to find somewhere the church could have religious liberty, the Council of Fifty was given the responsibility of looking for a place to resettle, if necessary. The American West was one of those places considered by the council. In what appears to be a literal attempt to fulfill scripture, Smith asked his followers to create

6004-766: The Utah Sugar Company at Lehi. The company was not successful and created over $ 300,000 in debt for the Church. The church also supported local industries like coal and iron mining, the Saltair resort, and the state's first hydroelectric generating facility. The church completed and dedicated the Manti and Salt Lake temples during his tenure. Woodruff also established Bannock Academy in Rexburg, Idaho , which later became Ricks College and Brigham Young University–Idaho . Moses Thatcher and B. H. Roberts attended

6162-428: The Utah territorial legislature and was heavily involved in the social and economic life of his community. He worked as an Assistant Church Historian and as Church Historian from 1856 to 1889. He was married to three more wives between 1852 and 1853. In 1877, he became president of the St. George Temple , where endowment ordinances were first performed for the dead as well as the living. Woodruff helped standardize

6320-432: The unemployment rate reached 61,500 people, about 36%. The annual per capita income in 1932 was $ 276, half of what it was in 1929, $ 537 annually. Jobs were scarce. Although boosted by federal New Deal programs as well as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the economy did not fully recover until World War II . After suffering through the depression Salt Lake's economy was boosted during World War II due to

6478-580: The "City Creek Spur") which projects westward from the Wasatch Range . The Salt Lake Salient forms the northern boundary of Salt Lake Valley . The bedrock of Ensign Peak is a conglomerate, likely laid down during the Eocene epoch. This conglomerate is exposed on parts of the peak and in some nearby areas. When the ancient Lake Bonneville filled the valley, Ensign Peak was just above its highest shoreline. The hill rises 1,080 feet (329.2 m) above

Ensign Peak - Misplaced Pages Continue

6636-528: The 1895 state constitutional convention as Democrats. Both were general authorities of the church. Roberts opposed women's suffrage, while Woodruff and the First Presidency supported it. Thatcher had issues with chronic ulcers and a morphine addiction, and in the rare times when he was in good health, he often failed to attend meetings. Thatcher ran as the Democratic Party's nominee for senate. Heber J. Grant said that Thatcher should have consulted with

6794-605: The 1980 US hockey team lighting the torch and President George W. Bush officially opening the games at the Rice-Eccles Stadium set designed by Seven Nielsen . Closing ceremonies were also held at that venue. Controversy erupted when in the first week the pairs figure skating competition resulted in the French judge's scores being thrown out and the Canadian team of Jamie Salé and David Pelletier being awarded

6952-461: The 2006 course of study in the LDS Church's Sunday Relief Society and Melchizedek priesthood classes. Throughout his life, Woodruff believed that the Second Coming of Jesus and a cataclysmic end of the world was imminent. On August 23, 1868, Woodruff preached a sermon in which he famously prophesied that New York City would be "destroyed by an earthquake"; Boston would be "swept into

7110-539: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church") sought to establish an autonomous religious community and were the first people of European descent to permanently settle in the area now known as Utah . Thousands of Mormon pioneers would arrive in Salt Lake in the coming months and years. Brigham Young led the Saints west after the death of Joseph Smith . Upon arrival to the Salt Lake valley, Young had

7268-588: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), commonly called Mormons or Latter-day Saints, were often the victims of anti-Mormon violence in the eastern and midwestern United States. Joseph Smith , the faith's founder, was killed in June 1844 and by 1846, the Latter-day Saints were forced from their main settlement at Nauvoo, Illinois . Those church members who chose to accept Brigham Young as their new leader would end up traveling to

7426-629: The East Coast. He organized branches, preached, and resolved conflicts. In 1849, Phebe's father and a sister joined the church. Woodruff led 200 members in traveling west, starting in February 1850. They arrived in Nebraska in May 1850, where the price of oxen and their drivers was steep. The trail was heavily grazed by other travelers, leaving little food for their oxen and half died. Woodruff sent word to Brigham Young that his party needed oxen, and

7584-476: The First Presidency before accepting a political nomination. All members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve signed the document, except for Thatcher. The First Presidency agreed to drop Thatcher's name from the sustaining vote portion of general conference. Thatcher publicized his side of the dispute in a note in The Salt Lake Tribune . Church leaders asked for sustaining votes for

7742-464: The First Presidency right away, continuing with George Q. Cannon as first counselor. Other members of the Quorum took this opportunity to raise grievances against Cannon, stating that he had defended his son John Q. too vigorously during his excommunication, to the point of hiding his crimes. The Twelve Apostles with Woodruff as its president presided over the church until the Quorum came to an agreement in April 1889. After George Q. Cannon apologized to

7900-399: The First Presidency suggested issuing another manifesto to tell polygamous men from associating with plural wives, Woodruff said that a man who neglected his wives and children could face church discipline. Law professor Kenneth L. Cannon II states that Woodruff's intent with the 1890 Manifesto was to stop the creation of more plural marriages but allow existing ones to continue. The judge in

8058-526: The First Quorum of the Seventy. Three months later, over a period of five days, he participated in washing and anointings in the Kirtland Temple, accompanied by prolonged fasting and prayer and Charismatic experiences, such as speaking in tongues and prophecy. Like many early Latter-day Saints, Woodruff practiced plural marriage . Woodruff was married to ten women in total, although not at

SECTION 50

#1732787602208

8216-472: The Fox Islands in Maine. During some of this time, she resided with her parents in their house in Maine. She headed west with her husband shortly after the birth of their daughter, despite her reluctance to leave home. During their journey west, Phebe became deathly ill. She frequently slipped into unconsciousness starting on December 2, 1838. Phebe reported that she conversed with two angels who gave her

