Changes

==History of the Church in Utah ==

==History of the Church in Utah ==

After the move to what would eventually become Utah, members of the Church founded the Territory of Deseret.  While this was soon scaled down to the Utah territory by the United states government, the name Deseret was retained in the form of a newspaper (the Deseret Times) and the symbol on the state's highways (the beehive).  Bringham Young, the then president of the Church was appointed governor of the Territory.  The territory thrived, with the Saints in all positions of power (a territory consisting almost entirely of Saints unsurprisingly elected a territorial legislature that was entirely Mormon).   

After the move to what would eventually become Utah, members of the Church founded the Territory of Deseret.  While this was soon scaled down to the Utah territory by the United states government, the name Deseret was retained in the form of a newspaper (the Deseret Times) and the symbol on the state's highways (the beehive).  Brigham Young, the then president of the Church was appointed governor of the Territory.  The territory thrived, with the Saints in all positions of power (a territory consisting almost entirely of Saints unsurprisingly elected a territorial legislature that was entirely Mormon).   

When federal officials, placed as patronage positions, arrived in Utah and found they could not profit in the usual way (skimming money off the top of deals, insisting on bribes and kickbacks for contracts), they started a drumbeat of negativity towards the Church in Washington.  This led to the United States government marching an army of 2,500 troops towards Utah in 1857.  This exercise of a nation taking arms against its own people failed miserably, with the troops poorly supplied and forced to march through the Rocky Mountains in the winter.  Armed conflict was averted by Thomas Kaine, who convinced the governor of the territory at the time, Alfred Cummings, to order the army to pass by Salt Lake City and camp miles away.  This failed expedition helped the Saints maintain a greater part of their independence from the federal government for a while longer.

When federal officials, placed as patronage positions, arrived in Utah and found they could not profit in the usual way (skimming money off the top of deals, insisting on bribes and kickbacks for contracts), they started a drumbeat of negativity towards the Church in Washington.  This led to the United States government marching an army of 2,500 troops towards Utah in 1857.  This exercise of a nation taking arms against its own people failed miserably, with the troops poorly supplied and forced to march through the Rocky Mountains in the winter.  Armed conflict was averted by Thomas Kaine, who convinced the governor of the territory at the time, Alfred Cummings, to order the army to pass by Salt Lake City and camp miles away.  This failed expedition helped the Saints maintain a greater part of their independence from the federal government for a while longer.