The Utah valley where 148 Mormon pioneers found their promised land after 1,300 miles of walking

This Is The Place Heritage Park

On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young gazed across the Salt Lake Valley from a wagon and made history with four simple words.

“This is the right place, drive on” he told his driver, sealing the fate of 148 tired pioneers who had walked 1,300 miles from Illinois.

Three days earlier, scouts Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow had entered the valley first, waving their hats in joy.

Here’s what happened that July, preserved at the This Is The Place Heritage Park you can visit today.

Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow Scout The Valley First

Two scouts entered the Salt Lake Valley before the main group arrived. Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow became the first Mormon pioneers to reach the valley on July 21, 1847.

The main company sent these men ahead to find the best route. They traveled through Emigration Canyon and emerged to see the vast valley spread before them.

The sight moved them so much they shouted with joy. Their report confirmed this valley matched what their previous leader Joseph Smith had described as their future home.

The Advance Company Prepares The Way

More pioneers came through the canyon the next day. On July 22, 1847, workers cut a road through Donner Hill in just four hours.

That same day, Orson Pratt took eight men to find good farmland. They chose an area near City Creek with fertile soil and fresh water. This spot became the center of the first settlement.

By July 23, pioneers began plowing and building a dam on City Creek. These quick actions showed their plan to turn desert into farmland before winter.

Brigham Young’s Mountain Fever

The Mormon leader almost missed seeing their new home. Brigham Young fell very sick with “mountain fever” during the final part of the journey.

His illness caused chills, coughing, headaches, and body pain. He became so sick that he had to ride in Wilford Woodruff’s wagon instead of on horseback.

Despite his suffering, Young pushed forward. He knew thousands of followers waited for him to find their new home after years of being forced to move from place to place.

The Historic July 24th Arrival

The final wagons entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Utah now celebrates this date as Pioneer Day. Brigham Young arrived at the City Creek camp around 2 PM.

Though weak from illness, he asked to look out from the wagon to see the valley. When Young reached camp, he found the advance party had already planted five acres of potatoes.

They had even started watering crops with creek water. Plans for a permanent settlement began taking shape that same day.

The Famous Declaration

The exact words Brigham Young spoke when first seeing the valley remain unclear. Wilford Woodruff, who drove Young’s wagon, wrote that Young simply “expressed his full satisfaction in the Appearance of the valley as A resting place for the Saints.”

The famous phrase “This is the place” first appeared when Woodruff mentioned it in an 1880 speech, 33 years after the event. No records from 1847 capture these exact words. The phrase stuck because it perfectly summed up the end of the Mormon journey.

Planning The New Settlement

Brigham Young quickly established their new home. On July 28, 1847, just four days after arriving, he picked the spot for the future Salt Lake Temple.

Young pushed his cane into the ground and announced, “Here shall stand the temple of our God.” He had seen the temple in visions and knew the spot at once.

That same day, he shared a complete city plan with the group. This blueprint guided what would become Salt Lake City.

The First Week Of Settlement

The pioneers accomplished much in their first week. They plowed and planted 53 acres with potatoes, peas, beans, corn, oats, and buckwheat.

Water became their first priority in the desert. They built ditches by damming and diverting City Creek to water their fields.

Small groups explored the Great Salt Lake Valley and nearby canyons to find resources. Others built roads to nearby forests to gather building materials.

Climbing Ensign Peak

Two days after arriving, Brigham Young led church leaders up a peak north of camp. On July 26, 1847, they climbed what became known as Ensign Peak.

At the top, Young said it “was a proper place to raise an ensign to the nations.” An ensign means a flag or standard with religious meaning.

This statement gave the mountain its name. Despite some stories, no flag was raised that day. The peak became an important landmark for incoming pioneers who followed.

Laying Out The City

Brigham Young had planned their city before seeing the land. He named the settlement “The City of the Great Salt Lake.”

He divided the city into ten-acre blocks, with each block split into eight equal lots for families. The streets formed a grid pattern running north-south and east-west.

Young made the streets 132 feet wide – enough for a team of four oxen to turn around easily. This unique layout still shapes downtown Salt Lake City today.

The Growing Pioneer Population

The first group of pioneers grew quickly. By July 29, 1847, another 200 Latter-day Saints reached the valley.

This new group included members of the Mormon Battalion sick detachment. These were Mormon volunteers who had joined the U.S.

Army but became too ill to continue military service. By late July, about 350 people lived in the valley. By year’s end, over 2,000 pioneers had arrived as news spread that their promised land had been found.

Visiting This Is The Place Heritage Park

You’ll find This Is The Place Heritage Park at 2601 East Sunnyside Avenue in Salt Lake City, Utah. The park spans 450 acres at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.

The park offers year-round access to the historic monuments and Heritage Village with its pioneer-era buildings. A train ride takes you through the grounds, passing key historic sites including a Native American village.

The park hosts special events throughout the year, including Pioneer Day celebrations every July 24th.

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