The boundaries of the provisional State of Deseret (orange) as proposed in 1849. The area of the Utah Territory as organized in 1850 is shaded in pink.

The State of Deseret was a provisional state of the United States, proposed in 1849 by Mormon settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never recognized by the United States government. The name derives from the word for "honeybee" in the Book of Mormon (see Deseret). Image File history File links Wpdms_deseret_utah_territory_legend. ... Image File history File links Wpdms_deseret_utah_territory_legend. ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Mormon is a colloquial term used to refer to members of most of the sects of the Latter Day Saint movement, a Christian religious movement which began in the 1830s. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ... Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition) The Book of Mormon is one of four sacred texts of Mormonism, which also include the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. ... Deseret is a term originally derived from the Book of Mormon, the scriptural book unique to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church) and other Latter Day Saint groups. ...

History

Formation of the Proposal

When members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) settled in the Salt Lake Valley near the Great Salt Lake, they wished to set up a government that would be recognized by the United States. The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... Salt Lake Valley is a valley in north-central Utah located in Salt Lake County. ... Satellite Photo of the Great Salt Lake as it looked in the summer of 2003 The Great Salt Lake as seen looking north towards Antelope Island from Sunset Beach Great Salt Lake is an endorheic saline lake in northern Utah, much saltier than the ocean. ...

Initially Brigham Young, President of the LDS Church, had intended to apply for status as a territory, and had sent John M. Bernhisel eastward to Washington, D.C. with the petition for territorial status. Realizing that California and New Mexico were applying for admission as states, Young changed his mind and decided to petition for statehood. Brigham Vu Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism). ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ...

In March 1849, realizing that they did not have time to follow the usual steps towards statehood, Young and a group of church elders quickly drafted a state constitution based on that of Iowa, where the Mormons had temporarily settled, and sent the legislative records and constitution back to that state for printing, since no printing press existed in the Great Basin at the time. They then sent a second messenger with a copy of the state's formal records and constitution to meet up with Bernhisel in Washington, D.C. and petition for statehood rather than territorial status. Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 26th 145,743 km² 320 km 500 km 0. ... Map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ...

Territory of Deseret

The provisional state was a bold proposal, encompassing most of the territory that had been acquired from Mexico the previous year as the Mexican Cession. The Mexican Cession (red) and the Gadsden Purchase (orange) The Mexican Cession is an historical name for the region of the present day southwestern United States that was ceded to the U.S. by Mexico in 1848 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo following the Mexican-American War. ...

It comprised roughly all the lands between the Sierra Nevada and the Rockies, and between the border with Mexico northward to include parts of the Oregon Territory, as well as the coast of California south of the Santa Monica Mountains (including the existing settlements of Los Angeles and San Diego). It included the entire watershed of the Colorado River (excluding the lands south of the border with Mexico), as well as the entire area of the Great Basin. The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is almost entirely in eastern California. ... White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... The Oregon Territory is the name applied both to the unorganized Oregon Country claimed by both the United States and Britain, as well as to the organized U.S. territory formed from it that existed between 1848 and 1859. ... Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. ... Nickname: City of Angels Motto: Official website: http://www. ... San Diego County in the Southwest corner of California. ... Colorado River in the Grand Canyon from Desert View The Colorado River is a river in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately 1,450 mi (2,333 km) long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. ... Map showing the Great Basin in orange The Great Basin is a large, arid region of the western United States, commonly defined as the contiguous watershed region, roughly between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, that has no natural outlet to the sea. ...

The proposal encompassed nearly all of present-day Utah and Nevada, large portions of California and Arizona, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon. Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... Official language(s) None Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 7th 286,367 km² 519 km 788 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 3rd 410,000 km² 402. ... Official language(s) English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 6th 295,254 km² 500 km 645 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269,837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 450 km 580 km 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boise Largest city Boise Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 14th 216,632 km² 491 km 771 km 0. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 9th 255,026 km² 420 km 580 km 2. ...

The proposal was crafted specifically to avoid disputes that might arise from existing settlements. At the time of its proposal, the existing population of the area, including Southern California, was sparse, since most of the California settlement had been in the northern gold rush areas not included in the provisional state. Likewise, the border with New Mexico did not reach the Rio Grande, in order to avoid becoming entangled in the existing disputes of the western border of Texas. A California Gold Rush handbill A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ... The Rio Grande flowing in Big Bend National Park Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo (or, more formally, the Río Bravo del Norte) in Mexico, the river, 3034 km long, rises in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, USA, flows... Official language(s) None. ...

