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How did the Mormons get West?

How did the Mormons get West?

Young led the Mormons on their great trek westward through the wilderness some 1,300 miles to the Rocky Mountains—a rite of passage they saw as necessary in order to find their promised land. For the next two decades, wagon trains bearing thousands of Mormon immigrants followed Young’s westward trail.

Who helped the Mormons move west?

But when winter came, scurvy claimed as many as 15 percent of the camp members; Young’s son would later call their settlement “the Valley Forge of Mormondom.” Young, himself sick in February 1847, had been plagued by self-doubt, but a vision of Joseph Smith helped him become the strong leader his followers needed for …

When did the Mormon pioneers move west?

In April 1847 the first group of Mormon settlers left and headed west along the California Trail. Brigham Young led a group of two children, three women, and 143 men. They traveled on horseback or in oxen-pulled wagons for three months; then, on July 22, the first men entered the Salt Lake Valley.

Why did the Mormons move west from New York?

The Mormons were a religious group that moved westward in an attempt to escape persecution. After Joseph Smith was killed by a mob in Illinois in 1844, the Mormons decided to move westward in order to escape continued persecution.

When did Mormonism become a religion?

1830
The religion was officially founded in 1830 when The Book of Mormon was published. Today, the LDS church is most prevalent in the United States, Latin America, Canada, Europe, the Philippines, Africa and parts of Oceania.

What challenges did the Mormon Trail face?

Rattlesnakes, blizzards, confrontations with Native Americans, and starvation were just a few of the challenges they faced. By 1870 nearly 6,000 had lost their lives on the journey to establish their new home in the Rocky Mountains.

How long did the Mormon Trail take?

The Mormon Trail is the 1,300-mile (2,100 km) long route from Illinois to Utah that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months.

What state has the most Mormons?

This page shows the membership statistics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) within the United States….Official LDS Membership.

State Alaska
Membership 33,495
Population 731,545
LDS 4.58%
Temples 1

Why did the Mormon church split?

Following Smith’s death, the movement experienced a leadership crisis which led to a schism within the church. The largest group, which would become the LDS Church, followed Brigham Young, settling in what would become the Utah Territory.

What is the story behind Mormonism?

The doctrines of Mormonism began with the farmboy Joseph Smith in the 1820s in western New York during a period of religious excitement known as the Second Great Awakening. After praying about which denomination he should join, Smith said he received a vision in the spring of 1820.

What happened on the Mormon Trail?

The Mormon Trail broke south just to the west of the Continental Divide, and it terminated to the southeast of the Great Salt Lake, in what is today Salt Lake City. The route was designated a national historic trail by the U.S. National Park Service. Mormons on their trek from Illinois to Utah, 1846.

Why did the Mormons move to Utah?

The church of Mormons was created in New York, but after the death of their founder, all Mormons were persecuted because of extermination passed against them. They moved towards Missouri, Ohio, and Illinois, but later they were also asked to leave this territory, so they headed for the west to Utah and settled there.

What percentage of people in Utah are Mormon?

The remainder of the states have Mormon populations of less than 11% of their total populations. The lowest number of Mormons is found in New Jersey where they make up only 0.37% of the total population. Mormons in Utah account for 67.70% of its population. A total of 2,065,808 Mormons live in Utah.

Who led the Mormons to Utah?

Brigham Young. Brigham Young was a Mormon leader, born in 1801, who has a University named after him in Utah, and was the driving force which led the Mormon faithful to the Great Salt Lake basin and founded what is present day Salt Lake City.

Who were the first Mormons?

The first Mormon missionary was undoubtedly Joseph Smith, the Prophet, who told his family and neighbors about his First Vision in which he saw Jesus Christ and God the Father. Though ostracized and harassed because of this, Joseph continued to assert the truth and on September 21, 1824, an angel appeared to him and called him to be a prophet.