8374-681: The Great Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Valley in 1843 and 1845. The Donner Party , a group of ill-fated pioneers, traveled through the Great Salt Lake Valley a year before the Mormon pioneers . This group had spent weeks traversing difficult terrain and brush, cutting a road through the Wasatch Mountains , coming through Emigration canyon into the Salt Lake Valley on August 12, 1846. This same path would be used by

8532-512: The Gulls ), the "Desert Blossomed as the Rose" in the Salt Lake Valley. Early Pioneers survived by maintaining a very tight-knit community. Under Young's leadership Pioneers worked out a system of communal crop sharing within the various ward houses established throughout the Salt Lake Valley. The California Gold Rush brought many people through the city on their way to seek fortunes. Salt Lake, which

8690-446: The LDS Church, his wife Emma Smith Woodruff accompanied him to public functions, and she was the only wife he lived with after Phebe's death in 1885. She was a niece of Abraham O. Smoot. Although she married Woodruff, then age 46, when she was 15, she did not have the first of her eight children until she was 19. Emma was involved in the Relief Society, serving as both a ward and stake president for that organization. She also served as

8848-416: The Latter-day Saints and had a vision of Joseph Smith. In the vision, Smith showed Young Ensign Peak and "there was an ensign fell upon that peak, and Joseph said, 'Build under the point where the colors fall and you will prosper and have peace.'" A number of later visitors to Salt Lake City would write that they were told a similar story. British author William Hepworth Dixon wrote that Young told him as he

9006-421: The Latter-day Saints settled. Soon after Young's experience, Jedediah M. Grant was sent from Winter Quarters to the east, on a mission to obtain material for a large flag. Grant was successful in finding material, and a large flag, known as the "mammoth flag," was flown somewhere over Salt Lake City for many years. Before and after arriving in Salt Lake City, as the Latter-day Saints discussed their flags they used

9164-469: The Northwestern Shoshone was ever recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States. Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante , a Spanish Franciscan missionary is considered the first European explorer in the area in 1776, but only came as far north as Utah valley (Provo), some 60 miles south of the Salt Lake City area. The first US visitor to see the Salt Lake area was Jim Bridger in 1824. U.S. Army officer John C. Frémont surveyed

9322-455: The Quorum, they approved his appointment as first counselor. In 1887, the new U.S. marshal, Frank H. Dyer, told Woodruff he would not arrest him, and Woodruff could make public appearances again in Salt Lake City. Outside of Salt Lake City, deputy marshals vigorously hunted down suspected polygamists, being paid more with more convicts. In an effort to appear more attractive for statehood, Woodruff counseled local press not to excessively criticize

9480-403: The Salt Lake City Commission for permission for the church to build a large cross on the peak. The cross would be a symbol of Christianity and serve as a memorial to the Mormon pioneers, and was planned to be constructed of concrete and steel, large enough to be visible from everywhere in the city. The plan was met with much opposition, especially from Utah's Jewish and secular communities. Even so,

9638-405: The Twelve Apostles organized groups of priesthood holders that met regularly to pray and preach to one another. Woodruff's wife Sara lived and taught school in Fort Harriman in 1860; she returned to Salt Lake City by 1865. His wife Delight moved to Fort Harriman in 1862, and her parents also lived there. In 1866, Emma moved to a house on Woodruff's farm just outside Salt Lake City. In 1868, Woodruff

SECTION 60

#1732787602208

9796-430: The Union failed. Woodruff served as a member of the Provo City Council in 1868 and 1869. Woodruff was also on the Board of Regents of the University of Deseret, where he chaired a committee to prepare spelling books in the Deseret Alphabet . Woodruff spent some time in 1854 educating his own children at home before public schools were established. He was president of a society for a lecture and discussion group called

9954-460: The United States just before the Saints were driven out of Nauvoo, and Woodruff oversaw forty families in Winter Quarters , where he was sealed to his first plural wives. He joined the advance company that traveled to the Salt Lake Valley without his family in 1847. After returning to Winter Quarters, Woodruff and Phebe left to preside over the Eastern States Mission . Woodruff and his family arrived in Salt Lake City on October 15, 1850. He served in

10112-614: The United States. Henry W. Lawrence replaced Marshal Dyer and threatened to confiscate the temples in Logan, Manti, and St. George, as they were not used for public worship. Woodruff issued the 1890 Manifesto , which officially ended the church's support of plural marriage. After the manifesto was issued, judge Charles S. Zane stated that no further church property would be confiscated. Woodruff further clarified in hearings about confiscated church property that men with plural wives should "cease associating with them", though Joseph F. Smith and Lorenzo Snow did not make such strong statements. When

10270-612: The Universal Scientific Society, founded in February 1855 and disbanded in November 1855. He also attended meetings of the Polysophical Society, a literary group including Lorenzo and Eliza Snow. The society stopped meeting after the Mormon Reformation in 1856. Woodruff was president of the Deseret Horticultural Society, founded in September 1855, which sought to find the most productive trees and bushes. By his own report, he had cultivated over 70 kinds of apples via importing and grafting, along with apricots, peaches, grapes, and currants in 1857. On multiple occasions, his products won prizes at

10428-455: The Utah Territorial Fair. Woodruff led the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society from 1862 to 1877. The organization encouraged experimentation and shared knowledge about what plants would grow well in the territory. The Utah Territorial Legislature chartered it in 1856. Woodruff sometimes led ceremonies in the Endowment House after it was built in 1855, officiating every Saturday in sealings and endowments in 1867 to 1868. He served

10586-413: The Wasatch Mountains. In 1866, Thomas Coleman, a Black Mormon man, was murdered, and his body was left on Capitol Hill with an anti-miscegenation warning attached to his body. In 1883, Sam Joe Harvey, another Black man, was lynched for allegedly shooting a police officer, and his body was dragged down State Street. In 1868 Brigham Young founded the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) as

