Break Through!

Last night I got caught up in doing research for my thesis and before I knew it I stayed up until 12:30am. This past weekend we had made a trip to Salt Lake to do research in the LDS Library. We went down on Friday and got a room at the Hilton so I would be close enough to Temple Square to walk so that Becky had a car. Friday afternoon I walked over to the library to start my research. One of the patrons informed me that one of the pieces I had picked out was not available to me because it had not been processed so I was not allowed to look through it. I was bummed about it because it was a box full of Brigham Young Memorial Association material that could yield reasons for adding colored servants on the plaque. This patron informed me that I could submit a request to go through that box, so I did while I was waiting for the other materials to come down.

I was able to look through microfilm for a couple hours but the first two films did not yield any evidence that would be helpful. Finally at 4:45pm I came across a newspaper clipping that talked about the Pioneer Jubilee in 1897 and the Brigham Young Memorial Association. Unfortunately I had to return my materials because the library closes at 5pm and they ask that you return everything by 4:45pm. I thought that it would be fine because I could return to the library on Saturday and continue my research.

Saturday morning came and the library didn't open until 10am and then the missionaries had a meeting so I was not able to get into the library that morning. However I was able to check out some other historical monuments that are relevant to my thesis.

We met Lyric and Scott for lunch and Scott suggested that we go to a new book store that is located near their house at Trolley Square. We headed over there and found that they had a rare book collection. As we were going through it I found a book that was published in 1891 that talked about the migration of the saints to the Great Basin. I was so excited to see that in its pages the three African Americans were listed as pioneers and not colored servants.

As I was doing my research last night I came across a book that was listed as "others have also bought" at the bottom of the page. I started checking out other books and found one that was published in 1909. This book referenced the Pioneer Jubilee and talked about a book that contained all the pioneer signatures of those that were still alive in 1897. This book was titled The Book of the Pioneers. I did a search for the book and found it in the Law Library at the University of Utah. The University of Utah had it available online so I was able to flip through pages of signatures and stories of the pioneers.

Book of the Pioneers

I flipped through over 400 pages looking at signatures trying to find Green Flake because he was the only African American, out of the three, that was still alive at the time. I was so excited to come across page 242 and see his name scribbled on the page. At the bottom of the page is a story that he relates about crossing the plains with Brigham Young as well as seeing buffalo for the first time.

A portion of page 242 of The Book of the Pioneers

This book was to honor the pioneers and their achievement of reaching Zion. It amazes me that in this book is a page devoted to Green Flake and his accomplishment. To me this would mean that rather than looking at the plaque on the Brigham Young Monument as continued racism, this should be looked at as a progressive way to honor the three African American pioneers that traveled with Brigham Young to the west.