A Great People in the Mountains

By the time President Brigham Young’s administration came to a close, the Latter-day Saints had become a great people in the Rocky Mountains. They were destined still to grow in numbers, spread over greater territory, conquer more deserts, and develop spiritually and temporally in keeping with the progress of the times; but even then (1877) they had built up many settlements, spread over a vast area, and accomplished a wonderful work in the reclamation of the arid west.

The Planting of Colonies

Before the Saints had been in the Salt Lake Valley a year many parties were sent out, principally to the north and to the south, to form new settlements. Within two years from the time Salt Lake City was founded colonies had been planted in the uttermost parts of the territory. Exploring parties were sent out in advance, and when a site was selected a large company of volunteers followed to make the permanent settlement. In these colonies care was taken to have a proper representation of craftsmen, that the needs of the settlers might be supplied. Skilled carpenters, masons, millwrights, blacksmiths, cobblers, as well as tillers of the soil, went into these unbroken wastes and made them blossom by their industry. Each individual was given a specific duty to perform, and did it unselfishly, according to the plan which had been arranged. Ploughs, seeds and the required animals for ploughing, ditch building and other labor, were provided, and the labor was done on the co-operative plan. All shared alike, according to their individual needs. They were happy, notwithstanding the rigorous toil required to subdue the desert places.

Unparalleled Progress

It has been written of them, that they “made more progress and suffered less privation in reclaiming the waste lands of the wilderness than did the Spaniards in the garden spots of Mexico and Central America, or the English in the most favored region near the Atlantic seaboard.” But let it be understood this was not accomplished by them without severe trial and suffering.

Their Perfect Organization

The reason they were able to obtain such excellent results is that they had a perfect organization, and were loyal and obedient to the authority over them. This naturally resulted in complete co-operation and unity of purpose, with a minimum of individual selfishness. They had not come to the Rocky Mountains for the sake of worldly aggrandizement, but for the establishment of permanent homes, and the exercise of their religious freedom in peace according to the dictates of their conscience.

Proselytes from Europe

Between the years 1847 and 1856, fifty-nine companies of emigrants, comprising seventeen thousand souls, sailed from European shores, bound for Utah. Five thousand others had previously emigrated, making a total of about twenty-two thousand persons from abroad, who had joined the Church through the preaching of the Gospel. They were principally from the British Isles, Scandinavia, Germany and Switzerland, with a small sprinkling from France, Italy and other nations. They came from the factories and the mines of Great Britain, the fisheries and the dairy farms of Scandinavia, the workshops of Germany, the vineyards of France and Italy—from various pursuits and occupations in which many of them were unable, in the old world, out of the scanty pittance they received as wages, to save enough to buy a passage across the sea. Of the emigration from the old country between 1850 and 1860, it was estimated that 28 per cent were common laborers; 14 per cent, miners, and about 28 per cent mechanics. From the ranks of the remaining thirty per cent there came many merchants, doctors, professors, skilled engineers, artisans, and artists.

Character of the Converts

Occasionally there was one who had joined the Church who was in possession of an abundance of this world’s goods, and big enough to share with his less fortunate neighbor, for the converts were not confined to the poor and the needy, the unlearned and the ignorant. In fact very few of the latter class received the Gospel message. The converts were gathered from all nations, but they were not the scum, the moral outcasts, the undesirables among the nations, but the very bones and sinews, the life’s blood, the brawn, without which the nations would perish from the earth. This class, despised and trodden under foot from time immemorial by the haughty, the proud, the titled nobility; but upon whom, nevertheless, the aristocratic population depend for their very existence, is the salt of the earth—that class which the scriptures say, in the day of the Savior’s ministry, had the Gospel preached to them and heard it gladly.

The pioneer immigrants, who established the state of Utah, belonged to the great industrial class, honest, though generally poor, which laid the foundation of our nation. Among the early members of the Church were many who fought in freedom’s cause and who were descendants of the early colonial families of New England and the border Atlantic States.

What the Gospel Did for Them

“Mormonism” took hold of the dependent thousands of poor from all parts of the earth and made them virtually independent by placing them on farms, and otherwise furnishing them with remunerative employment, by which they became financially free. The year that President Young died, the population of Utah Territory was approximately one hundred and forty thousand, and of that number over forty thousand were of foreign birth. Men from the looms of England, the factories of Germany, and various other dependent vocations, in the towns and cities of Europe, were under the necessity of changing the nature of their lives. These men, unaccustomed to the severity of the labor required in farming were sent out to reclaim the desert wastes, and to till the soil in an uninviting land; yet they were successful, and were transformed into prosperous farmers, stockraisers, blacksmiths, husbandmen, and were made free landholders —a thing they never dreamed of becoming while residing in the crowded centers of Europe.

