The Pioneer Women of Utah
By Mrs. Amy Brown Lyman
(General Secretary, National Woman's Relief Society)
Utah's Seagull Monument was erected in memory of the gulls, which in early days saved the first crops from destruction by omnivorous western crickets. It portrays in a group of pioneer figures at its base, the pioneer woman. This woman, the inspiration of the group in which she is placed, stands erect beside the man, who, with drooping head and relaxed muscles, is plainly disheartened. The children are listless and weary; but the woman, with head up and muscles tense, is plainly dominated by mother-love and by the basic instincts of life and race preservation. She alone shows indomitable courage and determination. This woman is typical of those Western pioneer women, who arm in arm with the men, helped to blaze the trails across the great American Desert and to found an empire in the West.
In the founding and development of Utah, women bore a prominent part in welfare work and in every endeavor. In the poverty of early days, when isolated people were threatened with famine, the women endured privations with fortitude and with every ounce of their strength worked and fought for the fundamentals—shelter, food and clothing. When necessary, they aided in the construction of their homes and the raising of crops. They spun, wove, produced their clothing and reared large families.
The State was founded by "Mormon" pioneers. Later other groups of women were similarly active in all phases of educational and welfare work. The pioneer women of Utah had a close-knit and effective organization, the Relief Society. Founded in 1842, five years before the trek across the plains, it is still a vigorous and active society, with a present membership of 61,820. Organized primarily for philanthropic and charitable purposes, this society has been a private outdoor relief agency from the beginning, functioning in every town and hamlet in Utah; it has also been a prime factor in every movement for the benefit of humanity.
The pioneers of Utah had to establish their own schools, create their own amusements and inaugurate their own health programs. Under the leadership of Brigham Young, they lost no time in providing the elements which make for normal living. In educational and recreational fields, and in health
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