There have been many influential and significant members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is often misnamed the Mormon Church). Here we have collected some information about a variety of members of the LDS Church. Many of the Church’s leaders and members have led amazing lives and sacrificed a great deal to be so involved in the building up of the kingdom of God on the Earth.

Read these inspiring stories to gain a better understanding of the men and women who have been influential in the history of the “Mormon Church” and who have had incredible faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Current Church Leaders

Past Church Leaders

Interesting Church Members

Though Mitt Romney has been getting a great deal of coverage due to his presidential campaign, a lot of the media’s focus has been on his religion rather than his politics. Not much has been said, though, about the Romney family history in Arizona, which goes back a long way.

In the 1880s, Arizona became a pivotal center of religious persecution for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is frequently misnamed the Mormon Church). The LDS Church had made efforts to colonize Arizona, sending many of its members from Utah to establish colonies along several rivers in Arizona from 1876–1881.

Things began to spiral downward for the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in 1882, when the federal Edmunds Act was passed. This made the practice of polygamy a felony and made polygamists ineligible for public office. One local election judge refused the right to vote to at least one Mormon bishop.

Mormon polygamy is a practice which is largely still misunderstood. Though the LDS Church has not condoned its practice since 1890, many people still think that Mormons practice polygamy, which is not true. Those who practice polygamy today are fundamentalists and are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though many refer to themselves as Mormons.

However, in 1880, polygamy was being practiced by a small percentage of the membership of the LDS Church, and those who obeyed what they truly believed to be a direct commandment from God (and a right they felt was protected under freedom of religion in the U.S. Constitution),were severely persecuted. After the Edmunds Act was passed, more than 1,000 Mormons were imprisoned because of their faith, according to an estimate by Carmon Hardy, a professor emeritus of history at Cal State Fullerton who is an expert on Mormon history.

Though many people opposed to Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) used polygamy as an excuse to persecute the Saints because the real fear was that the large numbers of Saints would take everything over politically and economically. “They soon found themselves under attack, ostensibly because they practiced polygamy, but actually because their growing population threatened the status quo,” according to “Prosecution of the Mormons in Arizona Territory in the 1880s,” a 1977 article in “Arizona and the West,” a quarterly journal of history put out by the University of Arizona.

Battles over land lot jumping were common, as were disputes for control of the communities’ land and water. In 1879, Ammon Meshach Tenney bought land, under the direction of the Church, to establish a Mormon colony at St. Johns, but Mexican squatters were already living there and existing white settlers tried to jump the claim. In 1882, Ammon’s father, Nathan, was shot and killed while trying to keep the peace. At this time, the Saints’ enemies tried to use the new, stronger polygamy law to drive the Mormons out.

During this tumultuous time, several Mormon leaders were arrested and sentenced to 3.5 years in the federal prison in Detroit, which they referred to as the “American Siberia.” Their trials took place in Prescott, the territorial capital.

It was at this time that Miles Park Romney, Mitt Romney’s great-grandfather was arrested for practicing polygamy. After witnessing his fellow Saints’ unfair trials, Romney fled to Mexico along with hundreds of other Mormons, trying to escape religious persecution.

“The Mormons were subject to land-grabbers, cheats and deceivers, denied the right to vote, harassed by the local law enforcement, and involved in gunfights where one bullet went through Miles’ home while his families were in it,” said Larry Romney of Chino Valley, another great-grandson of Miles Park Romney.

In addition to the charges drawn up against practicers of polygamy, many Church leaders were accused of perjury. Though many were arrested on these charges, a grand jury would not indict them. However, after a few men were convicted on polygamy charges, some federal authorities decided to revive the perjury charges and brought them against Romney, Joseph Crosby, and David King Udall in 1885. While Romney escaped to Mexico and Crosby was acquitted, Udall was convicted. He was crushed. He said he would rather have been convicted on a polygamy charge, because the charge of perjury attacked his character. He was worried that his family was languishing without his financial support.

Ammon Tenney, Peter Christofferson, and Christopher Kempe refused to plead guilty to their charges and were convicted in December 1884 to 3.5 years in the Detroit prison. Two months later, Mormon prophet John Taylor was publicly encouraging Arizona polygamists to seek refuge in Mexico.

In addition to the persecution they were already facing, Mormon polygamists were prohibited from voting or holding public office by the territorial legislature in Prescott. Church leaders began to fight back by getting key witnesses to plead on Udall’s behalf that he had not perjured himself. They then appealed to President Grover Cleveland to pardon Udall at the end of 1885.

