Brigham Young by William R. Sanford

Author:William R. Sanford [Sanford, William R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4645-0996-4
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2013-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Image Credit: © North Wind Picture Archives

Brigham Young speaks to his fellow Mormons at the Great Salt Lake. Once they reached that “Promised Land,” the hard-working Mormons quickly built a thriving settlement.

The settlers had a wonderful tale to tell. That spring, swarms of hungry crickets had descended on their fields. Desperate men and women attacked the insects with brooms and torches. When that failed, they flooded the fields. For each cricket that drowned, two seemed to take its place. At that dark moment, flocks of seagulls flew in from the Great Salt Lake. In a short time, the birds snapped up most of the crickets.

Despite the miracle of the seagulls, food ran short that winter. By spring, the Mormons were eating tree bark, lily bulbs, and crows. Thanks to Brigham’s rationing of food, no one starved. The California gold rush also helped. During 1849, many forty-niners passed through Salt Lake. The Mormons earned much-needed cash by repairing wagons and selling supplies. Brigham himself made $17,000 by trading with the gold seekers.

Brigham urged his people to make their own tools, harnesses, and cloth. He did not want them to depend on eastern factories. Brigham also worked to turn the vast region he called Deseret into a state. In Washington, D.C., his quest became tangled in the dispute over slavery. Should Deseret be slave or free? The North and South could not agree.

The Compromise of 1850 gave a short-lived answer. The bill set up a new and smaller Utah Territory. President Millard Fillmore named Brigham as governor. The new role gave Brigham a chance to develop Utah’s resources. He urged Mormons to produce iron, lead, wool, and sugar beets. Held back by outdated methods, none of the projects was a long-term success.

Eager young Mormon missionaries traveled to Europe, Asia, and South Africa to preach their faith. In the 1850s, more converts headed west than the wagon trains could handle. From Iowa, many pushed handcarts across the 1,400-mile route. Some carts made of green wood fell apart. Disease and accidents thinned the ranks of the converts. Still, they trudged on. Brigham welcomed them with special warmth when they arrived. Utah needed people who were strong in body and faith.

In Salt Lake, the walls of a grand temple took shape. Nearby, Brigham built a large adobe house for his family. A coat of plaster gave the house its name—the White House. For a time, it served as family home, church headquarters, and territorial capitol. In 1855, Brigham built a new fourteen-room, two-story adobe house. Locals looked at its gilded tower and called it the Beehive House. It became Brigham’s official residence.

The Mormon success story drew visitors from around the world. Among them were author Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) and the British explorer Richard Burton. Newspaper editor Horace Greeley also dropped by. Greeley wrote that Brigham Young “carries the territory in his breeches pocket without a shadow of opposition.” The New Yorker seemed to approve of the way his host used his power. Greeley described Brigham as modest, open, smart, and witty.

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