10744-425: The Western United States by wagon train or handcart , along what became known as the Mormon Trail . When Young's wagon train entered Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847 (presently celebrated as Pioneer Day in Utah), he stated the area was the right spot as soon as he saw it. During a 1869 sermon, a fellow church leader, George A. Smith , stated that after Smith's death, Young had been praying to know where to take

10902-431: The Winter Olympics as early as the 1930s, when the Utah Ski Club tried to bring the games to the valley. At the time, however, the Summer Olympic host city had the option of hosting the winter games, and all attempts failed. Salt Lake tried again throughout the decades until 1995, when the International Olympic Committee announced Salt Lake City as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics . After 132 years in business, ZCMI

11060-451: The celebration period. In 1955, the local United Veterans' Council asked permission to install their own flagpole on the peak. The request was granted, and with the help of the Utah National Guard, a hole was blasted for the pole, the explosion causing concern for the residents of Salt Lake City. This new flagpole was dedicate on November 11, Veterans Day . Vandals largely destroyed the pole in 1958, and its salvaged pieces were used to create

11218-401: The choice to live or die. They said that she could choose to live if she would accept the responsibility of supporting her husband in all of his future work for the Lord; she chose to live and persevere with the faithful. She recovered after receiving a blessing from Woodruff. Her firstborn child died of a respiratory infection in 1840 while Woodruff was on a mission in England. Phebe was among

11376-427: The church had any right to overrule any civil court, denied the doctrine of blood atonement, asserted their right to criticize government officials, and the right of all Christians to believe that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Historian Thomas Alexander stated that both the judge's interpretation of church history and the manifesto were "a selective reading" of church history. The Edmunds-Tucker Act also took away

11534-411: The church installed flagpoles allowing 91 national flags to be flown at once, as a symbol of the global nature of their church. On July 21, 1849, several church leaders, including Brigham Young, climbed the hill and consecrated it for "the erection of a standard thereon [and for] a place of prayer." That same day, Addison Pratt received his endowment atop the peak (in a ceremony usually reserved for

11692-477: The church's apostles, he was also a member of the Council of Fifty . He took detailed notes on the King Follett discourse . He joined the other apostles in a trip to the East Coast to raise funds for a temple and hotel under construction in Nauvoo, setting out in July 1843 and returning in November 1843. Woodruff and his wife, Phebe, received their second anointing in Nauvoo in 1844, making them members of

11850-542: The church's official support of new polygamous marriages in the 1890 Manifesto . Woodruff died in 1898 and his detailed journals provide an important record of Latter Day Saint history. Woodruff was one of four sons born to Beulah Thompson and Aphek Woodruff. Beulah died of " spotted fever " in 1808 at the age of 26, when Wilford was fifteen months old. Aphek married Azubah Hart in 1809. In 1826, Aphek lost his mill and moved from Northington (now Avon, Connecticut ) to Farmington, Connecticut . Woodruff attended school until he

12008-538: The church. Historian Thomas Alexander stated in his biography of Woodruff that Woodruff's decision to stop polygamy was a significant transition "from isolation to assimilation, from extremism to respectability". Some Mormon historians, such as B. H. Roberts , never seemed to come to terms with the manifesto. Despite the manifesto, some Mormon historians have asserted that Woodruff continued to secretly allow new plural marriages to be performed in Mexico , Canada, and upon

12166-593: The city and new interchanges near Park City . A light rail system was constructed from downtown to the suburb of Sandy and later to the University of Utah . The Athlete's Village is now student housing at the University of Utah. Many venues in and around the city still stand even after the games. Many hotels , motels and restaurants were built for the games and still exist today. Salt Lake City still somewhat struggles with its identity, trying to strike

12324-475: The city was formally organized as "The City of the Great Salt Lake". Originally, Fillmore, Utah was the territorial capital , but in 1856 it was moved to Salt Lake City, where it has stayed ever since. In 1855 Congress directed the President of the United States to appoint a surveyor general for Utah Territory, and to cause that the lands of that territory should be surveyed preparatory to bringing them on

12482-719: The city. By 1870, Salt Lake had been linked to it via the Utah Central Rail Road . People began to pour into Salt Lake seeking opportunities in mining and other industries. City government was dominated by the People's Party until 1890. The non-national People's Party was an LDS-controlled political organization, and each of the early mayors of Salt Lake City was LDS. Sparks often flew between LDS city government and non-LDS federal authorities stationed just outside Salt Lake. A dramatic example occurred in 1874 when city police were arrested by US Marshals , who took control of

12640-538: The commission approved construction of the cross later that month. Those opposed filed suit in court and the issue was not settled until 1918, when the church agreed not to build the cross. In May 1934, the Ensign LDS Stake's Mutual Improvement Associations , in cooperation with the Utah Pioneer Trails and Landmarks Association (UPTLA), announced that they would construct a stone monument atop

12798-423: The committee to separate Brigham Young's personal property from church property, finding that Brigham Young owed the church almost $ 700,000 in real-estate and other expenses. In 1879, George Reynolds was convicted of polygamy in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Utah's U.S. marshal started looking for Woodruff, and Woodruff fled to Bunkerville, Nevada, northern Arizona, and New Mexico. A new Supreme Court ruling required

12956-485: The communalist program himself. Most United Order programs stopped functioning after a few months. Woodruff started keeping bees in 1870, and founded a society for beekeepers in Utah territory that year. He and Phebe moved to a smaller house in 1871, since their children were no longer living at home. Woodruff's other wives still continued to bear children and needed larger places to live. Woodruff's wife Sarah and his son's family moved to Randolph, Utah, in 1871, and he built