Next, Church leaders gained support from other territorial leaders to get a presidential pardon for the three men sent to Detroit. After they had served nearly two years in prison, Cleveland signed their pardons in October 1886. This led to other polygamists being pardoned. Eventually, in 1887, the territorial legislature repealed its own anti-polygamy law.

To try and decrease tension, local Mormon leaders even encouraged the Saints to split their votes by becoming Republican. This continues today, with many political Udalls remaining Democrats while the Flakes, Romneys, and Tenneys are mostly Republicans. When The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially stopped practicing polygamy in 1890, even more of the tension died down.

However, many who were persecuted didn’t live to see the benefit of peace. Miles Park Romney died in Mexico in 1904 before his family returned to the U.S. during the Mexican Revolution in 1912.

Mitt’s father George, a Michigan governor who also ran for president, was born in Mexico in 1907. Mitt Romney descends from Miles Romney’s first of five wives.

It is because of stressful histories like these that many misconceptions still exist about Mormons today. The attention the media has given to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints due to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, has done a lot to educate the public on Mormon beliefs.

On Friday, April 6, 2012, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and Kansas Governor Sam Brownback each presented official proclamations to Elder William R. Walker, local leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). The governors presented these proclamations after touring the newly completed Kansas City Missouri Temple in Kansas City.

Governor Nixon said when presenting the proclamation, “On behalf of the six million people of the state of Missouri, I’d like to express our appreciation at your church’s commitment to building a place of such physical and inspirational significance. We are pleased and honored that you have done so. It’s a truly historic moment.”

Governor Brownback stated in a proclamation: “I … warmly commend the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the construction of this magnificent temple, for their dedication to religious liberty, for their deep spiritual conviction, all of which provide a valuable contribution to the people and families of the great state of Kansas.”

The sentiments from both governors were especially meaningful for Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who have had a tumultuous history in both states. The first six Mormon missionaries arrived in Missouri in 1830, and Latter-day Saints almost immediately began gathering in Independence and Jackson County, eventually spreading to Caldwell and Daviess Counties. However, by 1838, tensions had run so high that it was no longer prudent for the Saints to stay, and the majority of members left during that year, crossing the Mississippi River into Illinois, where they eventually settled in Nauvoo before ultimately leaving for the Utah Territory. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not again officially establish a presence in Kansas and Missouri until about 1900. Today, however, membership in the area has grown to about 25,000 members.

In Kansas’s proclamation, the governor specifically recognized the magnanimity of the early Saints who, “despite religious intolerance of the day,” provided ”over 500 men, and a select group of women, from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints known as the Mormon Battalion . . . [in responce to] the request to help defend the United States of America in the Mexican-American War; , the Mormon Battalion met in Leavenworth, Kansas, and were outfitted for their over 2000 mile march through Kansas and ultimately to San Diego, California.” After being driven out of their homes and from the state, the Saints were then told they must provide 500 men to defend “their” country, which had treated them so harshly. They responded immediately, and were blessed for their obedience.

Recognition of such behavior, apologies for past injustices, and the determination to have peaceful, mutually beneficial relationships in the present and future has gone a long way to healing from history.

Elder Walker expressed gratitude on behalf of the Church for Governor Nixon’s recognition, “We are deeply grateful that the governor of Missouri came to visit our beautiful new temple. Governor Nixon was very warm and gracious, and his expressions of good will and commendation were certainly appreciated. In this place where there is so much history for Latter-day Saints, it was a truly historic occasion—for the governor of Missouri to come visit our temple and extend the hand of fellowship was very meaningful to us.”

Additional Resources:

Read the full article at LDS Newsroom

Mormon History in Missouri

Those who travel to downtown Las Vegas are not generally looking for historical forts, and thus probably pass by the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort without even noticing it. Located at 500 East Washington Avenue (just off Las Vegas Boulevard), Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Park offers visitors the chance to see what life was like in the valley before the gambling and casinos.

This historical fort was the first non-native structure built in the Las Vegas area. It was built by missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often called the Mormon Church) who were sent by President Brigham Young to settle the valley in 1855. The area was known for its meadows and springs in the middle of the vast desert. They built a 150-square-foot adobe fort next to Las Vegas Creek in an area rich with cottonwoods and willows.

