Greetings From the Governor of Arizona

GREETINGS. from the Governor of Arizona to the Governor of Utah

Honorable Herbert B. Maw Governor of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah

My dear Governor Maw:

It is with pride and pleasure that I, in behalf of the citizens of Arizona, extend congratulations and best wishes to you and the people of Utah on the celebration of your Centennial.

The arrival of the Mormon Pioneers in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake one hundred years ago was a momentous event. It began the orderly colonization of the west. It began the heroic task of turning desolate wasteland into a productive empire, an achievement truly unequalled in the pages of history.

Your Centennial is in a sense our own. The establishment of the Mormon settlements in Arizona followed not long after the colonization of southern Utah. These brave pioneers brought the plow and peaceful pursuits into what was then the wild and hostile territory of Arizona. The contribution of these pioneers and their descendants to the building, development and growth of our state is beyond estimate.

As a mark of our admiration and esteem on the auspicious occasion in celebration of your One Hundredth Anniversary do we in Arizona transcribe this issue of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS to you, the people of Utah, our close friends and our good neighbors.

With all good wishes for the State of Utah, its people, and its Governor, I am

Sincerely,

Faith

One hundred years ago this coming July, the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Behind these people were years of persecution and suffering, the story of which is the cruelest page of religious intolerance in our history. The migration of the Mormons was epic and heroic. To reach the promised land of the West they suffered every privation, and it was a fact that the path they trod could be followed by the graves of those who died on the journey. Wind and time erased the tracks of their covered wagons but the lonely grave markers long after were guide posts through a barren and hostile wilderness.

They were a zealous, industrious, intelligent, deeply religious people. Their possessions were in their covered wagons that day the first party reached the summit overlooking the Valley, and their leader, Brigham Young, said: "This is the right place. Drive on." Here was earth awaiting the plow. Here was a place where they could build their homes, schools, churches. Here, above all, was a place where they could worship in their own way. This was the promised land.

What these pioneers lacked in worldly goods, they made up in faith; faith in the benevolence of God; faith in their church and their leaders; faith in themselves; faith in the strength of their own sturdy hands. They were children of God sent into the wilderness. God willing, they could not fail. They believed. Their faith was a shining light that sustained them through their darkest hours, through that first bitter winter, through drought, through hardship and want. They toiled in the desert and they made the desert bloom.

To Utah, then, are these pages devoted. We in Arizona are intimately concerned with the celebration in Utah, because Utah's history is tied up so closely with our own. Mormon settlers were among the very first to settle permanently in Arizona and today many of our residents are descendants of the pioneer group that arrived in Utah one hundred years ago.

We bring you history, fascinating pages in the story of the West. We tell you the story of the building of the Mormon Temple at St. George, Utah, and if you travel that way this summer, you will know why. This imposing religious structure dominates a beautiful valley, and when you read the conditions under which it was built, you will understand why the Mormons succeeded in what they undertook to do.

We point your way, in word and picture, to some of the scenic shrines of southern Utah-to Zion and Bryce National Parks, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Wayne Wonderland, to Arches and Bridges National Monuments. No journey through the West is complete unless some of these are included in the itinerary. We have tried to stress places that we have not shown you before, but we would be neglectful in our functions of a travel journal if we did not point out that part of Monument Valley is in Utah and that Rainbow Bridge is one of Utah's most precious scenic jewels.

Utah will be in a festive mood this summer. Celebrations commemorating the centennial will be held in all parts of the State, with the climax on Pioneers' Day in Salt Lake when "This is the Place" Monument will be dedicated. And we try to tell you something of the monument, which will last as long as time, forever enshrining the names and deeds of those who came so long ago.

Today we look back one hundred years to that memorable day in July, 1847, when the Mormon pioneers reached the end of the long journey to the West. We cannot help but be inspired by their achievements and by the fulfillment of their dreams and visioris. Nor should we of today be less impressed by the lessons learned from their history. Today, in a period of confusion and uncertainty following War, perhaps the best answer for us is the exercise of the simple virtues-common sense, thrift, hard work, courage and faith. We, too, can be grateful and humble for the blessings of Almighty God. We can believe in ourselves and the goodness of our neighbors. We can glory and be thankful for the richness of our fair land and, having faith, be unafraid before whatever trials and tribulations tomorrow may bring. We can shout, as Orson Pratt and Erastus Snow did long ago in Utah, "Hosannah, Hosannah, Hosannah." ... R. C.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS ARIZONA HIGHWAY COMMISSION

LEGEND

The people of the state of Arizona in these pages of ARIZONA HIGHWAYS proudly pay tribute to our neighbors in Utah on the 100th anniversary of their state's founding.

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is published monthly by the Arizona Highway Department, Phoenix, Arizona. Price: $2.00 per year, 35 cents per copy. "Entered as second-class matter Nov. 5, 1941, at the post office in Phoenix, Arizona, under the Act of Mar. 3, 1879." Narrative and illustrated material herein published are the property of the person to whom credited and cannot be reproduced without permission. ARIZONA HIGHWAYS will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or illustrations. Material contribnuted for editorial consideration should be accompanied by return postage. ARIZONA HIGHWAYS is copyrighted, 1947, by the Arizona Highway Department, Phoenix, Arizona.