Return to About Mormons home

Gathering and Colonization

 
Gathering
"For Latter-day Saints, the gathering of Israel involves bringing together the heirs of the covenant to designated places where they can enjoy the blessings of temples." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
Colonization
"Latter-day Saints were industrious colonizers of the American West. During the Brigham Young administration alone, they founded nearly four hundred settlements, with three hundred more thereafter. Though some were distant from Salt Lake City, they were not isolated villages but maintained close communication with adjacent settlements and Church headquarters. Following a pattern that emerged in the Church's first decade, each was founded to provide protection and promote unity and shared values." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
City Planning
"The large scale of both Joseph Smith's and Brigham Young's visions of the ideal city and the emphasis on uniform setback, landscaping, and brick or stone construction combine to make the Mormon village a distinctive pattern of city planning in America." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
Pioneer Settlements in Arizona
"Mormon pioneering in Arizona began in the mid-1800s and continued until well after 1900, and was especially active from 1873 until 1890....By 1990 there were 236,000 Latter-day Saints in Arizona, most of them residing in urban areas." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
Pioneer Settlements in California
"Spaniards founded missions, presidios, pueblos, and ranchos in California seventy-seven years before the arrival of the Mormons, but Latter-day Saints were among the first Anglo-Americans to establish settlements there." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
Pioneer Settlements in Canada
"The first permanent Church settlements in Canada were built in Alberta by Latter-day Saints from Utah seeking refuge from persecution that followed increasingly harsh antipolygamy legislation." Encyclopedia of Mormonism
 
(See Basic Beliefs home page; Church Organization and Priesthood Authority home page; The Worldwide Church home page)
 

All About Mormons