The 30 original missionary-settlers worked with the Southern Paiutes sharing their religion as well as new farming techniques. The settlers also explored the area looking for mining opportunities. However, after just two years, the LDS missionaries abandoned the fort, moving to other settlements in the Great Basin area. Some miners stayed on longer at the fort looking for silver on Mount Potosi in 1861.

The fort’s history did not end there, however. It is not unlikely that Union soldiers were stationed there during the Civil War. A few years later, William Knapp, one of the original settlers, returned to live at the fort and opened a store for miners and travelers. In 1865, Octavius Decatur Gass built Los Vegas Rancho on the site and continued in that trade. in 1881, Archibald and Helen J. Stewart took over the property and ran it as a ranch. Helen is known as “The First Lady of Las Vegas” and raised her five children on the ranch after Archibald was killed in a gunfight in 1884. She eventually sold the property and its water rights to the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad in 1902.

The fort served the growing town as a post office at one point and a dairy ranch at another. It provided places for tourists to stay. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation leased it from 1929–1931 as office space and laboratory testing facilities during the construction of the Hoover Dam.

Though not much remains of the original 14′x2′ walls, a portion of the wall is on display and is heralded as the oldest-known building remains in Nevada (at least non-native structures). In addition, many parts of the building have been rebuilt to show visitors what life was like on the early ranch, complete with antiques from the era.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has one of the largest and most effective humanitarian programs in the world. Its volunteer members provide relief in times of war and natural disaster as well as development projects to help communities and individuals to bring themselves out of poverty and free themselves from disease. All services given by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed the Mormon Church) are provided without regard to race or religion.

The LDS Church is often one of the first responders to disasters. Church leaders work with government officials where the disasters have occurred to determine exactly what the needs of the people are (e.g. food, clothing, medicine, etc.). Then these materials are sent immediately.

After the first critical needs are met, Church leaders then look for ways to help a community recover. The Church’s principle both in humanitarian aid and welfare is to help people become self-reliant. They can do this by teaching skills and providing sustainable resources for individuals and communities to take care of themselves.

Though the donations which fund this humanitarian aid program come mostly from LDS Church members, anyone is welcome to donate, and many people do. These donations make relief projects possible. One hundred percent of donations go to relief efforts because the Church takes care of its own overhead costs.

While emergency needs are met on an individual basis, the Church has five global projects which are running all the time. These include neonatal resuscitation training, clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, vision treatment, and measles vaccinations.

Since its organization in 1985, the Church’s humanitarian aid program has aided 178 countries.

The year 2011 was one of unprecedented catastrophes, with losses for just the first half of the year totaling $265 billion, breaking the previous record from 2005 (the year of Hurricane Katrina) by $45 billion. Japan’s earthquake and tsunami damage by itself has been estimated at $235 billion.

In 2011, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded to 111 disaster in 50 countries and provided $22 million of emergency aid. In addition, thousands of volunteers also donated time to assist those affected by disasters. The five top Church responses included caring for those affected by the Japan earthquake and tsunami (more than 250 tons of supplies and 22,000 volunteers who have provided more than 175,000 hours of service); the Eastern Africa famine ($2.25 million partnered with Islamic Relief, International Medical Corps, International Relief and Development, and other organizations); United States Tornadoes (relief in 8 states, more than 5,000 volunteers); Thailand flooding (assembled food kits, sanitation kits, blankets, clothes, etc.); and Hurricane Irene (120 tons of relief supplies and 50,000 hours of service from 7,000 Church volunteers).

Additional Resources:

LDS News: More information on LDS Church Humanitarian Aid

Mormon Humanitarian Aid

The Lion and Beehive Houses were both once homes built for second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (frequently misnamed the “Mormon Church” by the media) has been headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, since 1847.

The Beehive House was constructed in 1854. Brigham Young was also territorial governor of the Utah Territory, and the Beehive House served as his executive mansion from 1852 to 1855, where he entertained important guests. It later became the official home of later presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith.

The Lion House, so named for a stone lion which sits on top of the front door to the house, was constructed in 1856 and housed up to twelve of Brigham Young’s wives and their families. Mormon polygamy was still being practiced at this time, and Brigham Young had several families to take care of. It was in the Lion House that Brigham Young founded the Retrenchment Society for his daughters and other young women of the Church to learn together principles of industry, modesty, and religion. This society became today’s Young Women Association of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young died in the Lion House in 1877.

