A free, family-friendly community event in San Diego where history comes to life with hands-on pioneer activities, music, living history, and a fun parade for kids and families. Through hands-on pioneer activities, living history demonstrations, music, and a traditional parade, visitors experience daily life in early California and learn about the service and legacy of the Mormon Battalion. The ev
ent is open to the public and designed to be welcoming, educational, and enjoyable for all ages. It is held annually—traditionally on the last Saturday in January—to commemorate the arrival of the Mormon Battalion in San Diego in January 1847. Children and adults alike enjoy pioneer activities such as rope-making, quilting, doll and toy making, laundering, brick making, and cooking biscuits on a stick. Throughout the day, live entertainment takes place on stage, including storytelling, music, and dancing related to the Mormon Battalion period. Men dressed in period military uniforms and women in pioneer attire open the celebration with a parade around the Old Town Plaza. Among the many photo opportunities, participants may even be “arrested” and photographed in the 1850s jail behind the reconstructed First San Diego Courthouse, which stands on the site of the original courthouse built by members of the Mormon Battalion. The Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was a unit of the United States Army of the West, enlisted during the Mexican–American War under the command of General Stephen W. The battalion departed from Council Bluffs, Iowa, in July 1846 and arrived in San Diego on January 29, 1847, after a grueling six-month march of nearly 2,000 miles—one of the longest infantry marches in U.S. military history. At the time of their enlistment, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had suffered severe persecution in Missouri and Illinois, forcing them from their homes in the dead of winter. While scattered across Iowa, homeless, hungry, and ill, they were asked by President James K. Polk to form a battalion of 500 men. A small number of women served as laundresses, and some children accompanied the march. Brigham Young, president of the Church, encouraged enlistment as a means of providing financial support for families preparing to journey west. In addition to their pay, the men received a clothing allowance, much of which was sent to their families. Their service helped secure the religious liberties guaranteed by the Constitution but previously denied them. The March and Arrival in California
The march was especially difficult after leaving Santa Fe, as the battalion crossed deserts and rugged mountains with limited supplies. Hunger and thirst were constant companions. Some pack animals perished, and the men salvaged what they could for survival. In a steep, rocky canyon—now known as Box Canyon in San Diego County—the men used crowbars, picks, and axes to carve a wagon road through solid rock. Although residents of the small pueblo of San Diego were initially wary of the arriving soldiers, they soon recognized the battalion members as skilled, disciplined, and industrious men who posed no threat to the community. By the time the battalion arrived, major hostilities of the Mexican–American War had largely ended. Company B remained in San Diego, while other companies moved north. The men who stayed quickly set to work assisting the town. Contributions in San Diego and Beyond
In San Diego, battalion members built a brick kiln and used fired bricks to construct the first courthouse in San Diego, likely the first fired-brick building in California. A replica of this courthouse now stands on the original site in Old Town. They dug deep wells to provide clean drinking water and lined them with fired brick. Sidewalks, chimneys, and other structures were built. A windlass was constructed to draw water from the wells. Battalion members also made adobe bricks, built an oven for baking bread, started a tannery, opened a blacksmith shop, completed carpentry work on homes, whitewashed buildings, and assisted with court records and civil administration. When Company B was ordered to leave San Diego after six months, local residents asked them to stay. After discharge in Los Angeles at the end of their one-year enlistment, 82 men reenlisted and returned to San Diego. Most eventually continued east to join their families in the Salt Lake Valley. Some helped blaze wagon routes across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and a few were present at or contributed to events surrounding the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill. Lasting Contributions of the Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion made lasting contributions to California and the American West, including:
Blazing a wagon road from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to San Diego, later used by emigrants, the San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line, and the Butterfield Overland Mail
Providing skilled labor and civil assistance in communities where they were garrisoned
Helping secure California during the Mexican–American War and contributing to the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest, including events leading to the Gadsden Purchase
Facilitating westward migration by providing financial support to Mormon families
Opening the Mormon–Carson Emigrant Trail over the Sierra Nevada and establishing the Hensley’s Salt Lake Cutoff of the California Trail
Digging wells along their route for future travelers
Applying irrigation knowledge observed during the march to later settlements
Assisting in the colonization of areas such as San Bernardino and Las Vegas
Participating in and documenting the early days of the California Gold Rush
Bringing gold to Utah, providing critical financial support to the Church
Transporting seeds, tools, livestock, and supplies essential to western settlements
Assisting with relief efforts, including burial of members of the Donner Party
Preserving vital chapters of American history through detailed journals and records
