Life in Territorial Utah
Farming Was considered the backbone of territorial Utah economy/survival Grew staple crops ◦ Wheat ◦ Corns ◦ Oats ◦ Potatoes ◦ Peas ◦ Beans Raised Livestock ◦ Cows ◦ Pigs ◦ Sheep ◦ Chicken
Problems Weather ◦ Too Hot ◦ Too Cold Pest ◦ Crickets Cooperation to survive/sharing
Grasshopper Issue In 1868 my brothers were called to settle in Bear Lake Territory….No sooner had the crops started to grow, when millions of grasshoppers descended upon our farms…destroyed nearly all of our crops. When the grasshoppers hordes finally left, they flew out into Bear Lake and were drowned and the fish ate them in such quantities that many of the fish also died. The wind blew so many [grasshoppers] upon the lake shore that they were stacked two or three feet deep. Eliza Ann Lamborn
Utah’s Schools LDS schools ◦ Read things like Bible and Book of Mormon ◦ Was not free Missionary Schools ◦ To convert Mormon Children Free Public School Act (1890) ◦ Not for older children ◦ Often underfunded Higher education was rare
Polygamy Mormons view it as a revival of the patriarchal family of the Old Testament US saw it as a challenge to US morality. Most Mormon men lived in monogamous marriages. Each wife usually lived in separate homes.
Diverse Religions Many other Religious Groups enter Utah. ◦ Protestant ◦ Presbyterian ◦ Baptist ◦ Methodist ◦ Lutheran ◦ Jewish ◦ Catholic ◦ BY welcomed many of them.
Newspaper War Deseret News (Pro Mormon) The Salt Lake Tribune (Anti-Mormon)
Pony Express (1860) Carried mail from Missouri to California in 10 days Built relay stations to keep fresh horses
Telegraph (1861) Killed the Pony Express Took only seconds to get messages
Transportation Revolution Promontory Point 1869 ◦ Brought outsiders in quickly ◦ Could carry raw materials out of Utah. ◦ Help expand Utah’s market.
Mining Became easier when the railroad came. Second biggest industry in territorial Utah Dangerous Job ◦ Injuries ◦ Disease ◦ Explosions Mining Towns ◦ No planned development ◦ Some became Ski towns other Ghost towns