Both houses were designed by Truman Angell, Brigham Young’s brother-in-law and architect of the Salt Lake Temple. The houses are built out of adobe and sandstone. While the Lion House is named for a stone lion which reminded Brigham of a similar lion featured on a prominent home in Vermont (where Brigham grew up) and which also served as a reminder of Brigham’s nickname “Lion of the Lord,” the Beehive House is named for a carved beehive on top of the house. Brigham Young frequently used the symbol of the beehive to denote industry.

After the death of Brigham Young in 1877, his family maintained the houses for several years before selling them to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After being used as a residence for LDS Church presidents, the Beehive House later became a dormitory. It was restored in 1960 and is now a historical site open for public tours.

The Lion House became a home economics center for the Latter-day Saint University, which was located on the same block of South Temple Street. The Lion House later became a social center for young women of the Church where the Young Women Mutual Improvement Association held classes in myriad subjects including art, needlework, and lectures on diverse subjects. After its restoration in 1968, it remained a social center. It is home of the Lion House Pantry restaurant and is available for wedding receptions, group meetings, and birthday parties.

Additional Resources:

Salt Lake Temple Square

Brigham Young

The Salt Lake Tabernacle was constructed between 1864 and 1867 to be a meetinghouse for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often misnamed the “Mormon Church”) and is on Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, today. This world-famous building housed the semi-annual LDS General Conference for 132 years, until the LDS Conference Center was completed in 2000. It is a much larger building which is now used for the semi-annual conference.

The Salt Lake Tabernacle was a center for cultural in the Salt Lake Valley and houses the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir still broadcasts its radio and television program Music and the Spoken Word from the Salt Lake Tabernacle each Sunday morning. The Tabernacle was once also home to the Utah Symphony Orchestra, until Abravanel Hall was constructed for that purpose.

Because the building was so old, it went under extensive renovations for two years, from January 2005 to March 2007, which were intended to earthquake proof the building and to restore things which needed restoring.

The now iconic roof of the Salt Lake Tabernacle was constructed in an Ithiel Town lattice-truss arch system which is held together by dowels and wedges. The foundation is made of sandstone, and the dome is supported by forty-four sandstone piers. Civil engineer Henry Grow oversaw the initial construction of the Tabernacle and engineered the 150-foot by 250-foot roof. Many insisted the roof would collapse when the scaffolding was removed, by the nine-foot-thick structure has held for more than 100 years now.

The seating capacity of 7000 (which includes the choir area) was once ample, but as the Church continued to grow, a larger building became essential. The Salt Lake Tabernacle was first used for General Conference in October 1867.

The organ, possibly the most famous feature of the Tabernacle, has 11,623 today, though it was originally constructed with 700. It is one of the largest pipe organs in the world. The current organ was constructed by G. Donald Harrison and was completed in 1948.

The structure of the Tabernacle was truly a wonder of its day. While it had some critics, Frank Lloyd Wright, viewed it as “one of the architectural masterpieces of the country and perhaps the world.”

What many people do not appreciate is that the Tabernacle is a functioning building. It has incredible acoustic qualities. Built in a time of no electric audio amplifiers, the building was designed to allow the entire congregation to hear the sermons. A current Mormon Tabernacle Choir member noted that all the wooden surfaces in the tabernacle resonate with sound, effectively making the entire building an instrument. This allows the congregation to both feel and hear the music.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir continues to rehearse in the Tabernacle, and most Thursday rehearsals are open to the public. There are also many other activities and performances open to the public. Admission is free. The beautiful building is a testament to the early Latter-day Saints who sacrificed a great deal, trekking across the plains to build up a kingdom to God.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Temple Square

Ensign Peak is a natural landmark near Salt Lake City, Utah, rising 1,080 feet from the valley floor. It has come to be both a religious and an ecumenical landmark today, but on July 26, 1847, just two days after the Latter-day Saint (or “Mormon”) pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young and eight other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (including Heber C. Kimball, Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, and Ezra T. Benson) hiked the peak to get a better view of the valley and assess their situation. Today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is frequently misnamed the “Mormon Church,” which leads to confusion. This church is truly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Before departing Illinois with the first group of Saints, President Brigham Young had seen a vision in answer to his prayer seeking guidance about where to lead the Saints. In this vision, he saw an angel standing on a “conical hill.” The angel was Joseph Smith (martyred prophet), and he was pointing to where the Saints’ city and temple should be built. Upon arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young recognized Ensign Peak as that conical hill.

