Church
History c. 1844-1877, Exodus And Early Utah Periods
"After outlining developments in Nauvoo,
Illinois, following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith, this article traces the exodus from
Nauvoo to the West. It then focuses primarily on the political and economic developments
associated with establishing a new commonwealth in the Great Basin under Brigham Young's
direction. It also reviews Church organization, plural marriage, and the building of
temples."
Pioneer Life and
Worship
"The first members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
worshiped like the converts of many new religions: their devotions were democratic,
fervent, local, and spontaneous."
Reformation
(LDS) OF 1856-1857
"A rejuvenation movement initiated by Church leaders in 1856-1857 to
rekindle faith and testimony throughout the Church has long been known as the Mormon
Reformation."
Pioneer
Economy
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the major force
contributing to the economic development of the Great Basin region in the nineteenth
century."
Beehive
"Nineteenth-century leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints consciously created symbols to buttress their community. The most
persistent of these pioneer symbols was the beehive." Encyclopedia
of Mormonism
Council Bluffs
(Kanesville), Iowa
"Between 1846 and 1852, Council Bluffs, then known as Kanesville, was
the headquarters for a substantial LDS presence in western Iowa. During the exodus from
Illinois to the Rocky Mountains in the late 1840s, thousands of Latter-day Saints wintered
at the Missouri River. After many proceeded westward, winter quarters, their original
headquarters on the western bank, was abandoned in early 1848 in response to governmental
pressure to leave Indian lands. Latter-day Saints who had not gone west relocated on the
east bank of the river, in Iowa." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Deseret
Alphabet
"On April 8, 1852, Brigham Young announced that the Board of Regents
of the university of Deseret was preparing a new method of writing English. The idea was
to develop a sort of universal system, especially so that foreign-language-speaking
converts could learn to read English more easily...The death of President Young in 1877
marked the end of efforts on its behalf." Encyclopedia of
Mormonism
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State of
Deseret
"On February 2, 1848, by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico
ceded to the United States an extensive area that included the Great Basin, where Mormon
pioneers had begun settlement. Even before the treaty was signed,
Church leaders began discussing petitioning the U.S. government for recognition as a state.
Mountain Meadows Massacre [part 1]
Mountian Meadodw Massacre [part 2]
For a century and a half the Mountain Meadows Massacre has shocked and distressed those who have learned of it. The tragedy has deeply grieved the victims’ relatives, burdened the perpetrators’ descendants and Church members generally with sorrow and feelings of collective guilt, unleashed criticism on the Church, and raised painful, difficult questions. How could this have happened? How could members of the Church have participated in such a crime?
Nineteenth-Century
Ecclesiastical Courts
"In the nineteenth century, the LDS court system functioned in
adjudicating virtually all kinds of legal disputes among Church members. Since the late
1800s, however, the Church courts, now entitled disciplinary councils, have not been used
for the arbitration of private disputes."
Handcart Companies
"The large backlog of needy LDS converts awaiting passage from Europe
and reduced tithing receipts at home persuaded Brigham Young in 1855 to instruct that the
"poor saints" sailing from Liverpool to New York and taking the train to Iowa
City should thence "walk and draw their luggage" overland to Utah. In 1856 five
such handcart companies were organized to make the 1,300-mile trip on foot from the
western railroad terminus at Iowa City to Salt Lake City." Encyclopedia
of Mormonism
Planning and
Westward Migration
"For Brigham Young and
his associates, the 1846 exodus from Nauvoo, far from being a disaster imposed by enemies,
was foretold and foreordained—a key to understanding LDS history and a necessary
prelude for greater things to come." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Journal of Discourses
"The Journal of Discourses was a sixteen-page semimonthly
subscription publication privately printed in Liverpool, England, in 1854-1886." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
Utah Expedition
"The Utah War of 1857-1858 was the largest military operation in the
United States between the times of the Mexican War and the Civil War. It pitted the Mormon
militia, called the Nauvoo Legion, against the army and government of the United States in
a bloodless but costly confrontation that stemmed from the badly handled attempt by the
administration of President James Buchanan to replace Brigham Young as governor of Utah Territory." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
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