Mormons in the American West
The saga of the Mormons in the American West is a compelling narrative of faith, persecution, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of a sanctuary. It is a story etched into the landscapes of several states, marked by arduous journeys, unwavering dedication, and the establishment of a unique cultural and religious identity. From its nascent beginnings in the fertile lands of New York to its eventual flourishing in the arid valleys of Utah, the history of the Mormons is interwoven with the very fabric of the American West.
The genesis of the Mormon Church, formally known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, traces back to the late 1820s in New York. Joseph Smith, Jr., a figure central to the faith, claimed to have discovered a collection of ancient writings inscribed on golden plates. According to Smith, he was guided by the Angel Moroni, the guardian of these sacred texts, who revealed their location and instructed him to translate and publish them. This translation, brought forth in 1830 as the Book of Mormon, became the cornerstone of Smith’s religious movement. On April 6, 1830, he established what was initially called the Church of Christ, later renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
During the 1830s, Joseph Smith and the burgeoning community of Mormons initially congregated in Kirtland, Ohio. As their numbers swelled, Smith directed his followers to Jackson County, Missouri, with the ambitious goal of establishing a "City of Zion," envisioned as the New Jerusalem prophesied in the Bible. This settlement, situated near Independence, Missouri, soon encountered resistance from the existing population. The Mormon settlers were ultimately driven out of Jackson County in 1833, seeking refuge in the neighboring Clay and Caldwell Counties. Smith’s attempts to reclaim the area through paramilitary means proved unsuccessful.
Subsequently, Smith introduced the concept of the church requiring an "endowment of heavenly power" before they could reclaim Zion. This led to the construction of a costly temple in Kirtland, intended to be the site of this endowment. However, a financial scandal rocked the Ohio church, and on January 12, 1838, Smith, facing an arrest warrant, fled to Missouri to reunite with his followers.
The influx of Kirtland church members into Missouri heightened existing tensions with the original settlers, culminating in the events known as the Missouri Mormon War. The "old settlers" of Missouri viewed the Mormons as fanatical and criticized their close-knit community, perceiving it as a challenge to republican values by concentrating power within a single individual.
Violence erupted during an election riot in Gallatin on August 6, 1838, escalating into widespread conflict between "old settler" mobs and Mormon paramilitary units. When Mormons attacked a state militia group, mistaking them for an anti-Mormon mob, Missouri’s Governor Lilburn Boggs issued a devastating order, demanding the expulsion of Mormons from the state or their "extermination" if necessary. Between August and November 1838, over 20 Mormons lost their lives in the escalating violence.
In the wake of this decree, an estimated 10,000 Mormons were compelled to abandon Missouri, seeking refuge primarily in and around Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1839, Smith spearheaded the construction of a second temple in Nauvoo, assuming the roles of mayor and commander of the Nauvoo Legion, a sizable and largely independent branch of the Illinois militia. While publicly advocating religious doctrines, Smith also secretly introduced the practice of polygamy among select members and established a symbolic Millennial legislature, positioning himself as its king.
The year 1844 saw Smith’s ambitious bid for the Presidency of the United States. However, dissent began to brew within the church ranks. The Nauvoo Expositor, a newspaper published briefly, ran an exposé alleging Smith’s practice of polygamy and his intention to establish a theocratic kingdom. These accusations, made by former Latter-Day Saint members, also accused Smith of being a fallen prophet who had amassed excessive power. Smith, then serving as Nauvoo Mayor, responded by destroying the newspaper’s facilities and declaring martial law to quell the ensuing outrage. He was subsequently arrested and jailed in Carthage, Illinois, on charges of treason. While awaiting trial, a mob stormed the jail, assassinating both Joseph and his brother Hyrum. Today, Latter-Day Saints venerate Joseph and Hyrum as martyrs. In 2014, the Mormon Church acknowledged that Smith had between 30 and 40 wives.
The death of Joseph Smith plunged the Mormon community into mourning and uncertainty. Brigham Young emerged as the new leader, guiding the decision to relocate westward. During 1845-46, they traversed Iowa and Missouri, establishing temporary settlements along the Missouri River. Conflicts with Native Americans prompted them to establish a town called "Kanesville" across the river, near present-day Council Bluffs. Approximately 15,000 Mormons settled north of Omaha, near present-day Florence, Nebraska, establishing "The Winter Quarters."
In the spring of 1846, Brigham Young dispatched 80 wagons westward into the Rocky Mountains, drawn by rumors of an inland sea with fertile lands where they could establish an empire beyond the reach of the United States.