The name given to the hill, Ensign Peak, comes from Isaiah 11:11–12:

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left . . . And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

From the time the first brethren climbed the hill, Ensign Peak has held special significance for the inhabitants of the Salt Lake Valley. Many festivals and celebrations have been held there, and in 1934, a monument was erected memorializing its significance. The 18.47-foot monument (the Saints arrived in 1847) was built of stones collected from stakes (organizational units of congregations) along the Mormon Trail.

Decades later, the Salt Lake City Public Services Department and the Ensign Peak Foundation (a non-profit organization of private citizens), and the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation banded together to raise money to build a historic trail up the peak and a nature park of 66 acres surrounding it. This immense project, which included hiking trails, historic signs, two vista points, and the reclamation of eroding soil, was completed in 1996. President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Ensign Peak Nature Park on July 26 of that year, setting it apart to be “a place of pondering, a place of remembrance, a place of thoughtful gratitude, a place of purposeful resolution” (“Park at Ensign Peak Dedicated,” LDS Church News, (August 3, 1996).

Latter-day Saints believe their pioneer forebears were led to the Salt Lake Valley by God. Brigham Young had the vision of Joseph Smith standing in the valley where they were supposed to go, but the Saints had no other pilot or guide. None of them had ever been to the Utah wilderness or knew anything about it, but they were led by a living prophet of God who knew the place when he arrived because he had been shown it previously. After climbing Ensign Peak with those eight men, he said, “This is Ensign Peak. Now, brethren, organize your exploring parties, so as to be safe from Indians; go and explore where you will, and you will come back every time and say this is the best place” (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 1854–1886), 13: 86). These men did explore many other areas in the Utah Territory, but all returned to declare their original stopping point the “best spot.”

Ensign Peak also served as a temple for at least one of the early Saints. Because the Saints had left their temple in Nauvoo, and it took several years for them to complete another temple, Addison Pratt had no temple to go to in order to receive his endowment before leaving to serve a mission. He “was taken to the summit of Ensign Peak and given his endowments, that he might return to those islands of the sea in which he had labored, with greater spiritual power” (Brigham H. Roberts, Conference Report, April 1915, 130). Brigham Young specially consecrated the peak for this purpose.

Additional Resources:

“A Defense and a Refuge,” Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, October 2006.

“A Banner Is Unfurled: Mormonism’s Ensign Peak,” Ronald Walker, Dialogue—A Journal of Mormon Thought.

Ensign Peak Park

Mormon Historic Sites

The story of the Saluda is strikingly sad, especially when one takes the perspective of William Dunbar, a Scottish convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (incorrectly referred to as the “Mormon Church” by the media). In the mid-1800s, Latter-day Saint converts were all travelling West to join the Saints in the Utah Territory. Many would arrive from Europe by ship in New Orleans, then take steamboats to St. Louis, then other steamboats up the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa (then Kanesville).

There was typically a Church representative in St. Louis to help newly arrived converts gain passage on steamboats for a fair price and get to where they needed to go. However, in 1852, the representative had left and was not replaced until the end of that year. Eli Kelsey and David J. Ross were consequently sent from Kanesville down to St. Louis to help out in the interim. They were also planning to head to the Utah Territory that year, and they felt pressure to get the Saints on their way as quickly as possible. It was still early spring, though, and ice flows in the river were preventing steamboat captains from taking the risk of the journey. When they found Captain Francis T. Belt of the Saluda, he agreed to book passage for about 100 passengers, feeling the profits outweighed the risks he would take. Many of the waiting Saints were grateful, because they were having to pay for unexpected lodging and food during the delay.

One of the passengers, William Cameron Dunbar, heard the boat was not the most reliable, so he and two other LDS passengers decided to have a look at the steamboat. Looking back, William said: “on entering the hold a most horrible feeling came over us, and without knowing the cause of it, we had an impression that something awful was going to happen somehow or other.” After leaving the boat, Dunbar remarked, “I remarked to brother Campbell that if I had not already given in my name to go with that steamer, I would not do so now; but under the circumstances we almost felt in duty bound to go, so as not to disappoint the officers of the boat, nor the Elders who had chartered her” (Dunbar account in Jenson, “Church Emigration,” 411).

“Although I did not understand it then,” Dunbar later observed, “I am perfectly satisfied now that some friendly unseen power was at work in my behalf, trying to prevent me from going on board with my family on that illfated steamer” (Dunbar account in Jenson, “Church Emigration,” 411).