Moreover, the proposal encompassed lands largely known to be inhospitable for cultivation, thus avoiding conflict over the issue of the expansion of slavery. The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ...

The proposal for the state was largely considered too ambitious to succeed in Congress, even disregarding the controversy over Mormon practices such as polygamy. Nevertheless, in 1849 President Zachary Taylor, eager to avoid disputes as much as possible, sent his agent John Wilson westward with a proposal to combine California and Deseret as a single state, which would have the desirable effect of decreasing the number of free states entered into the Union, and thus preserving the balance of power in the Senate. Congress in Joint Session. ... The term polygamy (literally many marriages in late Greek) is used in related ways in social anthropology and sociobiology. ... Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850), also known as Old Rough and Ready, was the twelfth President of the United States, serving from 1849 to 1850. ... John Wilson can refer to: John Wilson, Irish politician John Wilson, mathematician John Wilson, Scottish writer John Wilson, soccer player John Wilson, Longtime news anchor in the Tampa Bay area. ... For the term free state as it arises in United States history, see: Free state. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ...

Government

In the absence of other authority, the provisional government of Deseret became the de facto government of the Great Basin. Three sessions of the General Assembly, a bicameral state legislature, were held. In 1850, the legislature appointed judges and established a criminal code. Taxes were established on property and liquor, and gambling was outlawed. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was incorporated, and a militia, based on the Nauvoo Legion, was formed. In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... State legislatures are the lawmaking bodies of the 50 states in the United States of America. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The Nauvoo Legion was a private militia employed by Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

The legislature initially formed six counties, which covered only inhabited valleys. These "valley counties" initially encompassed only a small portion of the area of Deseret and were expanded and settlement grew [1].

Establishment of Utah Territory

In September 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850, the Utah Territory was created by Act of Congress, encompassing a portion of the northern section of Deseret. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Henry Clay takes the floor of the Old Senate Chamber; Millard Fillmore presides as Calhoun and Webster look on. ... The Utah Territory was an organized territory of the United States that existed between 1850 and 1896. ... Congress in Joint Session. ...

February 3, 1851, Brigham Young was inaugurated as the first governor of the Utah Territory. On April 4, 1851 the General Assembly of Deseret passed a resolution to dissolve the state. On October 4, the Utah territorial legislature voted to re-enact the laws and ordinances of the State of Deseret. February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1851 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in Leap years). ...

After the establishment of the Utah Territory, the Mormons did not relinquish the idea of the State of Deseret. Attempts were made in 1856, 1862, and 1872 to write a new constitution for the state based on the new boundaries of the Utah Territory. From 1862 to 1870, a group of Mormon elders under Young's leadership met as a shadow government after each session of the territorial legislature to ratify the new laws under the name of the "State of Deseret." A shadow government is a government-in-waiting that remains in waiting with the intent to take control of the government in response to some event. ...

The idea of creating a state based on Mormonism began to dissolve after the coming of the railroad, which opened the territory to many non-Mormon settlers, particularly in the western areas of the territory. The driving of the golden spike to complete the first transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point in 1869 was boycotted by church elders and territorial officials. The golden spike is a gold railroad spike which was hammered in by Leland Stanford to commemorate the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the world, when the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads met on May 10, 1869 at Promontory Summit in Box Elder County in the Utah... Poster announcing railroads opening The First Transcontinental Railroad was a transcontinental railroad in North America that was finished in 1869. ... Promontory is a location in Box Elder County, Utah, centered approximately at 41°3707N, 112°3251W, with an elevation of 1494 meters (4902 feet) above sea level. ... 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

See also

• Utah War

The Utah War was a 19th century armed conflict between Mormon settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government. ...

External links

• State of Nevada: Utah Territory
• Utah History Encyclopedia: State of Deseret

Reference

• Allen, James B. and Leonard, Glen M. The Story of the Latter-day Saints. Deseret Book Co., Salt Lake City, UT, 1976. ISBN 0-87747-594-6.