13114-568: The construction of the early phase of the next segment (the Mountain View Corridor ) completed through the west side of the Salt Lake Valley . د Wilford Woodruff Wilford Woodruff Sr. (March 1, 1807 – September 2, 1898) was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1889 until his death. He ended

13272-473: The court. However, the LDS Church held firm to get the easement rescinded. Although The Salt Lake Tribune backed the mayor's initial plan, the city council disliked it. In its place, Anderson offered to waive the easement in exchange for west side property from the LDS Church to build a community and a commitment of donations for it. All parties agreed to the arrangement, and the Main Street Plaza

13430-517: The dead on behalf of 141 of his relatives in the Endowment House and for over 900 more in that same year. Woodruff accepted Brigham Young's daughter Eudora as a plural wife in 1877; their union produced a son who died shortly after birth. Eudora divorced Woodruff, probably in 1879. Woodruff, Phebe, and their living children (except for Susan) met and performed more temple work, and at this time, Woodruff adopted various relatives to himself in

13588-420: The dedication held at the base of the peak, which included a ribbon-cutting by nine girls and women, all descendants of those who had made the first climb. The improvements included an entrance plaza at the trailhead. This plaza was built 47 feet (14.3 m) from the street to represent 1847, the year the Mormon pioneers first entered the valley. The paving of the plaza features a world map, and when standing on

13746-514: The federal government and asked missionaries in the southeastern United States to soften their approach to decrease complaints from local ministers. He also asked leaders to stop preaching the practice of plural marriage. On behalf of the church, Woodruff courted the favor of businessman Alexander Badlam Jr. and prominent Republican Isaac Trumbo . The two men moved to Arlington, Virginia, under false names, seeking to persuade Republican congressmen to support Utah's bid for statehood in 1888. After Utah

13904-556: The federal government to provide positive evidence of polygamy before convicting the husband, and Woodruff could appear in public again until the 1882 when the Edmunds Act was passed. The Edmunds Act outlawed unlawful cohabitation, which was easier to prove than polygamy, and church leadership advised men in polygamous marriages to live in one house with one wife. Prosecution of polygamous men began in earnest in 1884, and Woodruff went into hiding in St. George during 1885 and often wore

14062-573: The federally-appointed receiver of church property, and he confiscated the temple block, the Gardo House , and other offices. The church paid to rent the properties back from him. Church leadership discouraged new polygamous marriages in Utah. Late in 1889, federal judges stopped approving naturalized citizenship for Mormon immigrant residents in Utah Territory. Judges cited a disdain for federal law, pointing to doctrines such as blood atonement and temple vows as reported from former members to avenge

14220-501: The first climb by the pioneers, President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Ensign Peak Memorial Garden. This garden, across the street from the entrance plaza to Ensign Peak Nature Park, was built on church-owned land, allowing for a telling of the spiritual history and scriptural significance of the peak. For several decades in the 20th century, nearby West High School students would haul flammable materials to

14378-488: The four temples in the Utah Territory to coordinate their temple procedures in 1893. An economic recession in 1891 followed by another depression in 1893 affected the church's finances. Bishops used fast offerings as well as tithing to help the poor, and as a result, less money ended up in church headquarters. From July until December 1893, the church was unable to pay the salaries of its employees. Woodruff tried to promote economic development with various ventures, including

14536-490: The government for Joseph Smith's death. Other former members testified that an oath against the federal government was not part of the endowment ceremony. Another $ 3 million in church assets were confiscated in 1887. Judge Anderson ruled against the naturalization of Mormon residents. In response, Charles Penrose wrote a manifesto, signed by the First Presidency and the Twelve, in December 1889. This manifesto denied that

14694-469: The gravesite of Buffalo Bill , and from sites such as Independence Rock , Martin's Cove , Hill Cumorah , Donner Pass , and so forth. Construction began on July 17 and the completed monument was unveiled on July 26, the 86th anniversary of the first climb by the pioneers. Nearly 500 people attended the unveiling ceremony at the summit of the peak, including two members of the church's first presidency , Heber J. Grant and Anthony W. Ivins . The unveiling

14852-477: The group was at the peak's summit. The religious significance of using an ensign (a flag or banner) began long before the Mormon pioneers arrived in Salt Lake Valley. Early in the church's history, Joseph Smith had claimed that in 1823, the angel Moroni appeared to him and quoted Joel 2:32 and Isaiah 11:9–12 , in which is found wording related to "Mount Zion" and setting up an "ensign" for gathering. While at Nauvoo, as church leadership grew disillusioned with

15010-430: The hearing decided not to return confiscated property to the church, stating that while the practice of polygamy may have stopped, it was still taught as part of the religion. Lobbyists managed to obtain amnesty for Mormons who did not enter polygamy after November 1890, but polygamists still did not have the right to vote. When Democrats took office in 1893, they restored property to the church and civil rights to members of

15168-568: The high seas. Starting in 1847, members of the church sealed their relatives to a family member or friend who held the priesthood, since Brigham Young said that all marriages before the Restoration were illegitimate. Brigham Young also stated that children born outside of marriage should be sealed to the parent who lived the Gospel and adopted through a special sealing to a faithful priesthood holder. Woodruff and other members disagreed with

15326-491: The hillside. The city then entered negotiations with the developer, who agreed to give the city back 66 acres (27 ha) of land at the peak, in exchange for the city giving up additional property in the hills above downtown and rezoning portions to allow for gated communities . As the city was reacquiring land around the hillside, a group of interested citizens formed the Ensign Peak Foundation to improve

15484-666: The influx of defense industries to the Wasatch Front. Demands for raw materials increased Utah's mining industry, and several military installations such as Fort Douglas and Hill Air Force Base were added. After the Second World War, Salt Lake City grew rapidly. It began to suffer some of the same problems other cities face. Urban sprawl became a growing problem due to a combination of rapid growth and an abundance of available land. Military and aerospace also became dominant industries. Salt Lake began its bid for

