Digital Commons Network^™

Silent Saints: Deaf Mormons In Utah, Petra M. Horn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research for this thesis drew on the network of Deaf Mormon wards/branches, newspapers, magazines, books, unpublished documents, personal collections, and oral interviews to illustrate the religious activities engaged in by deaf Latter-day Saints at the national and local levels during the mid and late twentieth century America. The study focused on the theological perspectives, church participation, and personal experiences of deaf Mormons with a special focus on the accommodations the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ·Saints has for the deaf populace. This special attention was used to examine and demonstrate the influence and attractions the Mormon religion has for …

Nature's Second Course: Water Culture In The Mormon Communities Of Cache Valley, Utah, 1860-1916, Kathryn T. Morse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Nineteenth-century Mormon settlers in Utah combined a unique set of religious beliefs with a fervent agrarianism and a strong sense of community. They encountered a specific arid environment along the Wasatch Front. A distinctive cultural set of irrigation institutions and practices developed out of the complex interchanges between nature and culture in Cache Valley, Utah, between 1860 and 1916. The structure of water flow, and conflicts over water rights and responsibilities, reflected the fundamental tensions within Mormon communities between individual gain and collective progress; it also reflected the patriarchal essence of Mormon culture.

The season-to-season workings of irrigation institutions that …

Utah And Mormon Migration In The Twentieth Century: 1890 To 1955, Todd Forsyth Carney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Most Utahns spent the years between Mormon entry into the Great Basin and statehood for Utah pursuing the traditional frontier-rural life, a mode which had been an integral part of the American experience since earliest colonial times. After the Mormon capitulation and statehood, Utah moved into a transitional phase, a phase between the traditional and the modern in which elements of each were mixed and mingled. This phase ended with the Second World War.

This transition to modernity affected migration behavior. Seen in light of migration theory, the Utah experience is something of an anomaly. One theory says that migration …

A Study Of African American Women And Their Perceptions Of Life In Utah, Jennifer Caye Demayo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine, through the use of the ethnographic interview (Spradley, 1979), residential preferences, as well as the stated reasons for relocation of African American women who live in a predominantly White, Utah Mormon culture. The "push and pull" factors that impacted the women's decisions to come to and/or remain in Utah were qualitatively analyzed in some detail. The end goal of the research was to determine whether Utah was perceived as a desirable residence by and for African American women.

Residential preference is a complex issue which requires an in depth explanation. The prominent …

Aberrant Mormon Settlers: The Homesteaders Of Highland, Utah, David T. Durfey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a history of the original thirty-seven homesteaders of Highland, Utah. It covers a period of about twenty-five years, 1875-1900. The study provides an example of a aberrant community which was not established in the same, distinctive style of settlement as the typical Mormon village. In addition it describes the relationship between the original residents and non-residents of Highland with the surrounding villages of Lehi, American Fork, and Alpine.

The Geographical Landscape Of Tabernacles In The Mormon Culture Region, Crystal Wride Jenson

Theses and Dissertations

Although tabernacles do not hold the sacred meaning of Mormon temples, they are symbolic landmarks of the culture of the early Mormon Saints. Tabernacles were once an integral part of each community in which they were located. They were often the main buildings in the community, reflecting the coherent, orderly nature of a Mormon town. Today, many of the original tabernacles have been torn down and others are under the threat of destruction.

The first tabernacles built in the Mormon Culture Region were constructed in the 1850s. They were large meetinghouses built for the purpose of holding large general meetings. …

The Geographical Analysis Of Mormon Temple Sites In Utah, Garth R. Liston

Theses and Dissertations

The first eight temple sites in Utah were studied to determine important geographical characteristics of each, and to test the hypothesis that Mormon temple sites conform to definitions of sacred space. President Brigham Young of the Church greatly influenced the selection of the first four temple sites, and the construction of each until his death in 1877. Claimed revelation from God to Young and other leaders and members of the Church, was evident concerning the temple sites. The later four temple sites of the twentieth century were approved by the First Presidency of the Church, but local Church leaders and …

The Southern Utah Expedition Of Parley P. Pratt: 1849-1850, Rick J. Fish

Theses and Dissertations

In 1849, President Brigham Young commissioned a fifty man company, headed by Parley P. Pratt, to explore Southern Utah for possible colonization. The four month trek spanned the coldest months of the winter, and afforded some very harrowing and hazardous experiences. These events weave a heroic story filled with excitement and adventure, while simultaneously revealing the tremendous dedication and fortitude on the part of the explorers to successfully complete their mission.

Many of the Southern Utah colonies that were initiated in the subsequent years following the expedition were based on information gathered during this seven-hundred mile expedition. In addition, their …