Brigham helped Mormons build and develop their community

When Joseph Smith was killed by an anti-Mormon mob in 1844, Brigham Young was on the East Coast soliciting donations for the magnificent temple that was being built in Nauvoo. At that time, the Church was brutally persecuted. Young planned an evacuation to bring the church together after his return. He led the Mormons westward. They first made Nebraska their home before moving to Utah's Salt Lake Valley. Young was quite optimistic about Mormons' eventual emancipation. He had trust that they would one day be able to worship and live their lives in accordance with their faith's rules.

Late in 1847, Young went back to the east to lead the second group of Mormons. Nearly 2,000 Mormons had relocated to the Great Salt Lake Valley by the end of 1847. Today, Utahns still commemorate the day they landed there. It is on the 24th of July - the day Brigham Young Settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley, which is called Pioneer Day.

Brigham Young was formally chosen as the new leader of the church in 1848. The charismatic Young imitated the great prophets and leaders of ancient Israel during the following few decades as thousands of Mormons moved to Salt Lake City, gaining the nicknames "Lion of the Lord" and "American Moses."