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in the power of the Holy Ghost and His ability to speak to our hearts, guiding us in the direction we should go. Dunbar ignored the prompting he received that he should not go on board. In addition, he could have warned others of his feelings, as could have the other two men who saw the boat with him and felt the same prompting.

Dunbar not only ignored the prompting, he also looked over three different delays which could easily have kept his family from being aboard the ship when disaster struck: Supplies he ordered for the journey did not arrive when they were supposed to. He waited for them to be sent down, and then hurried to the dock with his wife and children. They actually missed the boat. They took another boat and tried to catch up with the Saluda, but ice flow and strong river current prevented the two boats from meeting and the passengers to transfer, though they passed each other several times. Finally, the steamboat the Dunbars had managed to take was damaged by ice and the passengers were forced to disembark. William refused to leave, because the captain had promised he would deliver the Dunbars to the Saluda if possible. Ignoring three chances to avoid the Saluda, William finally succeeded in getting his family on board the boat.

The Saluda had already had an interesting history. It was built in 1846, and had sunk in 1847, remaining underwater for several months. It was raised and floated to St. Louis for repairs, but kept its old boilers. At that time, a six-year-old vessel was quite old for a river boat, when the average life for a steamboat was three to four years, and old boilers were very dangerous. River travel was in and of itself very dangerous. Snags (trees under the water) were common hazards, as were the ice flows. Strong currents were also dangerous. The Saluda had side wheels, which allowed it more maneuverability, but its boilers were still old. The boat reached Lexington, 370 miles from St. Louis, on April 4, but lacked the power to get around Lexington Bend, an infamous horseshoe banking to the left from their position.

“Whipping around the point of this bend, the current created a treacherous ‘cross-over’ from the north bank to the south bank along the Lexington bluff. This was the Lexington Bend, a well known hazard to river men of the day” (Dan H. Spies, “The Story of the Saluda,” 2). After admitting defeat the first day, Captain Belt tried again the next day, but ice chunks broke parts of the paddle wheels, and the boat had to be repaired, which took two more days. Many frustrated passengers disembarked because they were close to their destination. This is when the Dunbars were finally able to get aboard the Saluda.

Many people, knowing of the Captain’s determination to navigate the bend Friday morning, April 9, went to the bluffs for a good view. Due to the long delay, the Captain was insistent that the boat would make it around the point. According to folklore, Captain Belt  said, “I will round the point this morning or blow this boat to hell!” He ordered the engineers to fill the boilers to maximum pressure. The boiler walls were red hot, and before the paddle wheels had made three full revolutions, the boilers exploded. Reports indicate that engineers had let the boilers go dry while they were heating up, so when the cold river water was drawn in, the metal burst. One engineer survived, and admitted this was the case, but also said it the action was under direct orders from the captain.

Witnesses said, “The noise of the explosion resembled the sharp report of thunder, and the houses of the city were shaken as if by the heavings of an earthquake,” causing houses to rattle and windows to shake (“Awful Calamity: Explosion of the Steamer Saluda—130 Lives Lost!!” Liberty Tribune, 16 April 1852, 1). Passengers were thrown into the air and onto the shore. Pieces of the boat’s two tall chimneys, the hurricane deck, the cabin section, and even the boilers flew in all directions. A spectator on the shore was killed by a piece of flying timber. Wreckage fell from the sky and landed as far as 400 yards away. The ship’s 3-foot diameter cast-iron bell and 600-pound safe flew high into the side of the bluffs. Two-thirds of the boat’s structure was destroyed. Many people were thrown into the river. Some survived, many did not. A surprising number suffered only minor injuries, but those closer to the explosion were nearly unidentifiable.

William Dunbar had been standing on the deck preparing breakfast. He remembered seeing the paddle wheels rotate twice, then woke up on the river bank. He knew of nothing in between. When he awoke, he saw his dead son lying close to him, but could not move toward him, because his spine had been injured when he was thrown from the boat. He was brought to the hospital, he saw his wife breathe her last breath, but did not have the chance to speak to her. He later saw his daughters remains which were so mangled another woman claimed the child was hers. This memory haunted Dunbar later in life, when he considered the possibility that he had left his daughter an orphan in the town, though he was fairly certain the dead child was his daughter.