Young led a significant contingent of Mormons along the Platte Valley, across the plains and mountains, to the Great Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah in 1847. Other groups followed, leading to the gradual abandonment of Florence and Kanesville by 1851-52.
The cholera epidemic of 1850 plagued the Mormons along their arduous journey, claiming hundreds of lives within the first 400 miles.
While the Platte River served as the primary route for the Mormon Trail to Fort Kearny, Nebraska, the original trail from Independence to Fort Kearny was also significant, especially for the thousands of Mormons who emigrated from England via New Orleans and St. Louis to Independence, Missouri, or by rail through New York. The westward migration of the Mormons continued along the Mormon Trail until 1869. Afterward, they utilized the railroad, continuing the resettlement until 1890.
Upon their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, the Mormons openly declared the practice of plural marriage, which Smith had initiated in secret years prior. Plural marriage became the faith’s most defining characteristic during the 19th century, but it faced strong opposition within the United States, threatening the church’s legal standing.
The Mormons began establishing farms, irrigation systems, homes, churches, and schools. Bountiful was the first community founded in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. In 1848, land was acquired in present-day Ogden, and in 1859, Tooele, Provo, and Manti were founded. Fillmore, Utah, intended as the new territory’s capital, was established in 1851. Brigham Young immediately deployed scouting parties to identify and claim additional settlement sites, minerals, and resources. New settlements were established as far south as Mexico, west into California, north into Idaho and Canada, and east into Wyoming. Missionary efforts resulted in outposts at Fort Lemhi, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Elk Mountain in east-central Utah.
As the colonizer and founder of Salt Lake City, Brigham Young was appointed the territory’s first governor and superintendent of Indian affairs by President Millard Fillmore. Young established a militia, created Indian missions, directed road construction, and established businesses and services to make the territory self-sufficient. However, by the mid-1850s, federal officials received reports that Young was only electing Mormons to government positions, and non-Mormon settlers often complained of harassment and abuse at the hands of the Latter-Day Saints.
Others argued that the Mormons were essentially in a state of rebellion against the United States. President James Buchanan’s concern that Brigham Young intended to make Utah an independent state prompted him to install a non-Mormon governor, triggering the Utah War, which lasted from May 1857 to July 1858.
Believing the Mormons would resist, Buchanan sent an expeditionary force of 2,500 soldiers to the territory. Under General William S. Harney, the troops marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on July 18, 1857, with the intention of occupying Utah by the fall. Viewing the army as a hostile invasion force, Brigham Young mobilized the Utah Militia and began preparations for guerrilla warfare. Although the campaign was bloodless, Mormon militiamen successfully impeded the progress of U.S. forces, which were forced into a winter encampment near Fort Bridger, Wyoming, in the fall of 1857.
During this conflict, the Fancher-Baker wagon train was massacred on September 11, 1857, in what became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The extent of Young’s involvement in the massacre has been a source of controversy. John D. Lee, the only Mormon punished for the tragedy, claimed he was acting under Young’s direct orders, but the church leader was later pardoned for any alleged role in the atrocity.
Unwilling to relinquish the territory, Young initially planned to burn Salt Lake City and relocate his followers to Mexico, but he relented and agreed to step down as governor on April 12, 1858. Young and his followers were pardoned for acts of rebellion, and U.S. forces established Camp Floyd 40 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.
The Utah War marked the beginning of a slow decline in Mormon isolation and power in Utah. They gradually lost control of the executive branch and the federal district courts but retained political authority in the Territorial Legislature. The Transcontinental Railroad’s completion in 1869 led to an influx of "Gentiles" into Utah.
Despite this, federal dominance was gradual. Brigham Young maintained a "shadow government" for years, and conflict between the Mormons and the federal government, particularly over polygamy, persisted for nearly 40 years. In 1890, church leader and Prophet Wilford Woodruff announced a revelation officially discontinuing plural marriage. Utah finally achieved statehood in 1896.
Subsequently, smaller groups splintered from the main Church of Latter-Day Saints over plural marriage, forming Mormon fundamentalist denominations. The main church distanced itself from these groups and promoted the mainstream American view of monogamous families.
In November 1978, Congress established the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail as part of the National Trails System, commemorating the 1846-47 journey of the Mormon people from Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake.
The almost 1,300-mile trail is managed as a cooperative effort among private landowners, trail associations, state and local agencies, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service. While much of the trail is no longer visible, long stretches can still be seen in Wyoming, and several sites remain accessible to visitors. The story of the Mormons in the American West is a crucial part of the history of the American West. The perseverance of the Mormons in the American West shaped the region significantly. The influence of the Mormons in the American West can still be felt today.