Deseret (Brigham Young) (Octoski)

Religion | Protestantism

**Deseret** led by Brigham Young is a custom civilization by Octoski with contributions from bernie14, Kramer, RawSasquatch, and BouncyMischa.

This mod requires Brave New World.

## Overview

### Deseret (abridged)

From 1839 until 1846, the Mormon church was headquartered in Nauvoo where church members were able to prosper and practice their religion peacefully. But before long, tensions arose when many citizens began to view the Mormons with contempt. Mormon practices such as polygamy, in combination with the quick growth of the church, contributed to a growing intolerance among some Illinois citizens. Hostilities broke out and on June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by an angry mob while jailed in Carthage, Illinois. Brigham Young stepped in as Smith's successor and immediately began furthering Smith's plans for a move to the Far West. By now, the Mormon population of Nauvoo neared 11,000, making it one of the largest cities in Illinois. Yet the persecution of Mormons continued. In one month alone in 1845, more than 200 Mormon homes and farm buildings were burned around Nauvoo in an attempt by foes to force out the Mormons. Possible locations for a new home for the Mormons included Oregon, California and Texas. But with Smith's acquisition of John Fremont's map and report of the West in 1844, the Salt Lake region of Utah was chosen as the Mormons' destination. Young and his devotees made plans for an exodus to this new land. By 1846 the Mormon migration had begun.

The Great Salt Lake is both the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean and the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere. The Great Salt Lake is the major remnant of Lake Bonneville, a large freshwater lake of the Pleistocene era (75,000-7,250 B.C.) that occupied much of western Utah. The lake occupies one of the basins of the Great Basin, and is located at the western margin of the Wasatch Mountains of the Rocky Mountain Range. The lake receives water from numerous perennial and intermittent streams originating in the surrounding mountains, the most important of which are the Bear, Weber, and Jordan rivers. No streams empty from the lake, and its high salinity is caused by the accumulation of minerals with no removal and the accompanying water evaporation. The lake occupies a broad level valley that has been created as deposits eroded from the surrounding mountains have filled the valley with sediments thousands of feet deep. The level nature of the valley is responsible for wide variations in the surface area of the lake, as a rise of only a few feet during wetter years can increase the surface area dramatically. In 1962 the lake elevation was 4,192 feet above sea level, giving it a surface area of 969 square miles (620,400 acres). In the early 1980s the lake reached an elevation of 4,212 feet above sea level, giving it a surface area of 2,300 square mile (1,472,000 acres).

The incident of 1857-58 known as the Utah Expedition, the Utah War or Buchanan's Blunder was a collision of territorial self-determination against a federal government already faced with insubordination in Kansas and its Southern states. When President James Buchanan decided to flex federal muscle against Utah Territory and 'the Mormon problem,' he ignited a full rebellion that, before it was all over, embarrassed the military arm of the young republic and confounded the president. When Brigham Young, with the first Mormon pioneers, set foot on the spacious Salt Lake Valley floor on July 24, 1847, he boasted that if they could have just 10 years of peace, they would ask no odds of the devil or Uncle Sam. The young religion that taught continuing revelation had already experienced a turbulent 17-year history. By the time the Latter-day Saints sought refuge in the Rocky Mountain wilderness, some members had been driven from their homes as many as four times. It was, curiously, 10 years to the day–on July 24, 1857–that Young received word that an American army was on its way to Utah Territory.

Because of the widespread opposition to Mormonism and polygamy, church leaders recognized the need for public-relations work with the nation's press—the most important opinion-molding institution of the day. Through an elaborate network of lobbyists, also engaged in protecting other interests, Mormon authorities authorized the expenditure of a least $144,000 in 1887 to help persuade key newspapers not to print negative items and, if possible, to publish positive ones. A substantial number of papers across the nation altered their editorial treatment of the church from what it had been at the beginning of the year. Isaac Trumbo, a Californian with Latter-day Saint relatives, became the most important agent in the church lobbying effort, which gradually became closely connected with the Republican Party, then coming to power with the Benjamin Harrison administration. Trumbo was successful in enlisting some of the most influential of all Republicans in the cause of Utah statehood. James G. Blaine and James S. Clarkson represented a faction of the party which had recently become convinced that some of their more intolerant fellows had alienated the majority of voters in large areas through their stands against such practices as the use of alcoholic beverages, conducting school in non-English languages, and polygamy. These party leaders became committed to increased tolerance and cultural pluralism.

### Brigham Young

Brigham Young brought the telegraph and the railroad to Utah and encouraged cooperative industry among Latter-day Saints. Brigham Young loved the Utah Great Basin because its harshness and isolation made it an ideal place to "make Saints."

#### Dawn of Man

Greetings, most prestigious President Brigham Young, founder of the Mormon zion: Deseret, and her most dutiful and mosaic Saint. It was under your guidance that Deseret emerged as one of the preeminent symbols of American westward expansion, no doubt thanks to your diligent and diplomatic accruing of frontier property. As president, you estabished a plethora of attributes that remain relevant to the modern Mormon culture, and ensured the industriousness and great faith of your people. As the spiritual father who came to be known as the "Lion of the Lord," your visionary designs in industry and education firmly planted Utah as an economic hub of the United States.  Despite your losses in the bloodless Utah War, your legacy remained in tact as the founder and first governor of Utah. Oh holy Saint, the people long for your spiritual guidance, hopeful that they will one day arrive in Zion. Will you spread your faith across the fruited plains? Will you build a civilization that stands the test of time?

**Introduction**: Greetings and Salutations, may you soon discover His gospel.

   **Introduction**: Welcome to the land of the Mormons.

**Introduction**: Peace be with you, friend.

**Defeat**: Alas, our zion has yet to be reached.

**Defeat**: O! Lord! Why have you forsaken me?

**Defeat**: No more, please. We shall move on to more sacred lands.

## Unique Attributes

 **Nauvoo Legion** (Rifleman)
 **Bishop's Storehouse** (Windmill)
Does not require flat terrain. No Engineer Slot. Aside from standard Windmill abilities the Bishop's Storehouse also provides +2  Food and +2  Happiness.

## Full Credits List

* *bernie14:*Unit Art
* *Kramer:* Art
* *RawSasquatch:*Art
* *BouncyMischa:*Lua