How much historical information pertaining to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is contained in the Journal of Discourses? How and where can it be found amid the nearly ten thousand pages of printed matter, much of which is non-historical? How accurate is the historical information in the Journal of Discourses? These three questions pose the problem that this study is designed to handle.

In 1868, Brigham Young signed a grading contract with the Union Pacific Railroad to work on the transcontinental line in Utah. He sublet the job to other contractors who completed the work in February 1869. When the project was finished, there was still a great deal of money owed to Brigham Young by the Union Pacific and because of their financial difficulties, they were not able to meet the obligation immediately. To resolved the debt, Young sent Bishop John Sharp and Joseph A. Young to Boston in an effort to effect a settlement with the company. They obtain a partial settlement in August 1869, and the following year John Sharp completed a final settlement with the railroad.Although the negotiations between Young's representatives and the railroad resulted in a compromise settlement, it was equitable and satisfactory to both parties.