FROM PIPE DREAM TO UTAH TRADITION
In the midst of the Great Depression, Salt Lake City resident William P. Nisbet envisioned a pipe band that would honor Utah’s Scottish immigrants while representing the state both locally and across the country. Nisbet, who had come to the United States from Scotland at the age of 19, imagined something ambitious: the western United States' premier pipe-and-drum ensemble, featuring at least 20 pipers, six drummers, and a troupe of Highland dancers, all dressed in full regalia. In 1937, he joined with other Scottish immigrants and community members to finally establish the Utah Pipe Band (UPB).
"The organization is to be State-wide, neither religious, political, or have any social discrimination," the UPB organizers stated in an early band document, "and its primary objective is the welfare of our City and State, with its splendid citizenship, regardless of whether they be Mormons, Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians, etc. or affiliated with any fraternal organization . . . ."
The band quickly became a fixture at community gatherings, performing at Scottish reunions, Lagoon Amusement Park, and
William P. Nisbet (far right) with three of his children.
Date unknown.
other local events. One of its most significant roles, however, was its participation in Covered Wagon Days (now known as Pioneer Day), highlighted by the annual parade in Salt Lake City. This official Utah holiday commemorates the arrival of the Latter-day Saint or “Mormon” pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. To this day, celebrations along the Wasatch Front rival those of Independence Day. Since its founding, the UPB has marched in every Pioneer Day parade, a cherished Utah tradition and one of the oldest parades in the U.S.
OUR
FOUNDERS
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BUILDING THE BAND
From the outset, the founders of the UPB were aware of an important upcoming milestone: the 1947 Pioneer Day centennial. The band set its sights on delivering an impactful performance with 10 short years to prepare. They had members to recruit, instruments to obtain, full Highland gear to acquire, and musicians and dancers to train.
The band’s progress was detailed in a document from a UPB meeting in 1939:
At the present time, we have a group of twelve young boys and girls with several young men, who are already proficient in the playing of the pipes, practicing regularly on the Chanter, that is, the mouthpiece of the bagpipes. However, it takes about $50.00 to $75.00 for a complete set of pipes, and the Highland costumes would take another $30.00 to $50.00 so that to fully equip the band, it will run around $100.00 per member.
To raise funds for this, it is proposed to hold a concert in Salt Lake City sometime during March or early April, also sell tickets and solicit small donations throughout the City and State, as that it will become a Community Enterpirse [sic.], and not be confined to just a few people or to any one organization.
The Utah Pipe Band at the Scottish Missionary Society Reunion, April 1938. L–R, top: (1) Joseph "Joe" Marshall McPhie, (2) Charles "Stuart" Donaldson, Jr., (3) Mary "Afton" Erskine, (4) ??Maybell Marshall, (5) David Darrel Barclay, (6) Ralph Marshall on bass drum, (7) ??Junior Anderson, (8) ??, (9) James Douglas "Doug" Nisbet, (10) ??Glenn Irvin, (11) Robert "Bob" Andrew Barclay. Bottom: (12) Mary Afton Barclay (13) Mary McPhie, (14) Margaret McPhie
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"ACT WELL THY PART"
Among the UPB’s most enthusiastic supporters was David O. McKay, president of the Salt Lake City–based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1951 to 1970. Born in Utah to a Scottish father and Welsh mother, McKay spent part of his early adulthood as a missionary in Scotland. While in the city of Stirling one day, he spotted an inscription above the doorway of a building: “What e’er thou art, act well thy part.” This phrase resonated with him and he referenced it often throughout the rest of his life.
In keeping with tradition, McKay regularly participated in Salt Lake City’s annual Pioneer Day parade and consistently arranged for the UPB to follow directly behind him. His ongoing connection with the band contributed to the UPB’s visibility and identity at the time, and McKay was named Honorary President of the Utah Pipe Band as early as 1939. “Act well thy part” later became the band’s motto.
LOREM IPSUM
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