[Teachldsseminary] Pioneer Christmas

[Linda Harper]

I also had this in my files about Christmas in Pioneer times. I thought I'd 
share.



Linda Harper



***

This comes from the  Improvement Era, December 1941, pp.724.

Written by E. Cecil McGavin.

“Christmas always had a strong appeal to the pioneers and was  observed by 
them no matter what their conditions were.

During the autumn of 1847, the harvest was so meager in Salt Lake  Valley 
that no special Thanksgiving service was held, yet the pioneers  did not 
fail to remember Christmas.  Though food supplies were scarce,  and their 
reasons for merriment were limited, Lorenzo D. Young wrote of  that first 
Christmas the pioneers spent in the Salt Lake Valley:

I gave a Christmas dinner.  Father John Smith, Brother John Young,  Brother 
Pierce, and their wives, and also Brother Jedediah M. Grant,  Sister Snow 
and Harriet and Martha took dinner with us.  After dinner  Father Smith 
blessed our little Lorenzo.  The occasion was a most  pleasant one and the 
day was spent in social chat, singing, etc.  A  prayer was offered up by 
Brother Grant.  Brother Brigham and his quorum  were remembered in 
particular.  My house was dedicated to the Lord.

During the Christmastide in 1847, it was written in the Journal History 
concerning the Church members in Iowa:

Friday, December 24, President Young and party proceeded to Miller’s  Hollow 
[now Council Bluffs, Iowa] where the brethren had built a log  house, forty 
by sixty feet, capable of seating about one thousand  persons.  The house 
was dedicated by Elder Orson Pratt as a house of  prayer and thanksgiving. 
The congregation was addressed by Elders  Wilford Woodruff and Orson Pratt, 
and in the afternoon by Elders Amasa  M. Lyman, Geo. A. Smith, and President 
Young.  Elder Wm. I. Appleby  preached during the evening service.

On Christmas Day, 1849, a gay party was held in President Brigham  Young’s 
home.  One hundred and fifty persons had been invited for the  occasion. 
“The tables were twice filled by the company,” we read, “and  all were 
feated with the good things of the valley.  When the tables  were removed, 
dancing commenced, which was continued with energy and  without 
interruption, except for supper, till a late hour.”

On December 25, 1851, Captain Pitt’s band, consisiting of twenty-six 
members, promenaded the streets of Salt Lake City “and played before the 
houses of the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and others, while 
riding on horseback.”

The Journal History contains a complete and interesting account of  the 
celebration at Christmastime in 1851, from which we quote:

Christmas Day.  Fine weather prevailed in Great Salt Lake City.  all  the 
hands engaged on the public works attended a picnic party in the  Carpenter’s 
Shop on the ‘Temple Block which was cleared and decorated  for the occasion. 
Several hundred persons attended and enjoyed  themselves in both dance and 
song.  President Brigham Young was also  present.  The enjoyments were 
varied with songs and addresses.  The  brethren of the band serenaded the 
inhabitants of the City from midnight  till daylight  which was quite a 
treat.

Elder George D. Watt gives the following account of the Christmas 
festivities:

Early on Christmas Morning, Thursday, December 25, several companies  of 
serenaders, with brass instruments made the sleeping mountains echo  with 
the sound of rejoicing.  Our attention was drawn more particularly  to the 
Governor’s mansion, in the front of which was drawn up in  military order a 
troop of horsemen.  This was the brass band, giving his  Excellency a good 
wish in sweet strains.

At ten o’clock a.m., the committee of management was in respectful  waiting 
to receive those who were invited to the party.  The carpenter’s  hall, one 
hundred feet long and thirty-two feet wide, is  admirably  adapted for a 
mammoth party, which was comfortable, and suitably  decorated for the 
occasion.  Now the merry workmen, with their happy  wives, and smiling 
daughters, clad in genteel apparel, came pouring in  from every quarter, 
loaded with an abundance of luxuries of every  description which were 
deposited in an adjoining hall, called the  machine room, which is forty 
feet square, in which also was situated the  ladies’ dressing room.

