Settlement of Utah

Settlement of Utah

The First Winter

•In September of 1847 reached the Salt Lake Valley.•1,540 people with 580 wagons.•Late in September, “Cattle and horses entirely destroyed the crops sown, except the potatoes, the tops of which they ate smooth with the ground.”

Crickets and Seagulls

• The next spring, clouds of black crickets started eating the crops.• For weeks settlers fought crickets, and it wasn’t until flocks of seagulls came

that they had partial relief.

Gold Discovered in California

• In 1848 gold was discovered in California.

• Over 25,000 people swarmed to California in 1849 and over 50,000 the next year.– How did this help

those in Salt Lake City?

Foreign Immigrants

• During the 1840s and 1850s, millions of immigrants

• Newly-converted Latter-day Saints

Perpetual Emigration Fund

• Brigham Young wanted a way to bring more LDS members to Utah. • He set up the fund and it was built up by donations of money, oxen,

wagons, and food from Utah.• Immigrants later repaid their loans by donating labor or paying back the

loan in cash, farm products, or goods.

Called to Settle a New Place• When Brigham Young wanted to establish a new

community, he often “called” the people to go.

Reasons for SettlementsMany towns were built for a specific purpose.• Cedar City-Iron• St. George- Cotton and Flax• Sugar House- molasses and sugar• Las Vegas-Missions to Indian groups

Patterns of Mormon Settlement

• Grid pattern

• Wide Streets

• “Squares” in the center of towns

• Farmland surrounding the cities

Settlement Problems• They were in an unfamiliar

environment.• They were isolated.• They were living on land

inhabited by American Indians.

• Every year thousands of new immigrants of different cultures and languages arrived with no money, homes, or jobs.

Settlement Problems• What do you think?– How hard would it be

to provide everything you needed in an isolated community?

– What problems might occur?

– Could positive aspects balance out the negative?