This subject is so broad and so deep that a short article could never reveal the nuggets of human nature, religion, intestinal fortitude and so many more elements of humanity that make the history of the Mormons so rich and diverse. That being said, I am provoked to write a quick summary.
The story goes thus; Joseph Smith, at the age of 14, received a revelation to form his own church; actually his own religion having many elements of Christianity and a few others provided to him in the revelation.
In 1830, he founded the Church of Jesus Christ ( later to be renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) after publishing the Book of Mormon, a Judeo-Christian history of the an ancient American civilization. The church expanded in geometric progressions.
Due to the unique nature of the Mormon lifestyle, neighbors often became angry with the members of the Church. Violence frequently erupted. Smith moved his people several times to assure the safety of his community. Ultimately, he was murdered by an ugly crowd, while in jail, awaiting trial.
Eventually, Brigham Young took the reins. He concluded that his followers would never be safe unless they isolated themselves in a far away place not coveted by others. In 1846 and 1847, Young led a large troop of souls in the direction of the Pacific Ocean, intending to settle somewhere west of the boundaries of the United States and east of California, a newly established possession of the United States. There was a vast wasteland to consider.
Ultimately, Brigham Young looked out across an arid valley, later known as the Great Basin, and said,”This is the Place.” He chose to begin a new self proclaimed State that he called the State of Deseret. Their first settlement was founded near the shore of the Great Salt Lake. The area was so desolate that not even Native Americans chose to live there. I cannot overstate the “grit” that these people possessed. No trees, virtually no water, other than the brackish water of the Lake, and no apparent way to survive. That settlement became Salt Lake City.
The Mormons claimed an incredible piece of what was then the northern part of Mexico. The boundaries contained what is today parts of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming. Due to circumstances, over an extended period of time, the State was reduced to its present size. In 1850, as a part of the Compromise of 1850, Congress authorized the Utah Territory, however it encompassed only a northern portion of the State of Deseret.
The State of Desert, although not officially a State until 1896, has played a very important role in the history of the United States since 1847. Pilgrims on the way to the West Coast were often obliged to pass through Salt Lake City for rest and provisions. Planners for the Transcontinental Railroad negotiated with Brigham Young to determine a feasible route.
The State of Deseret, occupies a strategic part in my novel, Equal and Alike. I reveal many myths, as well as many truths, circulated in the mid 19th Century about the State of Desert and the Mormons who occupied that land. My book is available from Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, along with other fine purveyors of books.