One of the religious groups to seek freedom and independence on the western frontier was the Mormons. The Mormon movement was founded by a New Yorker named Joseph Smith. He claimed to have seen visions directly from God and angels. A principal belief of this Christian-based faith is that communication with spirits is possible through rituals and sacred objects.

Early converts to Mormonism spread from New York to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, where they erected their first temples. Over time, non-Mormon residents of these areas feared the group's rapid expansion and began to drive them out.

Joseph Smith	Brigham Young

Hostility toward Mormons peaked in 1838 when both sides clashed in Missouri, resulting in the deaths of 17 Mormons. Following this incident, Joseph Smith counseled his disciples to move to the "Far West." Mormon leader Brigham Young led his flock to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah, where they quickly built dozens of settlements.

Within these settlements, Mormons practiced communal living and learned advanced farming techniques that allowed them to thrive in a new and unfamiliar environment. They established friendly relationships with native tribes and sold goods to passing wagon trains. They also preached their version of Christianity to the Native Americans.

Early Mormon settlement in Utah.

Mormons resided in Utah peacefully for about a decade until the United States government acquired the territory from Mexico. American officials took issue with several of Mormonism's basic practices, including a theocratic system of government in which Brigham Young had complete authority as a representative of God. Some Mormons also were openly polygamous: one man could—in fact, was expected to—have multiple wives. Some members of Congress declared polygamy to be morally objectionable and eventually outlawed it. Tensions between the two groups mounted and, ultimately, the United States government prevailed by taking control away from the Mormons after the Civil War and driving their leadership underground.

In 1890, the main branch of Mormonism, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, rejected polygamy as a practice. Relations between Mormons and the United States government improved, and Utah officially became a state in 1896. Much of Utah, as well as other parts of the United States, is still home to active Mormon populations.