Legacy of the Black Pioneer

The first wagons down into the Salt Lake Valley were driven by enslaved men. Green Flake, Hark Lay, and Oscar Crosby — held in bondage by Mississippi converts — were sent ahead with the vanguard's scouting party and made the descent through Emigration Canyon on July 22, 1847, two days before Brigham Young himself arrived. They were set to plowing, planting, and raising cabins for the families who enslaved them. Slavery stayed legal in Utah Territory until Congress abolished it in 1862. Flake later won his freedom and farmed at Union; Crosby and Lay were freed in California.

What the plaque says

In 1824-26 the first black man came into Utah Territory. He was a trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. His name was James Beckworth. In succeeding years many black people would follow to contribute to the development of Utah, socially and economically. In July of 1847, three black men, slaves, were selected to journey with Orson Pratt, Mormon apostle, into the Salt Lake Valley. They were: Green Flake, Oscar Crosby, and Hark Lay, each in turn provided by their owners James Flake, William Crosby, and William Lay, members of the pioneer groups of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Utah was a slave state and remained so until the Emancipation Proclaimation was effected. Many black pioneers followed in pioneer groups. They assisted their owners as directed. When they were freed, the owners assisted them in acquiring lands of their own in the Cottonwood, and Fort Union areas. They cultivated the land, built homes and raised families and in every way contributed to the socio-economic growth of the Salt Lake area. In this, the Millcreek area, land was secured by Sylvester James, Samuel Chambers and Sylvester Perkins. Each proved to be successful farmers who would market their produce to leaders of the community. In 1888 Paul C. Howard and his family established their home in the 12th-14th Ward in Salt Lake City. He became the first black policeman in Salt Lake City. Dan Bankhead Freeman was the first black child born in Utah. The black pioneers of Utah have left a great and lasting contribution that is remembered and appreciated. Their descendants have excelled in the arts, athletics and education. Descendants of these pioneers reside in the East Millcreek area at this time. They are respected and appreciated neighbors.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Gilgal Sculpture Garden — 3.9 mi
  A surreal and eccentric sculpture garden hidden in a residential neighborhood
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 3.9 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Liberty Park — 4.2 mi
  Salt Lake Citys beloved 80-acre urban park since 1882
• Natural History Museum of Utah — 4.6 mi
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City

More markers nearby

• Pioneer Flour Mill Site — 0.6 mi
• Uriah Nephi Smart Tannery — 0.8 mi
• Gardner's Saw Mill — 1.1 mi
• Golden Pass Road — 1.4 mi