History

Nauvoo Polygamy: “… but we called it celestial marriage”

Nauvoo Polygamy
Mormon polygamy began in Nauvoo, Illinois. After Joseph Smith married some thirty-eight women, he introduced it to nearly 200 men and 700 women.

New Mormon Studies CD-ROM: A Comprehensive Resource Library

New Mormon Studies CD Rom
In the eleven years since the New Mormon Studies CD-ROM was first released, computers have bulked up to about eight times as much RAM and fifteen times the speed. Taking advantage of these developments, the 2009 edition has greater computational capacity and is quicker. The content has not changed—only the software has. You will find that you can enjoy the same ease of installation and functionality as with your original...

Pedestals and Podiums: Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights

Utah Women, Religious Authority, and Equal Rights
Conjuring up images of unisex bathrooms, homosexuality, the dangers of women in the military, and the divine calling of stay-at-home motherhood—none of which were directly related to equal rights—the LDS campaign began in Utah at church headquarters but importantly was fought across the country in states that had not yet ratified the proposed amendment.

Power From On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood

Power From on High
Authority and priesthood were concepts that developed gradually in Mormon theology, not as thunderbolts but as ideas that acquired meaning and momentum over time. Acting initially on the basis of implied leadership, Joseph Smith moved toward explicit angelic authority and an increasingly defined structure drawn from biblical models.

Red Stockings and Out-of-Towners: Sports in Utah

Red Stockings and Out-of-Towners
Stanford J. Layton, former managing editor of the Utah Historical Quarterly, is a visiting professor of history at Weber State University.

Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies

Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies
When Brigham Young heard about their plight, he complained about their lack of judgment and preparation, but he dispatched search parties to try to locate them and provide safe passage, knowing the rescuers would risk their own lives in the process.

Sacred Land, Sacred View: Navajo Perceptions of the Four Corners Region

Navajo Perceptions of the Four Corners Region
ROBERT S. McPHERSON Charles Redd Monographs in Western History Series No. 19 Paperback. 152 Pages. / 1-56085-008-6 / $8.95 Dramatic geographical formations tower over the Four Corners country in the southwestern United States. The mountains, cliffs, and sandstone spires, familiar landmarks for anglo travelers, orient Navajos both physically and spiritually. In Sacred Land, Sacred View, Robert

Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders

The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders
What was the "salamander letter" and why were so many people determined to possess—and to conceal—it? Why was this one of the most unusual cases in American forensic history? Come find out!

San Bernardino: The Rise and Fall of a California Community

San Bernardino
From the beginning, Brigham Young had misgivings about the colony. Particularly perplexing was the mix of atypical Latter-day Saints who gravitated there. Among these were ex-slave holders; inter-racial polygamists; horse-race gamblers; distillery proprietors; former mountain men, prospectors, and mercenaries; disgruntled Polynesian immigrants; and finally Apostle Amasa M. Lyman, the colony's leader, who became involved in spiritualist seances.

The Mormon Church on Trial: Transcripts of the Reed Smoot Hearings

Mormon Church on Trial
Contrary to popular folklore, the LDS temple ceremony was not performed or recited in the U.S. Senate chambers during the 1904-06 challenge to Reed Smoot's election from Utah. Nor was it entered into the Congressional Record. The committee investigating Apostle-Senator Smoot's qualifications wanted to know if temple participants promised to avenge the blood of the martyred prophet Joseph Smith and whether that vengeance was sworn upon "this generation" or...