At 11 o’clock the house was called to order, and a suitable prayer  and 
thanksgiving was offered up to the Donor of all good by Bishop N.H.  Felt. 
The band then struck up a merry tune, and his Excellency,  Governor Young, 
and Hon. H.C. Kimball and other distinguished personages  led off the first 
dance.

The excellent order, the quick succession of dances do great honor  to the 
mangers.  We counted from niney-six persons to one hundred  forty-four 
persons upon the floor at once.  These were set in order to  the same time 
that we have seen four cotillions in other parties.  There  was no 
confusion, no dissatisfied looks, no complaining, but the day  passed in 
peace and happy merriment, with thanksgiving to the Father of  all our 
mercies....

The atmosphere of our hall was not polluted with tobacco fumes, or  the 
stench of the drunkard’s breath.  No!  We breathed the pure mountain  air, 
drank of the mountaijn stream, and ate of the produce of the  mountains’ 
valleys, we thought on the gloomy past, and the glorious  present, and 
perspective future, every heart beat high with gratitude  and gladness, and 
every countenance was lit up with the bright fire of  enduring frienship.

About seven p.m. a few sons were sung by sundry individuals; one in 
particular called up feelings not strange to us was sung by Phinehas H. 
Young, entitled “Farewell to Nauvoo.”  This song gave the company ample 
opportunity of comparing the present with the past.

Governor Young arose to address the meeting, and congratulated the 
assemblyon their present situation and blessings as a people.

On Friday evening, December 26, the “public hands” again met in the 
Carpenters’ Shop where “dancing was kept up with great spit until  midnight 
when all separated highly delighted with their Christmas  festivities.  In 
the course of the evening Willard Richards spoke of the  difference between 
this evening and the 27th of June, 1844, when the  tragedy at Carthage, 
Illinois, took place.”

Elder George D. Watt gives the following account of this festival:

The seats in the Carpenters’ Hall were filled by the not to be  surpassed 
fair daughters of Zion, and the brave hearted sons of God.

The company was called to order, and prayer was offered up by A. H. 
Raleigh.  The dancing was conducted as on the previous day, and the same 
good order, joy and hilarity was manifested.

After the Hall was illuminated, the company was treated to a feast  in the 
shape of vocal and instrumental music by Mr. John Kay, his lady  and two 
daughters, the one performed well on the Guitar, and the other  on the 
Tambourine, at the same time accompanying their instruments with  their 
voices, this with the sweet voice of Mrs. Kay, and the deep bass  of Mr. Kay 
produced a species of harmony highly delightful to the ear.   The 
performance was much applauded.  Brother Kay sang the seer, in his  usual 
pathos and sweetness, which drew from President Richards, a few  touching 
remarks.  Elder George A. Smith also addressed the meeting for  a short 
time, after which the dance was resumed, and continued until 10  o’clock 
p.m.  A vote of thanks was moved for the mangers, which was  responded to by 
500 voices.  after the benediction from Father Cahoon,  the assembly 
retired, much gratifed with their Christmas festival, which  was the best 
they had ever witnessed.

In some of the communities of the Saints there were not enough food 
supplies to furnish the tables.  Despite this shortage there was always  a 
determined effort to celebrate Christmas in a suitable mannner and  make it 
the outstanding festival of the year.  Such a spirit was  manifested by the 
first settlers in Rockport Ward in Summit Stake.

The few families who moved to that region had taken but few cattle  with 
them that season.  At Christmastime they prepared a cooperative or 
community dinner.  In the Church record we read that “the men jointly 
purchased a piece of beef for which they agreed to pay in grain after  the 
following harvest.

Thus was the spirit of christmas kept alive by the pioneers, no  matter how 
limited thier resources were.”