The Mormons Come West Why did they go west?

Where did they go? They followed what is today known as the Mormon Trail The trail passes through Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah The trail later extended to California

Where did they come from? Many Mormons actually started in New York They moved to Ohio and Missouri Because of persecution, they went to Illinois and built the city of Nauvoo on the Mississippi River

Why leave Nauvoo then? Nauvoo was a great city The Mormons worked together to build homes,businesses, and a temple Many people didn’t like the Mormons’ success and were afraid They persecuted the Mormons They killed the Mormon leader, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith in June of 1844 The Mormons were forced to leave their homes again

What did they do then? Brigham Young and other leaders decided to go west They felt that the Rocky Mountains might provide a safe place They gathered all the provisions they could and began leaving Nauvoo in 1846 They only got to around Council Bluffs, Iowa before they stopped for the winter They named their camp Winter Quarters

Hardships There was a hard winter Many people died Also, 500 men said good bye to their families and were enlisted to fight in the War with Mexico This group became known as the Mormon Battalion

Moving out again In the Spring of 1847, Brigham Young and a group of mostly men left Winter Quarters heading west After a long journey, they arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake Brigham Young said, “This is the right place.”

Summary Mormons were pushed from place to place by persecution They went through many hardships They found a sanctuary in Utah where no one would bother them They felt they were doing the right thing