Example of pioneers offers solutions for fostering good will

People working together are more successful, prosperous

By Marianne Holman Prescott Dec 23, 1950 9 a.m. EST

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve addresses a near capacity crowd in the Pioneer

Example of pioneers offers solutions for fostering good will

People working together are more successful, prosperous

By Marianne Holman Prescott Dec 23, 1950 9 a.m. EST

Individuals must look to the examples of pioneers of the past to make their communities 'the right place' to live, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve said during the Ogden Pioneer Days Devotional on July 17. During the event, held in the Dee Events Center on the Weber State University campus, Elder Holland spoke of the need for people to work together with their communities in fostering civic good will to create a better future.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latte

"With the complex issues facing our families and our friends, our citizens, our state, our neighbors, our nation, the world, may we remember pioneers of an earlier day who persevered against injustice, misunderstanding, some intolerance, occasional bigotry, occasional racism, against differences of custom and traditions and faith, who labored against all of that to carve out for us, their descendants, the wonderful day and the marvelous miraculous time in which we live," Elder Holland said.

Elder Holland spoke of the tremendous diversity of Ogden in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the challenges, tensions and successes the people of Ogden experienced as they grew from their roots as a Latter-day Saint pioneer village into an economically vibrant and cosmopolitan city. He shared examples of three pioneers brought to Ogden for various reasons by way of the railroad — a German merchant, a Chinese immigrant and a Dutch LDS convert. Their stories gave perspectives from different countries, backgrounds and circumstances.

The Pioneer Days Fireside held at the Dee Events Center on the campus of Weber State University in O

The Weber State Institute Chorale performs at the Pioneer Days Fireside held at the Dee Events Cente

One of the pioneers Elder Holland spoke of was a German merchant named Fredrich Johann Kiesel who, at the age of 16, immigrated to the United States to seek his fortune. On his way to Montana in 1862, he made a stop in Utah, where he decided to work. He spent much of a decade operating a store in Corinne, a mining town in Box Elder County. During that time the "rough-and-tumble town" attracted many transient miners and railroad workers, but people like the German immigrant, facilitated cooperation and cultural exchange between the town and other towns.

The Weber State Institute Chorale performs during the Pioneer Days Fireside held in the Dee Events C

"Kiesel achieved a milestone in territorial politics when in 1889 he was elected as Ogden's first non-LDS mayor," Elder Holland said. "With this and other developments, relations between Latter-day Saints and those of other faiths in Ogden began to thaw, with those of many religious backgrounds working constructively together. Kiesel became a major proponent of Ogden and of Utah, working with Latter-day Saints and others to develop the region."

Ogden Pioneer Days Chairman Dave Halverson at the Pioneer Days Fireside held at the Dee Events Cente

Weber State University President F. Ann Millner gives her remarks at the Pioneer Days Fireside held

Another "pioneer" Elder Holland spoke of was 26-year-old Herman Van Braak, an LDS convert from the Netherlands. Herman and his wife, Jakoba, accepted the gospel quickly, and due to hostility against the Church, were baptized in secret at 11 p.m., after cutting a hole in the ice in a nearby pond.

"Like most of their fellow LDS immigrants, Herman and Jakoba Van Braak had tremendous faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ," Elder Holland said. "I say that because seven years after their arrival in Ogden, Herman received a letter from the Church's First Presidency, calling him to return to his native land on a mission."

Despite insufficient funds and a family to take care of, Brother Van Braak — with the help of Church members — went on to serve a three year mission, and then again five years later went on a second mission to the Netherlands for another two years."We have ... stories from our pioneer past that presage something about our present and future," Elder Holland said. "In researching some of our local Ogden and northern Utah history for this talk, I have been touched deeply by both the problems of the past — which don't seem so different from our present problems — and the determination with which men and women of diverse backgrounds, cultures and religions worked together to foster civic goodwill, cohesive neighborhoods and communities, and the chance to make the future better than some aspects of the past had been.

"Surely these Pioneer Days we celebrate tonight ... remind us that people working together are more successful, more prosperous and much more happy than neighborhoods or ethnic groups or religious faiths that are suspicious of one another, threatened by one another, and all to often hostile, even violent, toward one another."

Just as the early pioneers, individuals today can strengthen their communities by minimizing differences and emphasizing common values, aspirations and virtues that create success in a modern world, he said.

Miss Rodeo Utah Martina Wardle is introduced to the crowd at the Pioneer Days Fireside held at the D

"Until we get it right, we will continue to be given social, political, religious, economic, personal and family challenges, the answers to which begin with loving God with all our heart, might, mind and strength, and loving our neighbors — who, in their hopes and dreams, fears and frustrations, backgrounds and biographies, turn out to be so very much like ourselves, and like our own ancestors of that earlier era," said Elder Holland.

"We owe the same pioneering, persevering legacy to our children and our children's children. With God's help we will 'pioneer on' until the love of God and of fellowmen is in every human heart. That will indeed make these little valleys 'the right place' — as Brigham [Young] said — to live, to worship, to be safe and to be happy. Have a wonderful 24th of July."

mholman@desnews.com