The Amalgamation of Many Peoples

Notwithstanding they were gathered from the four quarters of the earth, with all their different customs and habits of life, their new surroundings, coupled with their unity of religious views, soon welded them together into one race and people. The Gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith teaches unity. Those who embrace it, whatever their views may have been before, soon learn to think alike; their aims are the same, their desires mutual, and all are brought to a common understanding. Such are the effects of the Gospel upon them that they forget their nationality and are absorbed by their new environment, and truly become a part of the soil on which they dwell.

Benefits from the Amalgamation

As England was made great through the mingling of Norman, Saxon and Dane with the native tribes of Britain, so also have the “Mormon” people benefited through the amalgamation of the races. Through the preaching of the Gospel “Mormonism” has drawn on the best nations; has sifted and gathered from them their very best people, and due to the peculiar circumstances that prevail, the unity of faith and aspiration the Gospel inspires, it is moulding out a new and superior race. The “Mormon” people are strong mentally, spiritually, morally, as well as physically. Battling with the elements and contending with many difficulties have made them such. They came to the valleys of the mountains “with songs of everlasting joy” to obtain inheritances for themselves and children after them that shall endure forever, in a land of liberty, known to them as being “choice above all other lands.”

Frugality and Co-operation

The early settlers were taught to produce as far as possible, all that they consumed; to be frugal and not wasteful of their substance; to draw from the elements the necessities of life and avoid all vitiated tastes which would lead them into excessive indulgence. Home industry was the watchword, and the people of necessity were called upon to be producers. Their clothing, though plain, was durable and the workmanship of their own hands. In the days of the pioneer, and until comparatively recent times, the spinning wheel and the loom were to be seen in the homes of the Saints.

Co-operation and community interests did much for the people in those early days. Houses were built, canals were dug, fields were ploughed and planted, and reservoirs were constructed on the co-operative principle for the welfare of the people. There was no money to be had, and such was the concern of the individual for the progress of the community that his time was given gratis in the making of public and civic improvements. He realized that he was bound to reap his portion of the benefits derived from his toil.¹

Changed Conditions of Today

Today it is largely the case, that a man who gives his time, even though it be in some labor from which he is bound to receive his portion of the reward, feels that he must receive some monetary remuneration for the time he spends. And thus, due to the modern labor conditions and the closer contact with the outside world, with all its customs, theories and established institutions, this excellent and neighborly custom of co-operation, which existed in the days of President Brigham Young, has almost entirely passed away.

Division of Lands and Water

President Young taught the doctrine that a man should have as much farm land as he could properly cultivate, and not more. The lands were divided among the people on that principle. From the beginning it was also established that the water from the mountain streams should belong to the people and not to private individuals. This doctrine proved extremely beneficial. Where private individuals have been permitted to file on the canyon streams, it has been a detriment to the majority of the people who are dependent upon such streams.

A Farsighted Policy

The farsighted policy of President Young was the means of placing the people in their own homes where they could dwell “safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.” As late as the year 1896, the year Utah was admitted into the Union, there were 19,816 farms and of that number 17,584 were free from encumbrance of mortgage and debt. Unfortunately, since the advent of the automobile and other modern conveniences and amusements, such a condition does not exist today.

The Recreation of the People

Although the Latter-day Saints were forced to labor diligently and there was no place for idlers among them, they found time for proper recreation. President Young realized the necessity of recreation and amusement and knew their proper place. The Sabbath day was sacredly observed. There was no conflict between duty and pleasure and the labors of the people were faithfully performed. He encouraged the drama and other educational diversions in which the routine of the daily lives of the people was broken. He built the Salt Lake Theatre, which was begun in 1861 and opened to the public in March 1862. Before that time the Social Hall, which was built in 1852, was used for such entertainment. There was much local talent among the people, which was augmented by visits to the territory of the great artists of those times. The dance —not, however, as it is conducted in these modern days—was likewise encouraged. All amusements were opened and closed with prayer; and the presence of the great Pioneer and his associates at these entertainments, not only lent encouragement to the recreation, but was an influence which established proper decorum and conduct. Their amusements were all innocent and uplifting. The main thought of President Young was to couple education with the recreation of the people, and have all entertainments controlled by the influence of the Spirit of the Lord.

