Martin L. ENSIGN Honored at Utah Statehood Celebration

DINWOODEY

TABERNACLE

PARADE

ZCMI

Martin Luther Ensign - hand written paper on Utah Statehood - original found in the LDS church archives in Church Office Building Salt Lake City - hand writing very hard to read - this is what we think it says - blanks indicate illegible written words. Original Spelling.

Utah Statehood

My Dear ____________
Thank God Utah is a state after 50 year struggle We have conquered, of course you know all about the ____________ the president signing the document for the Admission of Utah in to the family of States although we have seen some ________ days in Utah we have never seen such a day as this. On Saturday Morning Brother G Q [George Q.] __________&_________ called upon me & when they left me we had no sign that the _________ had signed the document to give us a state ,_________ ________ ______ _________ _________ _____ to the city before the whole City ________________________________every bell was ringing_____________steam whistle let loose_____________yelled it would have ________you to have _______to that continued(?) Bedlam for 2 hours of course we knew what was up but soon _________& H J Grant [Heber J. Grant] called upon me & congratulated me upon the admission of Utah into State Hood. Well the City, Houses, _______ Temples &c were _______with flags & bunting you will see the whole program of the day in the papers I will send you some this morning I dressed for the occasion went to the office & at 10:30 with G Q C J F S [George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith] & the 12 were at the ______________in carriages for the parade and such a parade and procession I never Saw. We paraded ___________of main streets in 2 lines of carriages the _________& Wells led I followed with brother ________& Secretary of State on my left were the judges. GQC [George Q. Cannon] was in the carriage next to me I don’t know the Length &___________________to____Main Street both sides of us ________with Humanity &______________with people When we came to the Temple there was people enought to fill five (?) temples GQ [George Q. Cannon] & myself_________the upper______surrounded with the governor & judges and officers of the state_______________________....(*The largest flag ever made _____the whole canopy overhead of the Tabernacle 150 feet by 75, wide with one _________light the Star of Utah ________wich made it ______. The day was bright and beautiful ________________

Historical Department-Church Archives 50 East North Temple Street, East Wing Salt lake City, Utah 84150 phone (801) 240-2272

Call number MS d 5373 Description Autobiography Martin Luther Ensign



FLAG that hung in the Tabernacle was 158 feet by 75 feet. ______________________________________________________
Notes on Martin added:
Martin Luther ENSIGN (1831-1911) had driven a wagon across the plains in the summer of 1847. He was 16 years old. His family had left Massachusetts a year earlier after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and joined the Saints in Iowa where Martin’s father Horace Datus ENSIGN (1797-1846) died. His mother Mary BRONSON ENSIGN (1806-1888) was left with 7 children between the age of 6 and 20 years. They continues on to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. That first year they lived in the old Salt Lake Fort they ate thistle roots and the roof leaked.