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July 24, 2017

John Henri Moser (1876-1951),

Pioneers Entering Salt Lake Valley, 1935, oil on masonite, 36 x 40 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.

Happy Pioneer Day! Today, throughout the State of Utah, we commemorate the day that the first Mormon pioneers entered into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The day is celebrated with fireworks, parades, and appreciation for the sacrifices these men, women, and children made to find their place in the West. Today's Artwork of the Day by John Henri Moser illustrates the first wagons entering the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Moser himself was a pioneer immigrant from Switzerland, crossing the plains in a covered wagon in the 1880s.

“We’ll find the place with God for us prepared,/ Far away in the West,/ Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;/ There the Saints will be blessed./ We’ll make the air with music ring,/ Shout praises to our God and King;/ Above the rest these words we’ll tell -/ All is well! All is well!”

– William Clayton, “Come, Come, Ye Saints” (Hymn 30)