Brigham Young
Importance: Organised first Mormon permanent settlement at Salt Lake.
Brigham Young was the second leader of the Mormons, succeeding the murdered Joseph Smith in 1844. Young made a number of bold and risky decisions. The most important was to leave the hostile eastern settlements and head west for Great Salt Lake. Chosen as it was deserted by white settlers and Indians. It would require hard work and team effort to be able to farm the region which were strengths of the Mormon community.
Young relied heavily on the early maps of the region for his information. The first Mormon settlers journeyed there in 1846. It was Young’ s organisational and inspirational brilliance that made Salt Lake City a success. He directed the first Mormons to lay the main streets and divide plots of land.