The total casualties are not precisely known, because so many survivors left almost immediately on another vessel, when its captain offered to take them for free. It is fairly safe to say, though, that between 90 and 100 passengers out of 175 were killed, including crew and passengers. It is estimated that 80 Latter-day Saints who had taken passage aboard the Saluda, 25 were killed, and 3 were missing and presumed dead.

Several of the surviving Saints were injured, and nine were severely injured. Lexington families adopted four orphaned children, including two from Latter-day Saint families. Lexington citizens reached out with true charity to the victims of the Saluda. The created four separate committees to care for the sick, bury the dead, raise money to aid the victims, and find homes for the orphans. Citizens donated $1,000 to pay for related expenses, women cared for the injured and prepared the dead for burial. The city donated a plot of ground for the burials, and twenty-one victims were laid to rest in Christ Church parish cemetery. In addition, citizens gave some survivors money and clothes (many had lost all their belongings) to help them on their journey. Some Saints were cared for, for weeks by Lexington families.

Tragically, some of the surviving Saints from the Saluda died soon thereafter at Kanesville from a cholera epidemic. Others died along the difficult trek to the Salt Lake Valley. Dunbar made it to the Utah Territory and served faithfully in the church for the rest of his life. He remarried and had thirteen children, one of whom he named Helen Euphemia in remembrance of his wife and daughter who died in the explosion.

The explosion of the Saluda and the cholera epidemic of 1852 helped spur reforms and regulations for boat travel, but the next year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had its members avoid the Missouri River by starting out in Keokuk, 200 miles north of St. Louis. Then, beginning in 1855, LDS immigrants sailed to New York rather than New Orleans, and took much safer railroad travel to the Salt Lake Valley.

Read more about the history of the Saluda.

The history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often referred to as the “Mormon Church” by those of other faiths) would not be complete without recognizing the influence and support of the Relief Society and thousands of amazing women who served quietly and faithfully. This history has recently been compiled into a beautiful book called Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society. A great deal of effort went into the compilation of this book because church leaders, both male and female, felt it would be a wonderful strength for Mormon women today.

The Relief Society was organized in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1842, the Saints were working hard to build the Nauvoo Temple, and a small group of women wanted to help in the effort. They organized to provide the men working on the temple with food, clothing, bedding, and general supplies. They organized their own set of rules and presented them to the Prophet Joseph Smith, who declared them “the best he had ever seen.” However, he saw in their plans the potential for something even greater. On March 17, 1842, twenty women gathered to participate as the Prophet organized them in a divinely inspired way. God had a plan for the women of His church.

Since that time, the Relief Society (which is one of the largest women’s organizations in the world) has helped millions of people worldwide. Many are helped in the bounds of their own congregations, but immeasurable service is also contributed every year into making hygiene kits, baby blankets, leprosy bandages, and countless other items to help victims of natural disasters, war, and poverty around the world.

Relief Society General President Julie Beck said of the divine organization:

The purpose of Relief Society is to prepare daughters of God for the blessings of eternal life as they increase in faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need.

Relief Society clarifies our work and unifies us as daughters of God in defense of His plan. In this day of mistaken identities, confusion, and distraction, Relief Society is meant to be a compass and guide to teach the truth to faithful women. Righteous women today seek an outpouring of revelation to resist distractions, fight evil and spiritual destruction, and rise above personal disasters by increasing their faith, strengthening their families, and providing relief to others (“Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society,” Julie Beck, Ensign, November 2011).

Those who compiled this book have several specific goals for its use. They recognize that “a study of this book can help women increase their appreciation for the past and their understanding of their spiritual heritage” (Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society, p xii).

The stories of incredible women, their faith and commitment, and the wonderful things they have accomplished remind readers of their divine identity and the infinite worth and potential they possess as daughters of God. The book teaches through the history of Relief Society “Purposes, principles, and patterns” for women of God to practice in their lives which will bring them eternal happiness (Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society, p xiii).

One of the wonderful purposes of Relief Society is to provide a safety and a refuge for the sisters in it. Older sisters can teach younger sisters skills and spiritual truths which they have learned through experience. No woman is ever alone, no matter how close or far away her mother and family may be. Women pull together to take care of each other in times of trial and to share their joys with one another as well.

Reading experiences of so many strong, humble, faithful women will be a wonderful opportunity for women everywhere. It will bring strength into the lives of those who read it whether they have a connection with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not.

Additional Resources:

Meet a Mormon

Mormon Women

Stories from Latter-day Saint Women