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Mormon Corridor
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The Mormon Corridor is a term for the areas of the Western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are commonly known as Mormons.
In academic literature, the area is also commonly called the "Mormon culture region." It has also been referred to as the "Book of Mormon belt" as a cultural reference to the Bible Belt of the southeastern United States, and the Book of Mormon.
region has also been identified as the "Jell-O Belt", referring to the 20th century stereotype that Mormons have an affection for Jell-O (a gelatin-based food).
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Encyclopedia
The Mormon Corridor is a term for the areas of the Western North America that were settled between 1850 and approximately 1890 by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are commonly known as Mormons.
In academic literature, the area is also commonly called the "Mormon culture region." It has also been referred to as the "Book of Mormon belt" as a cultural reference to the Bible Belt of the southeastern United States, and the Book of Mormon.
"Jell-O Belt"
The region has also been identified as the "Jell-O Belt", referring to the 20th century stereotype that Mormons have an affection for Jell-O (a gelatin-based food). In support of this image, Jell-O was designated Utah's official state snack food in 2001. When drafting the resolution, the Utah Legislature gave many reasons to recognize Jell-O, including that Utah had been the highest per capita consumer of Jell-O for many years, and how citizens of Utah had rallied to "Take Back the Title" after Des Moines, Iowa exceeded Utah in Jell-O consumption in 1999. The culture of Utah, petitions by Utahns, and campaigning by students of Brigham Young University were also mentioned as reasons for recognizing Jell-O.
Location
Beginning in Utah, the corridor extends northward through western Wyoming and eastern Idaho to Yellowstone National Park and reaches south to San Bernardino, California on the west and through Mesa, Arizona on the east, extending to the U.S.-Mexico border. Settlements in Utah south of the Wasatch Front stretched from St. George in the southwest to Nephi in the northeast and including the Sevier River valley, the corridor is roughly congruent with the area between present-day Interstate 15 and U.S. Route 89. Most of the population of the state that is not along the Wasatch Front or in Utah's Cache Valley resides in this corridor. Outside the Western United States, more isolated Mormon settlements were also founded in Western Canada and Mexico.
History
The larger chain of Mormon settlements, ranging from Canada to Mexico, were initially established as agricultural centers or to gain access to metals and other materials needed by the expanding Mormon population. The communities also served as waystations for migration and trade centered on Salt Lake City during the mid- to late 19th century. Several of these colonies could also have provided support for a second migration of the Latter-day Saints which might have become necessary due to pressure by the U.S. government, starting with the Utah War. Some settlements were associated with existing or prior towns, and many were abandoned once the threat of persecution decreased after the 1890 Manifesto, and the transportation system in the Western United States matured. The First Transcontinental Railroad was especially significant in reinforcing or altering settlement patterns.
United States communities with ties to western Mormon history
Arizona
California
- Barstow, California
- Bishop, California
- Bridgeport, California
- Los Angeles, California
- Needles, California
- Oakland, California
- Ridgecrest, California
- San Bernardino, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- Santa Clarita, California
- Temecula, California
Colorado
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
New Mexico
Utah
Wyoming
Canadian communities with ties to western Mormon history
Alberta:
Mexican communities with ties to western Mormon history
See also
External links
- from American Ethnic Geography
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