Book Review: Brigham Young: Corageous Mormon Leader

Brigham Young: Courageous Mormon Leader, Courageous Heroes of the American West, by William R. Sanford and Carl R. Green, Easlow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, NJ, 2013.

This book gives a good overview of the life of Brigham Young, while not getting into anything controversial.  It starts with the Utah War and Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Then it goes back and tells the life of Brigham.  A little about his parents, and how Brigham Young found the gospel.  Brigham Young was called as an apostle after Zion’s Camp.  He was responsible for leading the Saints to Illinois from Missouri while the prophet Joseph Smith was at Liberty Jail.  With the death of the Prophet, the council of twelve apostles took over leadership of the church, with Brigham Young as its president.  At this time the leadership of Brigham Young was really put the test.  He had to deal with mob actions, prepare the Saints to move and the actual move West, deal with government officials which lead to the Mormon Battalion participate in the Mexican American War, determine where exactly to lead the Saints, provide food and transportation for the poorer Saints, and many other day-to-day issues.  Through all this he maintained his composure, wan lead the first wagon train to Utah.  He select4ed a temple site.  He quickly returned east, but then again traveled to Salt Lake.  The city was already well established when he returned. 

Brigham Young had many wives.  He practiced polygamy.  He established two houses in Salt Lake, the Beehive House and the Lion House for his large family.  They were met with another threat after the Civil War ended.  This was a threat from the Ute Indians warring under Chief Black Hawk.  The Mormons where active in the railroad.  Although they main line did not go through Salt Lake, Brigham Young established local lines going from the main line.  He also was active in developing sugar beets and iron factories in Utah for the benefit of the Saints.  Wallace Stegner would later call Brigham Young “a colonizer without equal in the history of America.