LITMIR.BIZ

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of the Great Salt Lake, designing to send out therefrom her colonies, to found cities in every valley of these Rocky Mountains.

      Immediately on the arrival of the body of the Church, under the presidency of Brigham Young in September, 1848, the regular social and ecclesiastical organizations of the community were effected, and the chief Stake of Zion organized in Great Salt Lake City. Commencing the re-organization at the general October Conference of that year, Brigham Young was acknowledged President of the Church in all the world, with Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards as his counselors. On the 1st of January, 1849, John Smith, uncle to the Prophet Joseph Smith, was ordained Patriarch of the Church, and on the 12th of February the Presidency and Twelve proceeded, to fill up the vacant places in the quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They next, in the words of their General Epistle, "proceeded to organize a Stake of Zion at the Great Salt Lake City, with Daniel Spencer, president, and David Fullmer and Willard Snow, counselors. They also ordained and set apart a High Council of the Stake, consisting of Isaac Morley, Phinehas Richards, Shadrach Roundy, Henry G. Sherwood, Titus Billings, Eleazer Miller, John Vance, Levi Jackman, Ira Eldredge, Elisha H. Groves, William W. Major, and Edwin D. Wooley. The other quorums of the Church were also re-organized. The Presidency of the Seventies was composed of Joseph Young, Zera Pulsipher, Levi W. Hancock, Jedediah M. Grant, Henry Herriman, Benjamin L. Clapp, and Albert P. Rockwood. John Young was ordained president of the High Priests' quorum, with counselors Reynolds Cahoon and George B. Wallace; John Nebeker, president of the Elders' quorum, with counselors James H. Smith and Aaron Savery. This re-organization took place at the house of George B. Wallace, in the Old Fort.

      After these branches of the "spiritual" organization were perfected, the city was divided into nineteen wards, over which bishops were appointed with their counselors.

      Under the direction of Brigham Young, who, throughout his lifetime, was the "all in all" in the colonization of Utah, the Apostles and Bishops commenced to lay off the city, from the southeast corner, running west five wards, then returning, running east five wards, then west again, and so on.

      Bishop Newel K. Whitney was the presiding Bishop over the whole. The original Bishops of the nineteen wards were as follows: First Ward, Peter McCue; Second Ward, John Lowrey; Third Ward, Christopher Williams; Fourth Ward, Benjamin Brown; Fifth Ward (which for quite a while was without a Bishop), Thomas Winters; Sixth Ward, William Hickenlooper; Seventh Ward, William G. Perkins; Eighth Ward, Addison Everett; Ninth Ward, Seth Taft; Tenth Ward, David Pettegrew; Eleventh Ward, John Lytle; Twelfth Ward, Benjamin Covey; Thirteenth Ward, Edward Hunter; Fourteenth Ward, John Murdock, Sen.; Fifteenth Ward, Nathaniel V. Jones; Sixteenth Ward, Shadrach Roundy; Seventeenth Ward, J. L. Heywood; Eighteenth Ward, Presiding Bishop Whitney; Nineteenth Ward, James Hendricks.

      Under the government of the Bishops, Utah grew up, and, until the regular incorporation of Great Salt Lake City in 1851, they held what is usually considered the secular administration over the people; Brigham Young was their director, for he formulated and constructed everything in those early days.

      Each of these nineteen wards developed, during the first period, before the regular incorporation of the city, like so many municipal corporations, over which the Bishops were as chief magistrates or mayors. Under their temporal administration all over Utah, as well as in Salt Lake, cities were built, lands divided off to the people, roads and bridges made, water-ditches cut, the land irrigated, and society governed. In fact, under them all the revenue was produced and the work done of founding Great Salt Lake City.

