Famous Photo

Primary Source – Golden Spike It was a very hilarious occasion; everybody had all they wanted to drink all the time. Some of the participants got ‘sloppy,’ and these were not all Irish and Chinese by any means. When they came to drive the last spike, Governor Stanford, president of the Central Pacific, took the sledge, and the first time he struck he missed the spike and hit the rail. What a howl went up! Irish, Chinese, Mexicans, and everybody yelled with delight. 'He missed it. Yee.' The engineers blew the whistles and rang their bells. Then Stanford tried it again and tapped the spike and the telegraph operators had fixed their instruments so that the tap was reported in all the offices east and west, and set bells to tapping in hundreds of towns and cities... Then Vice President T. C. Durant of the Union Pacific took up the sledge and he missed the spike the first time. Then everybody slapped everybody else again and yelled, 'He missed it too, yow!' It was a great occasion, everyone carried off souvenirs and there are enough splinters of the last tie in museums to make a good bonfire. (Written by Alexander Topence, meat supplier, May 10, 1869)

Starting Life in the Valley Mormon pioneers were divided into “wards” according to where they lived. “Stakes” were groups of wards. Ward and stake leaders were in charge of everyday survival and religious matters. Land was given according to the needs of each family. Extra food was given to the “bishop” (leader of the ward) who gave to the poor and new immigrants.

Schools in Utah Territory First schools were LDS Church schools; people had to pay for their children to attend Religions (such as Presbyterians) started missionary schools to try to influence Mormon children to give up their religion 1890 – Free Public School Act passed – free elementary schools for all younger children (not for older kids) 1850 – University of Deseret (later the University of Utah) started by Brigham Young as the territory governor; first one in Utah

Polygamy Some Church members practiced plural marriage or polygamy They thought it was a commandment, but the rest of the nation saw it as a challenge to the morality of the country. Only a small percentage of men practiced polygamy and they were usually Church leaders. Most Mormons were monogamous (only one spouse)

Religions in Utah First Congregational – Reverend Norman McLeod built Independence Hall in SLC, a meeting place for many religions Presbyterians – First worship service in Corinne; built schools first and churches later Methodists – Tried to get Mormons to see the errors in their religion Evangelical Lutheran Church – Spanish Fork Jews – Yom Kippur 1864

Episcopalian The Episcopalians built many churches, schools, and hospitals in Utah. In the summer of 1867, the Reverend Daniel S Tuttle moved to Utah. He was the first person to lead a non- Mormon church service in Utah. He opened the first nondenominational school, where students of any religion could attend. They built: St. John’s in Layton Saint Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City

Catholic Catholic soldiers were among the army volunteers who came in 1862 to Camp Douglas. Father Patrick Walsh helped build the first Catholic Church in Utah and held the first services in Ogden. Father Lawrence Scanlan organized mission schools, hospitals, churches, and the completion of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City. Father Scanlan used the Mormon tabernacle in St. George for a Catholic mass and explained the meaning of the clothing used at the mass, winning the esteem of people in St. George.

Celebrations Utahns celebrated the 4 th of July, Christmas, and Pioneer Day on July 24 th. Parades and speeches were held when important people came to visit. Every town had a choir, acting company, and band, and dancing parties were held often.

Communication Newspapers – Deseret News first published in 1850 Union Vedette was started by General Patrick Connor and it later became the Salt Lake Tribune (Mormon vs. non-Mormon paper) Pony Express – Read newspaper ad on pg Carried mail from Missouri to California in 10 days; fresh ponies at relay stations every 10 miles Used orphans; ran from April 1860 to October 1861 Telegraph lines across the nation joined in SLC in News of the Civil War was especially important.

Transportation Revolution The first pioneers walked to Utah or had animals pull their wagons. Later, others came by stagecoach until the power of steam engines was used to make trains. Electricity for city trolley cars came after that By 1896 when Utah became a state, a few gasoline-powered horseless carriages had come to the state.

The Railroad! After the Civil War ended, Congress wanted ways to bring the nation together. One of the ways was to build a transcontinental railroad. Many Utahns were excited about the train that would pass through Utah, but others were not. There were two companies who were building the transcontinental railroad. The Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska and worked its way west. The Central Pacific started working eastward from Sacramento, California. They joined at Promontory Point, UT. See map on page 156.

Railroad Workers It took an army of workers to lay all those miles of track. Most of the workers were immigrants from Ireland (UP) and China (CP). At first much of the Union Pacific track was laid on flat prairie land, but the route of the Central Pacific passed through the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. The work was hard and dangerous in a harsh climate. Many workers died from accidents while setting off dynamite to blast through the mountains.

Golden Spike Ceremony at Promontory Summit On a cold, windy day on May 10 th, 1869, people gathered around where tracks from the two rail lines met. California’s governor took a swing with a sledgehammer to drive in the last railroad spike, and missed. He swung and missed again. Another official tried and he also missed. Finally a regular railroad worker took over and he didn’t miss. The news was sent by telegraph to the nation and there was a big celebration!

Effects of the Railroad Move people quickly in and out of Utah Territory Quickly move raw materials from mines to manufacturing centers Bring goods from the East Expand Utah’s markets – wheat, fruits Stimulate business in Utah – banking, mining, stores, manufacturing

Business and Manufacturing People came to Utah to open stores and other businesses Jewish merchants opened stores Banking, mining, railroad, and manufacturing were big businesses Stores supplied cloth, clothes, boots, school supplies, furniture, and building supplies

Mining in Utah Territory Utah was rich in mineral ore - gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, and coal. Most of the people were farmers, not miners, so they mined just enough to meet their needs. Railroad dramatically improved mining because minerals could be easily shipped outside of Utah. Mining grew until the two most common careers in Utah were farming and mining.

A Miner’s Life It was dangerous working in tunnels far under the ground. People might fall from the deep mine elevators, called hoists. They could be hit by falling rocks or get run over by fast-moving mining cars. Sometimes tunnels collapsed, trapping everyone inside. Many developed lung diseases from breathing so much dust.

A Miner’s Life Sometimes the air in the mines was filled with deadly gases. (Miners sometimes took a canary down with them because if the canary died, they knew it was unsafe and they needed to get out. Canaries need even more oxygen than miners.) Sometimes the gases caused explosions.

Daily life in the Utah mining camps was no different than in other western mining regions, but it was very different than the small Mormon communities. Towns were built without a set plan. Many towns such as Alta, Park City, and Bingham were built in canyons so the streets were narrow and winding. Some mining towns, such as Alta and Park City, became ski resorts. Others became ghost towns.