Mormons live all over the world. As of 2011, there were 8,521,430 Mormons in North America, 3,549,839 Mormons in South America, 1,024,218 Mormons in Asia, 485,403 Mormons in Europe, 482,783 Mormons in Oceania, and 318,947 Mormons in Africa. Mormons are located all over the world, including, probably, your very neighborhood!
Where did Mormons settle?Historically, Mormons originally settled in the western United States, in a state called Utah. Our church actually started in New York State. Unfortunately, we had to move when we encountered persecution and political conflict in New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.
Why did Mormons Move West?Many people fear others who are different. Back in the 19th century, many Mormons were tortured and even killed for their beliefs. Whenever we encountered people who began to harm us, we decided to move to another city to prevent suffering. In some places like Missouri, we were forced to leave. The governor of Missouri at the time, Lilburn W. Boggs, passed a law saying it was okay to "exterminate" Mormons.
Why did Mormons Move to Utah?Eventually, we decided the best thing to do was to leave the United States all together. We decided to move west into the desert to a place where we would be left alone. We thought of several places, like California and Vancouver Island. We picked Utah because it was a rough desert, a land that other people would probably not care about. Utah decided to join the United States about 50 years after the Mormons settled there. Today, the headquarters of the "Mormon Church" are still based in Utah.
How did Mormons Get to Utah?Cars hadn't been invented back in the 19th century, when Mormons moved to Utah. Most Mormons traveled using horse-drawn wagons. Those Mormons who were too poor to buy a wagon used hand carts, miniature wagons that were pulled by people instead of animals. Can you imagine pulling a hand-cart wagon thousands of miles?
Mormon converts from Europe traveled to the United States on boats. Eventually, a train was built that connected Utah to other parts of the United States. Some Mormons joined their friends who had settled in Utah years earlier by riding trains.
What did Mormons Hope to Find in the West?Mostly, Mormons just wanted people to leave them alone so they could live in peace. We also wanted to build our identify as a people. Part of that was establishing a home land for ourselves, kind of like Israel is for the Jewish people.
What did the Mormons do in the West?Mormons didn't limit themselves to Utah. They quickly expanded, forming something of an empire that extended from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Even today, there are Mormon colonies in Canada and Mexico, as well as scattered throughout the American west. People of other faiths have in most cases joined their Mormon friends in these communities, so that today they are more diverse.
Where Mormons Live
Where did Mormons settle?Historically, Mormons originally settled in the western United States, in a state called Utah. Our church actually started in New York State. Unfortunately, we had to move when we encountered persecution and political conflict in New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois.
Why did Mormons Move West?Many people fear others who are different. Back in the 19th century, many Mormons were tortured and even killed for their beliefs. Whenever we encountered people who began to harm us, we decided to move to another city to prevent suffering. In some places like Missouri, we were forced to leave. The governor of Missouri at the time, Lilburn W. Boggs, passed a law saying it was okay to "exterminate" Mormons.
Why did Mormons Move to Utah?Eventually, we decided the best thing to do was to leave the United States all together. We decided to move west into the desert to a place where we would be left alone. We thought of several places, like California and Vancouver Island. We picked Utah because it was a rough desert, a land that other people would probably not care about. Utah decided to join the United States about 50 years after the Mormons settled there. Today, the headquarters of the "Mormon Church" are still based in Utah.
How did Mormons Get to Utah?Cars hadn't been invented back in the 19th century, when Mormons moved to Utah. Most Mormons traveled using horse-drawn wagons. Those Mormons who were too poor to buy a wagon used hand carts, miniature wagons that were pulled by people instead of animals. Can you imagine pulling a hand-cart wagon thousands of miles?
Mormon converts from Europe traveled to the United States on boats. Eventually, a train was built that connected Utah to other parts of the United States. Some Mormons joined their friends who had settled in Utah years earlier by riding trains.
What did Mormons Hope to Find in the West?Mostly, Mormons just wanted people to leave them alone so they could live in peace. We also wanted to build our identify as a people. Part of that was establishing a home land for ourselves, kind of like Israel is for the Jewish people.
What did the Mormons do in the West?Mormons didn't limit themselves to Utah. They quickly expanded, forming something of an empire that extended from southern Canada to northern Mexico. Even today, there are Mormon colonies in Canada and Mexico, as well as scattered throughout the American west. People of other faiths have in most cases joined their Mormon friends in these communities, so that today they are more diverse.