15642-475: The law of adoption. Woodruff and Heber C. Kimball discussed the law of adoption together in 1857, agreeing that they did not believe in the "custom of adoption", and that sons ought to be sealed to the fathers in their lineage when possible. In a conference address from April 1894, Woodruff announced a specific policy of sealing individuals only to their direct ancestors. He also encouraged members to "trace their genealogies as far as they can". Woodruff helped found

15800-532: The location for a new temple. On July 26, two days after Young and the remainder of the first wagon train entered the valley, nine to 10 church leaders, including Young, climbed the peak. Apostle Wilford Woodruff was the first to reach the summit of the hill and recorded in his diary for the day, "we all went onto the top of A high peak in the edge of the Mountain which we considered A good place to raise An ensign upon which we named ensign Peak or Hill." While at

15958-406: The location of Salt Lake City, the peak is visible in a cleft of the plaza wall. Nine pedestals surround the world map, symbolizing the nine men who originally climbed the hill. The plaza wall's design is inspired by the rock formations of the peak and imbedded in that wall are several interpretive signs. The plaza also features three flagpoles, allowing the Flag of the United States, Flag of Utah, and

16116-457: The main places they preached were The Fox Islands , Litchfield County, Connecticut , and York County, Maine . Phebe joined Woodruff in Farmington, Connecticut , on July 16, where he baptized some of his relatives. Baptizing his family brought him great joy, saying that it was in fulfillment of a dream he had when he was young. Although Phebe did not accompany him on all of his journeys over

16274-484: The manifesto in local meetings, leading to some disputes. Joseph F. Smith, a Republican, wanted the manifesto to apply to all members, but Woodruff and Cannon disagreed with Smith. After several failed attempts at reconciliation, the Twelve disfellowshipped Thatcher, removing him from his position as an apostle. Woodruff died in San Francisco, California, on September 2, 1898, after a failed bladder surgery. He

16432-469: The market. Certain sections were to be reserved for the benefit of schools and a university in the territory. The surveyor general arrived in Utah in July of the same year to begin surveying. He established the initial point for his survey (base line and meridian) at the southeast corner of the Temple Block, and from there extended that survey over 2 million acres. Because of numerous conflicts between

16590-689: The members of the Relief Society in Nauvoo. In the late 1840s, Phebe was set apart as a missionary and served with Woodruff as he presided over the Eastern States Mission. Phebe was later numbered among the "leading ladies" who helped organize the Relief Society in Utah Territory in the 1860s through the 1880s. She was also a key figure behind the Indignation Meeting of 1870 that was an important step in

16748-907: The mission account books and visited wards and branches throughout the United Kingdom, establishing the authority of the apostles after Smith's death. Members in England tried to form a joint stock company trading with Nauvoo in cotton, wool, and iron. The company failed because of unrest in Nauvoo and problems in management. After hearing that members had been driven out of Nauvoo, the Woodruffs left England in January 1846. Woodruff picked up their daughter and brought some of his relatives with him to Nauvoo, but Woodruff's relatives decided to join James Strang 's followers rather than move west. Before leaving Nauvoo, Woodruff and Orson Hyde dedicated

16906-590: The national election being held in Salt Lake City. Mayor Daniel H. Wells , a member of the LDS Church First Presidency , declared martial law from the balcony of the Old Salt Lake City Hall . Federal troops arrested the mayor, but he was soon released. In the 1880s, the anti- polygamy Edmunds-Tucker Act systematically denied many prominent LDS Church members the right to vote or hold office. Polygamists were detained in

17064-473: The newly arrived pioneers on July 26, 1847, a flag was raised soon after and numerous flags have been flown during the many decades since. John P. Wriston, a member of the Mormon Battalion , arrived in the valley not long after Young, and claimed to help raise an American flag on the peak, declaring "I feel rejoice at having the privelage [sic] of seeing the flag raised that was spoken of by Isai[a]h

17222-751: The next year and a half, she stayed at various locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine—locations that he, to some extent, made his base of operations. Woodruff baptized over 100 people during this mission. In 1838, Woodruff led a party of 53 members in wagons from the Maine coast to Nauvoo, Illinois . Some of the party wintered in Rochester, Illinois, after hearing about the growing persecution of members in Missouri. They moved to Quincy, Illinois, in April 1839. In July 1838, Smith called Woodruff as

17380-485: The other apostles and the First Presidency before accepting the nomination for senate. Thatcher argued that the First Presidency did not have the right to limit a member's political decisions. At a general priesthood session, Joseph F. Smith said that any obligations that take a member away from their religious duties should be discussed with their presiding officers. He said that any Melchizedek priesthood holder ought to have permission from his church leaders before pursuing

17538-456: The other members in the United States. When he left England in April 1841, 140 members joined him in journeying to New York. Woodruff met Phebe in Maine, and they traveled to Nauvoo together in October 1841. In Nauvoo, the Twelve Apostles assigned Woodruff to assist with the church's temporal matters in Nauvoo. He became co-manager of Times and Seasons in February 1842. Woodruff supervised

17696-527: The painted cyclorama in the Utah State Capitol rotunda. Early LDS Historians B. H. Roberts and Andrew Jenson both stated that evidence of the flag raising was lacking. In 1993, historian Ronald W. Walker wrote "there is not enough historical evidence to make either case." Instead, based on available accounts, it is believed that Heber C. Kimball tied his spotted yellow bandana to the end of Willard Richards ' walking stick and waved it while

