Tomorrow’s Pioneer Day! I love it! It’s a state holiday here in Utah. We’ve never had a huge family tradition involved with Pioneer Day. The way we celebrate it changes every year. Sometimes we get together with extended family and share pioneer stories and eat homemade ice cream. Sometimes we eat food that is easier to prepare and just talk. One year we happened to be on the way home traveling by Cove Fort UT from a family vacation to CA, so we stopped to tour that pioneer building. Some years we have lived outside of Utah, but our church still had activities about Pioneer Day for which I’m grateful for.

What’s MOST important to me is to share stories about pioneers, whether they are related to me or not, whether they were literal pioneers who trekked across the plains or figurative pioneers who were the first to cross into unknown territory, pursuing truth. I want to make this pioneer storytelling an annual thing, so that my children left at home miss it if we don’t do it. I want them to leave my home knowing some of these stories so they will share them with their children.

Here are some pioneer stories you can share with your family.

-this one is about my husband’s ancestor, Charles Shumway. He was the first one to leave Nauvoo Illinois, crossing the frozen Mississippi River in February 1846. What bravery! I don’t know if I would be willing to be the first to trust that ice! As they crossed the river, Charles told his wife, “Don’t look back!” His life’s story is told in the novelization above by one of my husband’s distant cousins, Eva Conover.

-this story involves my ancestor, Zerah Pulsipher, photo above. He was at the meeting with other Saints after Joseph Smith was killed, where many, including him, say the face and voice of Brigham Young transformed to look and sound like Joseph Smith, so that they knew Brigham Young was to be the next president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This story was a prelude to the trek west, to lay the foundation for Brigham Young’s leadership.

-many people know this story of another one of my husband’s ancestors, Levi Savage Jr. He was part of the Martin Handcart Company. He was the one who told the people not to leave for the Utah Territory so late in the season, the end of summer. He was outvoted. He went with the group anyway, committing to them his full support. Never did he say, “I told you so!” even when they were caught in horrific snowstorms on their way. What a guy! Such a gentleman. You can watch his story played out in the Movie 17 Miracles, shown below.

-here’s a story of a pioneer in another land. He was the first in Austria to preach of the restored gospel. His name is Thomas Biesinger, and he ended up going to prison for teaching the truth of the restored gospel. You can read it here.

Julie Mavimbela was a pioneer in Africa. I love her story! Go here for more.

Here are a ton more Utah pioneer stories over here.

Then here are stories of pioneers in every land. Go read them! They are so awesome!!!!

And I have even more in my Family Devotionals Ebook. Go get it here.

Happy Pioneer Day!