Erastus Snow — Providential Entrance into the Salt Lake Valley

On July 21, 1847, Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt, acting as scouts for the vanguard/main pioneer company, became the first two Latter-day Saints to enter the Salt Lake Valley. Riding with only one horse between them, they descended Emigration Canyon and, upon reaching the valley floor, offered a prayer of gratitude. Snow described the moment as a profound spiritual experience and recognized the valley as the land of promise shown to Brigham Young in vision. During the excursion Snow accidentally dropped his coat while riding; despite the vast and unfamiliar terrain, he was later able to return and find it, an event he viewed as a specific instance of divine providence and an immediate sign of God’s watchcare as they claimed the new Zion.