Research

As some of you know I have been writing a musical about pre Utah, so of course that is Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers. Now if you don't mind I'm going to write a little bit about Utah's history. This is fascinating stuff.

In short the Salt Lake Valley was barren, barren, barren. I think that the only thing that grew here was Brine Shrimp and Sagebrush, along with wild Snap Dragons, and other obnoxious weeds. No one wanted this land, not even the Native Americans. There have been reports from people saying that:

"The Mormons will be lucky if they can grow wheat and corn."

How about this quote by Jim Brigder:

" It was imprudent to bring a large population into the Great Basin until they were sure grain could be grown"

The mountain man's pessimism was such that he offered a $1,000 for the first ear of corn raised in the valley "or the Utah Outlet" (which the Mormons would name the Jordan River). Here is a quote from Brigham Young about this land:

"Until the Latter-day Saint's came here, not a person among all the mountaineers and those who had traveled here, so far as we could learn, believed that an ear of corn would ripen in these valleys. We know that corn and wheat produce abundantly here, and we know that we have an excellent region wherein to rise cattle, horse, and every other kind of domestic animal that we need.......There never has been a land, from the days of Adam until now, that has been blessed more than this land has been blessed by our Farther in Heaven; and it will still be blessed more and more, if we are faithful and humble and thankful to God for the wheat and the corn, the oats, and the fruit, vegetables, the cattle a and everything he bestows upon us, and try to use them for the building up of his Kingdom on the earth." (DBY, pg 483-485)

You see if this Salt Lake Valley was so dry and barren that people believe that nothing could grow here, it would need to blessed by God. And it still is!

Brigham young also said this:

"We have faith, we live by faith; we came to these mountains by faith. We came here, I often say, though to the ears of some the expression my sound rather rude, naked and barefoot, and comparatively this is true." (DBY, pg 481)

This has been seriously fascinating. A long cry from the traditional stories we are told; and yet still the same, but told in a different way. I am however going to try and keep this musical as historically correct as possible. So yes I will need to do much more research, and this will take a lot of time.

Cheers Everyone!!