From High Hopes to Despair: The Missouri Period, 1831–39

Keywords

Missouri, Early Church History, Zion, Jackson County

Abstract

The Missouri period is considered one of the darkest eras in the story of the latter-day Church. During 1831–39, the Latter-day Saints’ hopes of a Zion community in Jackson County were dashed by misunderstandings, animosity, and mob action, culminating in the confiscation and destruction of property, and expulsion of some 8,000 to 10,000 Latter-day Saints by order of the state’s chief executive. In the pages of many history books, discussion of the Missouri “Mormon episode” consists of only a few pages and footnotes. But to Latter-day Saints, the scenes that transpired on Missouri soil—principally in Jackson, Clay, Ray, Carroll, Caldwell, Daviess, and Livingston Counties—continue to be a significant part of the Church’s spiritual heritage. As we study the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history this year, it is beneficial to have a perspective on those early years.

Original Publication Citation

“From High Hopes to Despair: The Missouri Period, 1831–39,” Ensign 31, no. 7 (July 2001): 44–55.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2001

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6532

Publisher

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Language

English

College

Religious Education

Department

Church History and Doctrine

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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