The Mormons Come West

Why did they go west?

Where did they go?

They followed what is today known as the Mormon Trail

The trail passes through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah

The trail later extended to California

Where did they come from?Many Mormons actually started in New YorkThey moved to Ohio and MissouriBecause of persecution, they went to Illinois and built the city of Nauvoo on the Mississippi River

Why leave Nauvoo then?Nauvoo was a great cityThe Mormons worked together to build homes,businesses, and a templeMany people didn’t like the Mormons’ success and were afraidThey persecuted the MormonsThey killed the Mormon leader, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith in June of 1844The Mormons were forced to leave their homes again

What did they do then?Brigham Young and other leaders decided to go westThey felt that the Rocky Mountains might provide a safe placeThey gathered all the provisions they could and began leaving Nauvoo in 1846They only got to around Council Bluffs, Iowa before they stopped for the winterThey named their camp Winter Quarters

HardshipsThere was a hard winter

Many people died

Also, 500 men said good bye to their families and were enlisted to fight in the War with Mexico

This group became known as the Mormon Battalion

Moving out againIn the Spring of 1847, Brigham Young and a group of mostly men left Winter Quarters heading west

After a long journey, they arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake

Brigham Young said, “This is the right place.”

Summary

Mormons were pushed from place to place by persecution

They went through many hardships

They found a sanctuary in Utah where no one would bother them

They felt they were doing the right thing