17854-481: The peak. After several years of raising funds, the foundation, along with community and church leaders, broke ground on the project on April 17, 1996. The completed project, which included the Ensign Peak improvements and developing the larger Ensign Peak Nature Park, was dedicated by the church's President, Gordon B. Hinckley , on July 26, 1997, 149 years after the first climb by the pioneers. 1,000 people attended

18012-414: The peak. They requested that every stake in the church and every mission in the United States send a stone from their nearby historic sites, that then would be incorporated into the face of the monument. The first stone to arrive came from Lethbridge , Canada, and was from a quarry that provided stone for many historic structures in southern Alberta . Numerous other stones would be sent, including from

18170-701: The pedestrian easement that the city retained over the plaza. ACLU attorneys claimed this made the plaza into a public free speech forum. Nonetheless, the property was sold to become the Main Street Plaza . After the Utah District Court ruled against the ACLU, they were vindicated by the 10th Circuit Court in the Fall of 2002. Scrambling to satisfy residents, Rocky Anderson offered a plan for "time and place" restrictions on speech as suggested by

18328-660: The physical printing of the paper, and he and John Taylor also published a general interest newspaper called Nauvoo Neighbor , starting in May 1843. He bought and sold real estate, helped clerk in a provision store, and farmed. He became a member of the Nauvoo city council and served as chaplain for the Nauvoo Legion , a local militia. He also helped organize the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge and the Nauvoo Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. As one of

18486-433: The pioneers, a new pole was erected in 1947. The first flag to fly on this pole was raised on May 1 and it was planned to fly it continuously until the official end of celebrations on October 15, but after Governor Herbert B. Maw requested permission to do so from President Harry S. Truman , the president encouraged the centennial commission that it be lowered each evening and instead the flag only flew on special days during

18644-462: The prophet." Another early pioneer, Harrison Sperry, recalled seeing a flag raised on Ensign Peak, and the Deseret News claimed, in 1897, that a flag had been unfurled atop the peak three weeks after the pioneers' first arrival. As part of the first Pioneer Day celebrations held in 1849, a variant of the Flag of the Kingdom/Flag of Deseret may have been flown on the peak. A permanent flagpole

18802-647: The public practice of plural marriage among members of the LDS Church in 1890. Woodruff joined the Latter Day Saint church after studying Restorationism as a young adult. He met Joseph Smith , founder of the Latter Day Saint movement in Kirtland, Ohio , before joining Zion's Camp in April 1834. He stayed in Missouri as a missionary, preaching in Arkansas and Tennessee before returning to Kirtland. He married his first wife, Phebe, that year and served

18960-400: The religion's temples ). Into the twentieth century, the hill remained a place of contemplation and prayer for some Latter-day Saints. After the LDS Church stopped its practice of polygamy , some fundamentalist Mormon groups may have used the peak for religious ceremonies and marriages, as they were unable to enter LDS temples. While no flag was flown atop the peak during the first climb by

19118-462: The right to vote from practicing polygamists and all women in Utah. Combined with the influx of non-Mormons, the church could no longer control political offices in Utah Territory, and the members of the Liberal Party achieved a majority over the People's Party in 1890. In June 1890, the First Presidency told church officials that leaders were no longer allowed to perform plural marriages in

19276-613: The road to California during the Civil War, more troops arrived under the command of Colonel Patrick Edward Connor in 1862. They settled in the Fort Douglas area east of the city. Thoroughly anti-LDS, Connor viewed the people with disdain, calling them, "a community of traitors, murderers, fanatics, and whores." To dilute their influence he worked with non-LDS business and bank owners, and also encouraged mining. In 1863 some of his troops discovered rich veins of gold and silver in

19434-537: The same time. His first wife, Phebe, stated that she thought plural marriage was "the most wicked thing I ever heard of", but she eventually embraced it. His wives: Six of Woodruff's wives bore him a total of 34 children, with three wives and 14 children preceding him in death. Woodruff met his first wife, Phebe Carter, in Kirtland shortly after his return from his first mission through Southern Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Woodruff came to Kirtland on November 25, 1836, along with Abraham O. Smoot . He

19592-430: The sea, by the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds"; and Albany, New York , would be "destroyed by fire". Speaking afterwards, church president Brigham Young stated that "what Brother Woodruff has said is revelation and will be fulfilled". Woodruff believed that the United States would disassemble by 1890. In January 1880, he received a revelation referred to as the "Wilderness Prophecy", which stated that enemies of

19750-469: The side of the peak and ignite a large letter "W" for football games and graduation ceremonies. The Salt Lake City Fire Department ordered a stop to the practice in 1992, citing fire danger to new housing developments near the peak. History of Salt Lake City#Early years Originally, the Salt Lake Valley was inhabited by the Shoshone , Paiute , Goshute and Ute Native American tribes. At

19908-461: The significance of the peak has inspired a number of literary works, including the hymn " High on the Mountain Top ." Several businesses and organizations, often affiliated with the LDS Church, have names inspired by the peak; such as Ensign College , Ensign Peak Advisors , and the Ensign Peak Foundation . The peak is part of a low range of hills called the "Salt Lake Salient" (also known as

20066-559: The stage with figure skater Katarina Witt ). Most of the 2,500 athletes paraded into Rice-Eccles Stadium , watching from the stands. Bobsledding bronze medalist Brian Shimer carried the American flag. Russia and South Korean both threatened to boycott the ceremony to protest what they felt was unfair judging, but showed up anyway. Many improvements were made to the area's infrastructure. $ 1.59 billion were spent on highway improvements, including improvements of Interstate 15 through

20224-421: The surveyor and the territorial government the first surveyor general abandoned his post in 1857. His successors recommended that no additional land be surveyed. Conflict between the federal and territorial governments kept the issue on hold until 1868, and in the meantime, large sections of the territory were transferred to neighboring territories and states. Again in 1868, Congress directed the President to appoint

