"All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye."
Earlier this month I was traveling from Ogden to my home in American Fork. Along the way I wondered which mountain was Ensign Peak. In all my time here in Utah I have never been up to it. Not even sure if I can get up to it. Anyways it has been on my mind of late, so when I read this chapter I was reminded again of Ensign Peak. I found several accounts of the story to read.
Ensign Peak, photo by Brandon Flint
Soon after entering the valley, President Young pointed at Ensign Peak and said, “I want to go there.” He suggested that the peak "was a proper place to raise an ensign to the nations," and so it was named Ensign Peak. On July 26, 1847, a party consisting of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Ezra T. Benson, George A. Smith, Wilford Woodruff, Albert Carrington, William Clayton, Lorenzo Dow Young, and perhaps Parley P. Pratt climbed to the top of the hill. Of the event, Wilford Woodruff recorded that the group “went North of the camp about five miles and we all went onto the top of a high peak in the edge of the mountain which we considered a good place to raise an ensign upon which we named Ensign Peak or Hill. I was the first person that ascended this hill. Brother Young was very weary in climbing the peak, he being feeble.” While on the Peak, the group surveyed the valley below with Heber Kimball’s telescope to confirm their earlier judgment of the valley. “They appeared delighted with the view of the surrounding country,” said one of the settlers who heard the explorers’ report later in the day. From this experience, the group gained the perspective necessary to begin planning the settlement. At this time, President Young apparently also determined the location of the temple, which he announced two days later, on July 28, by planting his walking stick at the site selected for the temple and saying, "Here we will build the temple of our God."
https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/salt-lake-city/3-ensign-peak-historical-preview
"And when President Young first set his foot upon the ground where the Temple now stands in Salt Lake City, by the testimony of the spirit of God that was in his heart, by the inspiration of the Almighty, he exclaimed to the pioneers: “Here we will make our resting place, and here is the spot upon which we will build the Temple.” He had before seen an ensign descend and light upon the mountain peak which is now called from that circumstance “Ensign Peak”—which was an indication to him that this was the resting place God designed for His people.
(JD 24:150, Joseph F. Smith, Interest in the Work of God, Etc.)
I found it fascinating that the first endowments given in this valley was upon Ensign Peak. From this valley people have been endowed on high and missionaries have been sent to preached the gospel to the nations.
In my reading I discovered lyrics to the the hymn "High on the Mountain Top" came to Joel Johnson while glancing up at Ensign Peak. I had to listen to it.
Day 1272
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