The early history of Utah is both varied and interesting and presents a rich field of study for the student of Western American History. The subject treated in this paper is a segment of the early Utah story. It is a study of the activities of the Mormon leader Brigham Young in the southwestern Utah community of St. George. Involved is a detailed study of the years between 1861, when St. George was settled, and 1877, when President Young made his last visit to the community.

The problem of this study was to investigate Brigham Young's recreational philosophy, views, practices and activities. This historical research was conducted and information gathered from Brigham Young's journals, the Manuscript History of Brigham Young, compilations of Brigham Young's discourses, books and articles written by his daughters, accounts written by those who were present when recreational events occurred, compilations of manuscripts and documents, and interpretations of various historians who interpreted events as they read them.The historical data collected indicated Brigham Young developed over a period of time a definite philosophy of recreation in regards to his personal life. He enjoyed not only large group gatherings where recreational events occurred but he enjoyed cultural refinement recreational pursuits as well.

The problem of this study was two-fold: first, to determine the accomplishments of the Utah Territorial Indian Superintendency during Brigham Young's term in office; and second, to study the difficulties which hindered this superintendency from functioning in a manner which would be most beneficial to the Indian people. These difficulties fit into three major groups: friction within the superintendency, Indian depredations, and lack of cooperation on the part of the Federal Government.The main sources of information for this study were the official letters sent by the superintendency to the Indian Commission in Washington. Letters sent from Washington to the superintendency as well as letters circulated in Washington, were also used. Books written by contemporaries along with the best available historical works of that period were also helpful in this study.

Brigham Young was an American product of the nineteenth century. John Calvin was a European product of the sixteenth century. Each of these men left definite impressions upon world history. Of the two, Calvin is more widely understood and better known, but we should remember that the element of time was in his favor.An examination of the lives of these two men indicates definite parallels, and their teachings show many views in common. Both were spiritual as well as temporal leaders, and each succeeded in gaining the interest of the world in his particular time. Just as the attention of the people of sixteenth century Europe was focused upon Geneva, the world of the nineteenth century had its attention centered upon Utah. Both Utah and Geneva offered novel situations, but the thing which made them colorful before the world was not their people, but their leaders, Brigham Young and John Calvin.

"Brigham Young's Philosophy of History" attempts to describe how Brigham Young gave order and unity to the hubbub and confusion in which man lived. The laws which gave form and pattern to the baffling, diverse phenomena of and around man receive major attention. This thesis is an expository type of writing rather than an evaluation of Brigham Young's ideas and principles or laws in reference to other philosophies of history, Latter-day Saint theology, the modern natural exact sciences, or in reference to the current views of his times. This thesis is limited to a digestion of Brigham Young's works in the Journal of Discourses rather than an attempt to add another biography to the many on Brigham Young or to attempt to trace the roots of his ideas in his environments. Neither is this work a comparison of Brigham Young's ideas concerning history with those of his contemporaries in and out of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nor does it deal with the influence which Brigham Young may have had upon the dogma of the "Mormon" church. In literary style, the thesis is written in the first person and dramatic narrators. This style may be confusing to the reader who never experienced it before. With the exception of the introduction, the first chapter, the epilogue, and the appendicies, this particular literary style allow the thesis to read as if Brigham Young had written the work. Thus, all the ideas expressed in the main body of the thesis are those of Brigham Young.Brigham Young's mind seemed to operate upon a priori and a posterori as well as a form of ratiocination when he arrived at his conclusions. The main law governing the universe and all its modes was the law of increase with its antithesis, decrease. The numerous laws which were below the law of increase taught man how to increase and gave him power to increase. Should he refuse to obey these laws, he was acted upon by other laws until he decomposed back into his native element. Man had his existence to learn to increase, expand, and spread abroad. It was his mission. He was the apex of focus for the law of increase.Below the law of increase and its antithesis, decrease, were numerous subsidiary laws which helped to govern all events. The organization of matter to form intelligence, spirit bodies, and mortal bodies to house these spirits were all governed by these laws. The war in heaven, the creation of this earth, the transgression of Adam and Eve, the struggles of mankind against evil, and the interference by God into man's affairs were all opportunities calculated to allow the rational beings the privilege of giving their loyalty to either increase or decrease. Although there is seemingly a fluidity in man's choices, man cannot stymie increase by continual conscious or unconscious wrong choices, for increase will eventually destroy all the evil upon this earth.

The purpose of this study is to determine, in so far as is possible, the views held by various leaders of the Latter-day Saints relative to Adam; and more especially, the official doctrine of the Church as to his place in its theology. The problem is based, in part, on the divergent, and oft times bitter, claims and counter-claims of members, ex-members, and non-members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over "Mormon" teachings concerning Adam in the light of a certain address given by president Brigham Young in 1852. Indeed, this address, and the man who gave it, remain the focal point of much discussion to this day. From time to time, articles, anti-Mormon in spirit and purpose, appear attacking the Latter-day Saints and citing the aforementioned address as irrefutable evidence of the "blasphemous beliefs" of Mormonism in general, and its concept of God and man's relationship to him in particular. It is hoped that this study will prove of some value in establishing the actual doctrines of the Church, thus revealing the truth - whatever that truth may be. It is in that spirit that this thesis hase been written; the writer trusts that it will be received in a like one.

The purpose of this study is to determine the educational views and practices of Brigham Young as contained in his writings and speeches.

This thesis provides a detailed study of Brigham Young's Indian superintendency within a framework of the federal Indian policy of his era. It focuses on Brigham Young's personal challenges and successes in instituting a conciliatory policy with the natives of the Great Basin. Experience taught Brigham Young that it was "cheaper to feed the Indians than to fight them." Brigham Young pursued his policy in spite of opposition from some Mormon constituents until finally his determination overruled pleas to forcibly remove the Indians from their lands.Another important emphasis of the thesis is the personal interaction between Brigahm Young and non-Mormon territorial officials within and outside the Indian superintendency. Each party experienced conflict and frustration in dealing with the other. An analysis of the motives undergirding the conflict between the Mormons and non-Mormons is herein provided. These verbal battles also impacted the Indians, thus diminishing the good that might have been accomplished in a more cooperative atmosphere.

This thesis found that the three communities of Midvale, Murray, and Sandy were the center of the smelting industry in the Salt Lake Valley. These communities became the center of smelting because of their central location, the readily available water supply, and the availability of an inexpensive, efficient transportation system to ship the bullion. The smelters were surrounded by two major mountain ranges which provided a ready supply of good lead, silver, and copper ore.The development of the smelting industry followed three separate phases or periods. The first phase was one of experimentation or period of discovery, in which the smelters operated without the technological skill necessary to be financially successful. The second phase was highlighted by the emergence of skilled German mining engineers who enabled the smelters to be financially successful. Phase three was ushered in during the late nineteenth century by the industrialists who consolidated the smaller smelters and built larger, more efficient plants.