20382-515: The temple ceremony and decreed that church members could act as proxy for anyone they could identify by name. He also ended sealings of members to unrelated priesthood holders . In 1882, Woodruff went into hiding to avoid arrest for unlawful cohabitation under the Edmunds Act . In 1889, Woodruff became the fourth president of the LDS Church. After government disenfranchisement of polygamists and women in Utah Territory and seizure of church properties, which threatened to extend to temples, Woodruff ended

20540-486: The temple ceremony. McAllister served as first counselor in the temple presidency and later succeeded Woodruff as temple president in 1884. In February 1877, Woodruff received a revelation that church members could act as a proxy in the temple for not only their own relatives, but for anyone they could identify by name. Woodruff stated that temple presidents were "authorized to exercise discretion in permitting persons to be baptized for friends." In 1893, Lorenzo Snow made it

20698-446: The temple on April 30, 1846. Woodruff oversaw 40 families, and they stayed at Winter Quarters. Many people got sick in Winter Quarters, and Woodruff's 16-month-old son, Joseph, died of a respiratory infection on November 12, 1846. Phebe's friend from England, Jane Benbow, also died, and Phebe went into labor 6 weeks early, giving birth to a son who died two days after birth. Woodruff joined an advance company that left in April 1847 to find

20856-468: The temple. He also sealed five single women to his recently deceased son Brigham. He was baptized on behalf of the signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and other Founding Fathers . He stated in a September 16, 1877, discourse that he had been visited by the departed spirits of these men. Many of the proxy baptisms for the Founding Fathers had been done previously in Nauvoo and in

21014-586: The time of the founding of Salt Lake City the valley was within the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone , who had their seasonal camps along streams within the valley and in adjacent valleys. One of the local Shoshone tribes, the Western Goshute tribe, referred to the Great Salt Lake as Pi'a-pa , meaning "big water", or Ti'tsa-pa , meaning "bad water". The land was treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by

21172-399: The top, they surveyed the region and Young decided to the build the city and its temple at the very base of the mountain's slope. Tradition holds that the men planted an American flag atop the peak to claim what was then Mexican territory for the United States. This legend has often been repeated in literature and celebratory speeches, and the supposed event is even memorialized as part of

21330-468: The traditional vote of approval at April's general conference until both repented. Utah became a state with a Republican majority in the state government. Thatcher refused to reconcile with the apostles and continued to experience ill health. George Q. Cannon drafted a "Political Manifesto" at Woodruff's request. It stated that religion and politics had always been separate in the church, but that people in full-time church positions should get approval from

21488-546: The union upon President Grover Cleveland 's decree after the LDS Church agreed to ban polygamy in 1890. In 1907, Salt Lake City was home to Industrial Workers of the World Industrial Union No. 202. The city adopted a non-partisan city council in 1911. As LDS/non-LDS tensions eased people began to work together for the common good, improving roads, utilities and public healthcare. The Great Depression hit Salt Lake City especially hard. At its peak,

21646-583: The valley floor making it a prominent feature above the city. Although prominent, commentators have not always thought it a beautiful element of the landscape. The first mayor of Salt Lake City, Jedediah M. Grant , called it "a big toe of the Wahsatch range" while writing to the New York Herald in 1852, and it was later dubbed an "ugly nub" by a writer for the Deseret News . Early members of

21804-493: The vanguard company of Mormon pioneers , and for many years after that by those following them to Salt Lake. On July 24, 1847, 143 men, three women and two children founded Great Salt Lake City several miles to the east of the Great Salt Lake , nestled in the northernmost reaches of the Salt Lake Valley. The first two in this company to enter the Salt Lake valley were Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow . These members of

21962-407: The very center of the hill when viewed from the city below. The pole, just over 100 feet (30 m) high and made of iron, was placed on July 17, 1897. The US flag was then raised on this pole on July 24, 1897, 50 years after the arrival of the pioneers. The 1897 flagpole, damaged by bullets and wind, was replaced by a three-legged pole in 1915. As part of the centennial celebration of the arrival of

22120-457: The women of Utah being granted the right to vote. Woodruff's second marriage to Mary Ann Jackson ended in divorce a year after their son, James, was born in 1847. Woodruff's third and fourth marriages ended in divorce only three weeks after their sealing, after the two young women started dating men their own age. In 1852, Woodruff married Mary Giles Meeks Webster and Clarissa Henrietta Hardy, but Mary died that same year and Clarissa divorced him

22278-464: The years, all without serious action until the 1990s. In 1953, Salt Lake City sold the land below the peak, known as Ensign Flats, to developers who then constructed the Ensign Downs neighborhood. Only 9 acres (3.6 ha) at the very top of the peak were retained by the city. By the 1980s, as development of the neighborhood continued, city residents became concerned with possible encroachment onto

22436-422: Was "perhaps, the best chronicler of events in all the history of the Church". The diaries are "one of the significant records of 19th-century Mormonism". In an introduction to selections from Woodruffs journals, compiler Susan Staker wrote that the journals were "public, official—and ultimately very male". In addition to writing in his diary, Woodruff wrote over 12,000 letters during his lifetime, sometimes keeping

22594-539: Was 18 years old, which was unusual at the time. He survived having typhus and numerous accidents. At age 20, Woodruff left home to manage a flour mill for his aunt, and after three years, operated mills for other people until moving to Richland, New York , with his brother, Azmon, in 1832. During his time as a mill operator, he studied religion and became interested in Restorationism. Woodruff had his local Baptist minister, Mr. Phippen, baptize him without making him

22752-458: Was a member of the legislative house from its formation in 1851 until 1854, and then served in the legislative council from 1854 until 1876. Woodruff promoted public schools and noted attendance statistics when he traveled to southern Utah. Woodruff served as a member of the 1862 Utah Constitutional Convention and the committee that drafted the appeal to the U.S. Congress to approve the constitution and grant statehood for Utah. This attempt to join

