[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 97 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H6722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      UTAH PIONEER DAY CELEBRATION

  (Mr. CANNON asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CANNON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Utah's pioneer 
heritage. The State of Utah is celebrating the arrival of the first 
company of Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley today.
  These pioneers and the many wagon and handcart companies that 
followed on the trek from Nauvoo, Illinois, believed that they could 
build a better way of life in the West. They were tough. They suffered 
blistering and freezing temperatures. Many succumbed to the limited 
food supplies. They walked more than a thousand miles from Illinois to 
Utah, and many died along the way.
  Those that survived had the strength necessary to thrive in the 
desert and harsh climates of the West. Evidence of their toils 
surrounds us today. There is a ditch in Wayne County, Utah, that 
brought water 5 miles from a mountain lake to the farms in the valley.
  The amazing thing about this simple irrigation ditch is that it was 
built by hand. More water would disappear into the sandy soil than 
could be used for the crops at the end of the ditch. But all their hard 
work, in the words of Isaiah, made ``the desert blossom like a rose.''
  There are several dams in my district that need repairs. The 
discussions about those repairs are centered around the roads needed to 
be built to bring the equipment in. The dams had been built over 100 
years ago by Mormon pioneers by hand. Hand repairs were not an option 
now because the builders ``were much tougher back then.''
  These dams, as well as countless landmarks, buildings and cities 
stand today as evidence of the Mormon pioneers' strength and 
determination. They were central to the westward expansion, providing a 
place of rest and resupply for travelers heading to the gold fields of 
California and the Oregon territory.
  Their strengths, self-sufficiency, and determination have become the 
cultural foundation of the West. I am proud to be the descendent of the 
Mormon pioneers and to live with the fruits of their labors. I am proud 
to join my fellow Utahans in honoring and celebrating our pioneer 
heritage. The desert truly has blossomed like a rose.

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