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Although most early pioneers
travelled west using covered wagons and teams of
oxen, there were many who couldn't afford such
travelling accommodations. The less expensive
handcart, much like a large shallow wheelbarrow,
allowed the poorer pioneers to make the journey
west.
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The history of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints comes alive in the
Museum of Church History and Art through exhibits
about migration, settlements, and the people who
have served the church from 1830 to the present
day.
The picture (below) shows a replica
of the large 'handcart' sculpture situated close
to the Assembly Hall. Because travel was more
difficult with a handcart, it became a familiar
symbol of dedication and duty to God. Leaving
late in the summer, the migrants risked bad weather,
exposure, and even death, in order to unite with the
main body of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
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A glimpse of Salt Lake City's past
may be caught in the Deuel Pioneer Log Cabin,
located between the Museum of Church History and
Art and the Family History Library. The cabin is
typical of many of the homes built in the Great
Salt Lake Valley during the 1840s and 50s.
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A view from the library of the
Church of Latter-day Saints of Temple Square. The
domed roof of the Mormon Tabernacle is on the
right. Construction on the Tabernacle began in
1863 and ended in 1875. The exterior of the
completed building is 150 feet wide, 250 feet
long, and 80 feet high.
Henry Grow's bridge-building technique
enabled the Tabernacle roof structure to span the
150-foot width without center supports. Meetings
and concerts are still held in this historic
building.
The impressive Tabernacle organ
was built by Joseph Harris Ridges. Suitable
timber for the case was brought by volunteers
from the Parowan and Pine Valley Mountains, three
hundred miles south of Salt Lake City. In later
years the organ has been rebuilt, electrified,
and enlarged to house its current 11,623
pipes.
On the westward trek across the
American continent singing hymns around the
campfire became a nightly custom of the pioneers.
One of these hymns, "Come, Come, Ye Saints" by
William Clayton' retains an exalted place in the
repertoire of the Tabernacle Choir. A choir was
officially formed in August 1847, one month after
the pioneers entered the valley, and has since
grown to be one of the world's most respected
musical organizations.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has
gained numerous awards, including a Grammy for
its rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the
Republic", five gold records and one platinum
record. The choir has appeared at five
presidential inaugurations, in several films, and
has performed with the Columbia Symphony
Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra,
the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra of London, the Jerusalem
Symphony Orchestra and the Utah Symphony.
Since making its first gramophone
(phonograph) record in 1910 the choir has
produced more than 150 recordings. The choir's
first network radio program was transmitted on
July 15, 1929. The choir's "Music and the Spoken
Word" is now the oldest continuous nationwide
network broadcast (on both radio and television)
in America.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is
comprised of 325 men and women. For many, choir
membership is a family tradition. There are
husband-wife combinations and many families boast
two or more generations of choir membership.
Choir members do not receive any monetary
compensation for their performances.
Visitors can hear the Mormon
Tabernacle Choir at free performances inside the
Tabernacle on Temple Square. A performance each
Thursday from 8 to 9:30 p.m. is a rehearsal open
to the public. On Sundays, the broadcast of
"Music and the Spoken Word" begins at 9:30 a.m.
- the audience must be seated by 9:15 a.m. to
avoid interrupting the broadcast.
(The photos below and top, and
parts of the text above, with acknowledgement to
the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
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Brigham Young, community leader and
president of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, viewed a planned
transcontinental rail line with interest. He was
aware of the role that a railroad could play in
uniting the community as well as
connecting the region with the outside world.
After representatives of both the Central Pacific
and the Union Pacific had met with him and explained
the difficulty and extra expense of aligning a
route through Salt Lake City, Young accepted the
decision but helped as much as he could to hasten
the completion of the project, including
arranging for the use of local contractors in the
construction of the tracks across the
territory.
Work on the transcontinental route
started in 1863 with the Union Pacific section
coming from Omaha, Nebraska in the east and the
Central Pacific Railroad from Sacramento
(California). The two systems met at Promontory
Summit to the north-east of Salt Lake City on 10
May 1869 the event being celebrated by the
driving of golden spikes to fix the last section
of rail.
In 1903 this part of the route was
diverted but two miles of the original railroad
bed at this historic site have been preserved.
New rails have been laid and replicas of the two
steam locomotives from east and west that met
here in 1869 continue to entertain visitors to
the site. The station at Salt Lake City has a
plaque in the forecourt which also commemorates
the events of 1869.
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