After the death of Joseph Smith at the Carthage City Jail, the Mormons that chose to follow Brigham Young went westward, eventually to settle in the valley of the Great Salt Lake and to find the city that bears its name.
The path the Mormons took, which stretched from Nauvoo, Illinois to what is now Salt Lake City, would become known as the Mormon trail. On the way, the Mormon pioneers would have to endured many hardships including diseases, starvation, and the occasional attack by Native American tribes. The event today is commemorated by people in Utah as Pioneer Day.
Why the Early LDS Pioneers Moved West on the Mormon Trail
The threat of violence against the early Mormons increased after Joseph Smith met his death at the hands of an angry mob. The Nauvoo Expositor had been destroyed, and language coming from the inhabitants of Illinois echoed the words of the Missouri extermination order that had been signed by Governor Lilburn Boggs.
After an internal power struggle was settled, the majority of the Mormons in Nauvoo decided to head west under the direction of the second Mormon prophet. A few remained behind and would find other Restorationist sects, each claiming to be the church set up by Joseph Smith. The largest of these was the Community of Christ
Life on the Mormon Trail
The hardships endured by the Mormons were similar to those who chose to move westward during the 1800s. Many hours of walking, little rest, and frequent changes in the weather were minor annoyances compared to the other dangers of immigration. Death by starvation and disease were common. The Mormons, however, did not go West because of their belief in manifest destiny, but rather to maintain a cultural identity, according to the American West web site. Come, Come Ye Saints, the signature Mormon hymn, was composed in the mountains overlooking Salt Lake just before the Mormon pioneers began to settle in the region.
After being driven out of Kirtland, Missouri, and finally Nauvoo, lllinois, the Mormons were determined to find a home where they could practice their religion in peace, and one that lay outside of the borders of the United States. When the Mormon settlers first arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847, Brigham Young declared simply “This is the Place.” The path these settlers took would share the nickname that followers of the Restorationist movement use to this day. Mormons often re-enact the journey made by the early Mormons, although the towns they pass along the way are more likely to be friendly now than similar settlings would have been in the late 1800s.
Resources:
The American West – The Pioneer Trail
