History of the Saints

The Great Western Measure

Far from being an accidental or sudden idea, the exodus of the Latter-day Saints to the West was an informed and planned decision. It was not an idea that originated with Brigham Young, but rather with Joseph Smith who spoke of it as early as the 1830s. When the Saints went west, it was not the migration of random peoples looking for gold, game, or fur—it was the movement of a displaced people—an entire culture—looking for a home. Scholars interviewed include: Alexander L. Baugh, Fred R. Gowans, Richard E. Bennett, William G. Hartley, Fred E. Woods, Glen M. Leonard.