Brigham Young
Brigham Young, the Mormon prophet
Pointed to the west; they crossed it
North, east, south, west sent colonies,
And has his name on universities.
Brigham Young, who led the Mormons after the assassination of their founding prophet Joseph Smith, led the Mormon Pioneers from "Winter Quarters" (a spot near what is now Omaha Nebraska) to what is now Salt lake City, Utah, then established colonies in most of the western states, south-western Canada, and northern Mexico. Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, is the largest religious, and one of the largest private, universities in the USA, and has branches in Hawaii and Idaho. There is a monument in Washington DC to B.Y. for him being the great colonizer. Most groups that went west did so seeking gold or land, but didn't worry about those who followed. When the Mormons crossed, they widened mountain gaps, made maps, planted seeds, set up river crossings etc to make it easier for later groups to follow.
Copyright © Mark J. Halliday | Year Posted 2014
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