Settlement of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also called Mormons, Latter-day Saints, or Saints in the Salt Lake Valley and surrounding area or “the planning and founding of more than 500 communities in the American West, is regarded by many planning historians as one of the most significant accomplishments in the history of American city development”. The Saints moved from settlement to settlement, until they made a permanent home in the Great Basin of the Rocky Mountains. This group of people is characterized by their ability to work together in settlement efforts. In 1847, these people trekked en masse across the great plains of the United States until they reached what is now northern Utah. Led by Brigham Young, these people used their experience of settling to establish themselves there. The church provided leadership by organizing and directing the efforts of the people. While Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the LDS Church and many other settlements in the area became very successful. The techniques of the farm village, plats, and the grid, were all important components for the initial establishment, and later development, of the uninhabited area. The presence of the Saints in the valley was useful in the concluding efforts of the Transcontinental Railroad, where Promontory, Utah served as the connecting point of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines. Often labeled “the Crossroads of the West,” this area became an important hub for people traveling west, particularly for the California Gold Rush. While initially an agrarian community, the Saints became a strong force for industry as mines, factories, and rail began to be completely utilized.
Roots of settlement
The Church of Christ was the name of the original church founded by Joseph Smith in New York in 1830. Many of the early members, like Smith, came from the American northeast and therefore had been raised using the standard farming methods of the area, as well as typical methods for organizing towns and villages. Persecution, including mob violence, of church members caused Smith and his followers to move from place to place, building communities wherever they went. Smith intended to establish Zion, or a place where his people could live together in harmony. Smith's “City of Zion” was based on a self-sufficient agrarian model. In his plan, the city was to be divided so that each family had a -acre city lot to build their home and plant a garden, with one square mile of barns and crop fields surrounding the city for provisions. The saints began building in Kirtland, Ohio and parts of Missouri, such as Jackson County and Far West, then moved their headquarters to Nauvoo, Illinois. “As they transformed the city of Nauvoo from a few log houses to a bustling center of substantial homes and business, they confronted more intense persecution, including the assassination of their leader Joseph Smith, and the Saints decided to leave once more. They migrated from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley, under the leadership of their new leader, Brigham Young.
Central institution
The driving force in the settlement of the Salt Lake Valley was the LDS Church, with most of the people living there being church members. This group was familiar with establishing towns, where they all lived and worked together, and promoted the concept of Zion. The motivation for Latter-day Saint migration was not wealth or fame, but religion. Since its earliest days, missionary work had been a prominent responsibility of the church and its members. Proselyting efforts to gain more followers and bring them to Zion played a critical role in the immigration to Utah, which provided manpower for settlement. The Perpetual Emigration Fund was established to finance the travels of converts to Utah. Young had envisioned that the “desert blossom as a rose," and this vision was coming to pass as thousands of Americans, and foreigners alike, joined the Saints in the Salt Lake Valley and contributed greatly to their mission.