Payson High School wants to wish you all a happy Pioneer Day!
On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley and declared that "This is the place!" We are grateful for the courage, resilience, ingenuity, and grit of these settlers. A little less known is that a vanguard group of enslaved African American men arrived on July 22nd, two days before Young, and began plowing and planting to prepare the valley for the coming refugees/pioneers. A new monument to these and other African American pioneers was just dedicated at This is the Place Heritage Park. We also note that before the pioneers arrived from the East, the Native Peoples of Utah controlled one hundred percent of the land. Within fifty years, that number had dropped to only four percent. (Read Payson High School's Land Acknowledgement here.)
Also of note is how the history of Payson generally, and Payson High School specifically is tied to the history of these early pioneers. Many people don't know that the first high school south of Salt Lake City was founded by these early pioneers in Payson in the year 1873, giving Payson the longest history of educating high school students in our area! You can read more about the history of Payson High School by reading our Origin Story here and our Historical Timeline here.
We hope your Pioneer Day this year is full of positive memories with friends and family.