22910-484: Was an Assistant Church Historian from 1856 to 1883 and was the church's eleventh official Church Historian from 1883 to 1889. Woodruff and his assistants compiled and edited historical documents from Joseph Smith's and Brigham Young's lives. They also wrote biographies of members of the Council of the Twelve. Edward Tullidge helped Woodruff write his autobiography in 1856. Woodruff's teachings as an apostle were

23068-530: Was at the cross-roads of the westward trek, became a vital trading point for speculators and prospectors traveling through. They came with goods from the East , such as clothing and other manufactured items, trading with the local farmers for fresh livestock and crops . The Congress organized the Utah Territory out of the " State of Deseret " in 1850, and a few months later on January 6, 1851,

23226-538: Was coming over the mountains, he had a dream of an angel standing on a conical hill, which pointed to an area where a new temple should be built. And when coming down into the valley, Young first looked for that cone-shaped hill. William Minturn also wrote that Young was shown by an angel, standing on a conical hill, where a temple should be built. He stated it was believed by some the angel was Joseph Smith. Richard Francis Burton , another British author, wrote that Young had seen Joseph Smith appear on Ensign Peak and point out

23384-505: Was denied statehood, Woodruff personally traveled to California in 1889 to speak with politicians. During Woodruff's tenure, the church faced a number of legal battles with the United States. The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862 made it illegal for religious entities to own property worth more than $ 50,000 in any territory, and the Edmunds–Tucker Act of 1887 put forth the procedure for confiscating Church property. Marshal Dyer became

23542-470: Was done by nine young women, all descendants of those who had made the first climb. The monument is 18.47 feet (5.63 m) high (in honor of 1847, the arrival year of the Mormon pioneers) and roughly 100 stones from historic locations were included in its construction. A bronze interpretive plaque, supplied by the UPTLA, was built into the monument's face. Plans to improve the peak as a park came and went over

23700-470: Was elected to be part of the city council in Provo; Delight moved to Provo to facilitate his work there. Woodruff was the founding director of Zion's Cooperative Savings Bank in August 1871. He was also on the board of directors for ZCMI . When Brigham Young set up United Order communities in 1874, Woodruff helped organize United Orders in Provo, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, and Lehi, but did not enroll in

23858-534: Was introduced to Phebe by Milton Holmes on January 28, 1837. She was a native of Maine and had become a Latter Day Saint in 1834. Woodruff and Phebe were married on April 13, 1837, with the ceremony performed by Frederick G. Williams . Their marriage was later sealed in Nauvoo by Hyrum Smith . Due to a loss of records, this ordinance was later repeated by Heber C. Kimball in Salt Lake City in 1853. Phebe accompanied her husband on his 1837–1838 mission to

24016-650: Was ordained as a priest in 1834 and volunteered to serve a mission . After donating all his belongings to the church, Woodruff left Kirtland on January 12, 1835, preaching without "purse or scrip" in Arkansas and Tennessee . Woodruff's original companion was Harry Brown, who later left Woodruff to return to his family in Kirtland. Most of the mission, Woodruff preached in small towns and villages in western Kentucky and Tennessee and supported new members there. Warren Parrish ordained Woodruff as an elder in June 1835, and Woodruff heard in February 1836 that Smith had called him as

24174-557: Was originally settled by Latter-day Saint Pioneers to be the New Zion according to church President and leader Brigham Young. Young originally governed both the territory and church by a High council which enacted the original municipal orders in 1848. This system was later replaced with a city council and mayor style government. After a very difficult winter and a miraculous crop retrieval, in which Pioneers reported to have been saved from cricket infestation by seagulls (see Miracle of

24332-549: Was placed on the peak by the Salt Lake Herald newspaper in 1897 as part of a semi-centennial celebration of the pioneer arrival. The Herald formed the "Herald Ensign Peak Flag Association" to solicit donations early that year and contributions came from as far as Switzerland. With assistance from the Utah National Guard 's signal corp, a spot for the flagpole was located on the peak, so as to appear in

24490-537: Was sealed to Woodruff as a plural wife in 1897, there is no evidence for it. According to Thomas G. Alexander , Mountford was away giving lectures in California while Woodruff was in Oregon at the time that Quinn postulated they were sealed. On May 30, 1837, a month after his marriage to Phebe, Woodruff left Kirtland with Jonathan Hale and Milton Holmes to serve a mission in New England. According to their accounts,

24648-667: Was sold to the May Department Stores Company in 1999. Remaining ZCMI stores, including one in downtown Salt Lake City, were converted into Meier & Frank stores, although the facade still reads "1868 ZCMI 1999". In April 1999, the Salt Lake City council voted 5 to 2 along LDS membership lines to sell to the LDS Church the segment of Main Street that lay between Temple Square and the LDS Church office buildings for $ 8.1 million. The Church planned to build

24806-486: Was succeeded as church president by his son-in-law, Lorenzo Snow . Woodruff was buried at the Salt Lake City Cemetery . Woodruff's journals are a significant contribution to LDS Church history. He kept a daily record of his life and activities within the LDS Church, beginning with his mission to the southern states in 1835. Matthias F. Cowley , editor of his published journals, observed that Woodruff

24964-554: Was there and had given birth three days earlier to a daughter named Shuah. The apostles assigned Woodruff to preside over the Eastern States Mission, centered in Boston. Phebe was specially blessed to teach and be a mother in Israel, and they left Winter Quarters in June 1848. Shuah died, probably of dysentery, on July 22 during the journey east. Phebe went with the children to visit her father in Maine while Woodruff organized church work on

#207792