      Perhaps the most unique ecclesiastical order of government belonging to the Christian era is that which has sprung up in the Mormon Church in the organizations and government of its Bishops. It is altogether out of the common ecclesiastical order and church regime; and the duties and calling of those belonging to the Mormon Bishopric have originated a form of government peculiarly its own. Indeed, this branch of the Mormon development has not only shaped considerable of the history of this peculiar people but given to the world something of a new social problem. We may not be able to determine how much the influence and life-work of these Bishops will in the future affect the growth of the Pacific States and Territories; but, so far as the past is concerned, we know that under the Bishops the hundreds of cities and settlements of Utah and some of the adjacent Territories have been founded.

      Almost from the first organization of the Church and long before the organization of the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, it was shown in the peculiar history of the people that the Bishops were as the organic basis of the Mormon society, and the proper business managers of the Church; but it was not until the Mormons came to the Rocky Mountains that the society-work of the Bishops grew rapidly into the vast proportions of their present social and church government. In Utah, they soon became the veritable founders of our settlements and cities; and, having founded them, they have also governed them and directed the people in their social organization and material growth, while the Apostles and Presidents of Stakes have directed spiritual affairs.

      It may be further explained, that a Stake of Zion, the initial of which we have seen organized in that of the Salt Lake Stake, is analogous to a county; and the High Council is a quorum of judges, in equity for the people, at the head of which is the President of the Stake, with his counselors.

      The community grew so rapidly that before the close of the second year it was deemed wise to establish a constitutional secular government, and accordingly representatives of the people met in convention in the month of March, 1849 and formed the Provisional Government of the State of Deseret. A constitution was adopted, and delegates sent to Washington asking admission into the Union. Here is what they said: "We, the people, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of those blessings, do ordain and establish a free and independent government by the name of the State of Deseret, including all the Territory of the United States within the following boundaries, to-wit: Commencing at the 33rd degree of north latitude, where it crosses the 108th degree of longitude west from Greenwich; thence running south and west to the boundary of Mexico; thence west to and down the main channel of the Gila River (or the northern part of Mexico), and on the northern boundary of Lower California to the Pacific Ocean; thence along the coast northwesterly to the 118th degree, 30th minute of west longitude; thence north to where said line intersects the dividing ridge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the dividing range of mountains that separates the waters flowing into the Columbia River from the waters running into the Great Basin on the south, to the summit of the Wind River chain of mountains; thence southeast and south by the dividing range of mountains that separates the waters flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from the waters flowing into the Gulf of California, to the place of beginning, as set forth in a map drawn by Charles Preuss, and published by order of the Senate of the United States, in 1848."

      The Twelve, in their general epistle, under date, "Great Salt Lake City, March 9, 1849, thus explains this organic movement: "We have petitioned the Congress of the United States for the organization of a Territorial government here, embracing a territory of about seven hundred miles square, bounded north by Oregon, latitude 42 degrees, east by the Rio Grande Del Norte, south by the late lines between the United States and Mexico, near the latitude 32 degrees, and west by the sea coast and California Mountains. Until this petition is granted, we are under the necessity of organizing a local government for the time being, to consist of a governor, chief-justice, secretary, marshal, magistrates, etc. elected by the people: the election to take place next Monday."

      Accordingly, on Monday, March 12th, 1849, the State election was held in Great Salt Lake City, resulting in the unanimous choice of Brigham Young as Governor; Willard Richards, Secretary; N. K. Whitney, Treasurer; Heber C. Kimball, Chief Justice; John Taylor and N. K. Whitney, Associate Justices; Daniel H. Wells, Attorney-General; Horace S. Eldredge, Marshal; Albert Carrington, Assessor and Collector of taxes; Joseph L. Heywood, Surveyor of Highways; and the Bishops of the several wards as Magistrates.

      The first celebration in the mountains was held on the 24th of July, 1849— the second anniversary of the entrance of the Pioneers.

      The following description of the celebration, by the " Chief Scribe," may be of interest to many: "The inhabitants were awakened by the firing of cannon, accompanied by music. The brass band, playing martial airs, was then carried through the city,

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