Elder Holland Dedicates Memorial to Pioneer Women

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated a pioneer memorial in southwestern Utah on 4 May honoring the women who helped settle the area.

In his dedicatory prayer, Elder Holland asked that the monument become “something of a beacon … to remind us of who they were and what they did.” In remarks earlier, he told the audience that the memorial pays tribute to those women’s valor and endurance.

The Pioneer Women’s Memorial is located in Washington, Utah, founded in the late 19th century by Latter-day Saints sent by Brigham Young to raise cotton in the warm climate. The memorial includes a plaque engraved with names of Latter-day Saint women who were among the first colonizers in southwestern Utah and a heroic-size bronze statue of a pioneer woman carrying a child and her scriptures.

“In her arms she holds the essence of what is precious to her—her family and her faith,” Elder Holland told the 1,000-plus people attending the dedication. “Look into her face. She’s facing the future with faith.”

Elder Holland also quoted Western American writer Wallace Stegner, who said of the pioneers, “Mormon men were strong, but Mormon women were incredible.”

[photo] Elder Holland dedicated a memorial to the hundreds of pioneer women who made great sacrifices to help colonize southern Utah. (Photo by Shaun Stahle, Church News.)