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Congressional Daily Record
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July 23, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 812—RECOGNIZING THE 179TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL
OF PIONEERS BELONGING TO THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY
SAINTS TO THE GREAT SALT LAKE VALLEY, HONORING THE ENDURING PIONEER
SPIRIT THAT SHAPED THE AMERICAN WEST, AND CELEBRATING ITS CONTINUED
RELEVANCE TO THE UNFOLDING AMERICAN STORY
Mr. CURTIS (for himself, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Crapo) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 812
Whereas the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (referred
to in this preamble as the “Church”) sought nothing more
than the freedom to worship according to the dictates of
their own conscience;
Whereas, in the years following the establishment of the
Church, the early members of the Church endured repeated
persecution, including mob violence, the destruction of their
homes and crops, the loss of their property, and forced
displacement from one settlement after another;
Whereas, on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, the leader and
prophet of the Church, was murdered by an armed mob, leaving
the Church and its members facing an uncertain future;
Whereas Brigham Young, who succeeded Joseph Smith as leader
of the Church, concluded that safety and religious liberty
could only be found far beyond the settled United States and
organized the Church's members for a journey into the
wilderness of the American West;
Whereas, beginning in February 1846, thousands of Latter-
day Saint pioneers set out across the frozen Iowa plains and
ultimately traveled more than 1,300 miles by wagon and, for
many, by foot, crossing prairies, deserts, mountains, and
rivers to reach their new home;
Whereas the Latter-day Saint pioneers endured extreme cold,
disease, hunger, and exhaustion during the journey, and many
families buried children, parents, and spouses along the
trail, their graves marking a path of sacrifice across the
American West;
Whereas, upon entering the Great Salt Lake Valley on July
24, 1847, Brigham Young declared, “This is the right
place,” foretelling how the valley would become home to many
Latter-day Saint pioneers and their posterity;
Whereas, within days of their arrival, the Latter-day Saint
pioneers laid out a city, plowed fields, irrigated the
desert, and began to build homes, mills, and churches where
none had stood before;
Whereas, over the following decades, tens of thousands more
Latter-day Saint pioneers followed the same trail, and,
together with earlier arrivals, established more than 500
communities throughout the American West, transforming the
region into a place of prosperity;
Whereas the industry of the Latter-day Saint pioneers
extended far beyond their own settlements, as they built
roads and bridges, operated ferries across major rivers,
planted way-station crops, and assisted thousands of other
westward-bound emigrants who relied on the resources and
goodwill the Latter-day Saint pioneers had established;
Whereas, on July 24, 1849, the Latter-day Saint pioneers
held their first formal commemoration of the anniversary of
their arrival, gathering for a procession and a public
celebration of thanksgiving in Salt Lake City;
Whereas that observance has continued for 177 years and is
now celebrated annually as “Pioneer Day,” a Utah State
holiday marked by parades, rodeos, reenactments, fireworks,
and civic gatherings that welcome participants of every faith
and background;
Whereas the story of the Latter-day Saint pioneers is, at
its core, a distinctly American story of a people who, having
been denied protection and refuge, built both for themselves
and for the generations who followed;
Whereas the pioneer spirit of self-reliance, enterprise,
and perseverance that carried the Latter-day Saint pioneers
across the plains continues today in the character of the
American West, which remains a place where individuals and
communities join together to solve hard problems and build
for the future; and
Whereas the legacy of the Latter-day Saint pioneers stands
as a lasting reminder that the American story is written not
only by the founding generation, but by every generation that
chooses to press forward with unconquerable faith and
undaunted hope: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) recognizes the 179th anniversary of the arrival of
Latter-day Saint pioneers to the Great Salt Lake Valley on
July 24, 1847, and the annual observance of “Pioneer Day”
that commemorates it;
(2) honors the extraordinary sacrifice of the Latter-day
Saint pioneers, including those who gave their lives along
the trail, in pursuit of religious liberty and a place to
call home;
(3) commends the Latter-day Saint pioneers and their
descendants for their foundational role in settling and
developing the American West, and for a legacy of industry,
cooperation, and faith that continues to benefit the United
States; and
(4) encourages all the people of the United States to
reflect on the enduring virtues of the Latter-day Saint
pioneers and to carry forward, in their own generation, that
same spirit of resilience in the continuation of the American
story.
Mr. CURTIS. Mr. President, tomorrow, Utahns will celebrate Pioneer Day, which commemorates the arrival of the first company of Latter-day Saint pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.
strange local observance, but the values it commemorates are profoundly American and can resonate with all of us. We recognize not only a historic journey but the enduring pioneer spirit that helped shape the American West and continues to shape our country today.
sought to actualize our first freedom and something every American should cherish: religious liberty. Instead, they were driven from their homes, stripped of their property, and forced to flee into an uncertain wilderness. Thousands traveled more than 1,300 miles across plains, deserts, and mountains.
true that it challenged me, but I had every modern advantage, including seven pairs of shoes, a support team, and an RV to sleep in. Their sacrifice was of an entirely different magnitude: parents buried children, children buried parents, spouses buried their soulmates. Yet they sang a song that will be sung in many church buildings across Utah on Sunday: “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” In that song, they sing “All is well,” for they had a vision of a land, as the song goes, “far away in the West, where none shall come to hurt or make afraid; there the Saints will be blessed.”
didn't dwell on all they had lost; they focused on what they could build. Within days, they were planting crops, digging irrigation canals, laying out streets, and creating communities where none had existed before. Over the decades that followed, they established hundreds of settlements across the Mountain West, built roads and bridges, and helped countless other immigrants travel west.
That is the pioneer spirit. That is the American spirit. It is resilience in the face of hardship. It is self-reliance married with cooperation. It is choosing to build instead of surrender.
values are as relevant today as they were nearly 180 years ago. Every generation faces its own frontier. Ours may not be crossing the plains, but we are still called to solve difficult problems, to contribute meaningfully to our communities, and to leave a better nation for those who inherit it.
Americans still want to build something meaningful. They still want to provide for their families. They still want their children to inherit greater opportunities than they themselves received. Those aspirations haven't changed. What has changed is that sometimes we forget the virtues and the sacrifices that are required to achieve them.
heritage and channeling that spirit in our own hearts because the American story has never belonged to just one generation. It is written by each generation willing to work, sacrifice, and build for the next.
is about more than honoring the past. It is about carrying forward the virtues that made those pioneers successful: faith, sacrifice, community, industry, and perseverance. May we honor their legacy by living those same values and by continuing to move our Nation forward one faithful step at a time.