Importance of Education Realized

The education of the youth of the Church was a matter which received constant attention, nor was there anything that was considered of greater importance. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “the glory of God is intelligence,” and from the organization of the Church, schools have been conducted for the members who were instructed to obtain “out of the best books words of wisdom” by study and by faith.

In February 1850, the legislature of the provisional government chartered the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) somewhat on the lines of the charter of the University of Nauvoo. It was provided that $5000.00 be appropriated annually by the legislature for the support of the University. This was a very large sum for that day, to be provided by the handful of people for the support of such an institution. It was also provided that primary, or district schools should be supported. While this action was taken by officers of the provisional government, and later ratified by them as officers of Utah Territory, yet they were all members of the Church, with President Young taking the initiative in the educational movement.

In the spring of 1851, district school houses were built in most of the wards of Salt Lake City. These buildings were used for the general ward gatherings of the Saints, and daily schools were held in them.

The Beginning of Church Schools

In later years, after the territory had increased in population, other schools were established. President Young founded a number of Church schools. Among these were the Brigham Young Academy (now the Brigham Young University) at Provo, one of the leading institutions of learning in the state; the Brigham Young College at Logan, and the Latter-day Saints University (now High School) at Salt Lake City.² In addition to these schools the auxiliary organizations³ also were organized for the training and education of the members of the Church and have aided materially in this direction.

Territorial Expansion

At the close of the first decade after the settlement of Utah, colonies of the Latter-day Saints extended from Fort Limhi on the north, to Cedar City, on the south, a distance of about five hundred miles; and from Fort Supply on the east to Carson Valley on the west, about four hundred miles. The population of this area was about fifty thousand people, nearly all members of the Church.

Fort Limhi

In the summer of 1855, a colony was sent to the north where they founded Fort Limhi (now called Lemhi) on Salmon River. This was the most northerly settlement of the Saints, about three hundred and seventy-five miles from Salt Lake City. The settlement was continued until 1858 when it was abandoned for the reason that it was too far away and the colonists were constantly harassed by hostile Indian tribes.

On the Rio Virgin

In 1861, a large number of Saints were called to go from the middle and central counties of Utah to settle on the Rio Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers. They located and founded the city of St. George, and other towns on the upper Rio Virgin. The following year other members of the Church were called to go to that southern country to lend strength to the settlements. That year they raised about one hundred thousand pounds of cotton in the “Dixie” of the West, showing that this industry was a possibility.

San Bernardino

At a much earlier date (1851), Elders Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich, with about five hundred souls from Utah, journeyed to southern California, where in September of that year they built the town of San Bernardino. This continued to be a flourishing settlement until 1858, when the people were called back to Utah owing to the coming of Johnston’s Army, and was never again occupied as a permanent settlement by the Saints.

Bear Lake Valley

In the fall of 1863, Bear Lake Valley was settled by a colony under the leadership of Elder Charles C. Rich, who made that country his home until his death, November 17, 1883. Cache Valley had previously been occupied and settlements founded as early as 1856.

The Muddy Mission

Early in the year 1871, the Saints who had gone to the far south and settled on the Muddy River in 1865, abandoned their homes, due to oppressive taxation levied against them by the new state of Nevada, which had been created out of the western portion of the territory of Utah. Subsequently, however, these settlements were re-established.

In this manner were the valleys of the mountains occupied by the Latter-day Saints through the inspiration and wisdom of President Brigham Young. Many of these settlements have grown into thriving and populous centers with a future before them of still wider and greater expansion.

Organization of Stakes

At the time of the death of President Young in 1877, there were organized in the Church twenty Stakes of Zion,⁴ namely, in the order of their creation: Salt Lake, Weber, Utah, Parowan, Cache, Juab, Millard, Beaver, Bear Lake, Sevier, St. George, Kanab, Panguitch, Davis, Tooele, Morgan, Sanpete, Summit, Wasatch and Box Elder. Two others, St. Louis and Carson Valley, had been discontinued. The wards in the Church on that date were approximately two hundred and fifty.

The Missions

During the administration of President Young, missionary labors were performed in the various States of the Union, and in the following foreign lands: Canada, British Isles, India, Australia, Palestine, Society Islands, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Hawaii, Italy, Switzerland, Iceland, Chile, Germany, Siam, Gibraltar, South Africa, Malta, West Indies, New Zealand, Holland, Austria, Finland and Mexico. In some of these fields little was accomplished; from others there have been gathered to Zion many thousands of the scattered house of Israel, and principally of the tribe of Ephraim, according to the predictions of the ancient prophets. This has been especially true of the Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian and Teutonic races.

Notes