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Trans Continental Road and the Mormons

Brigham Young at this time sees the rail road as both a threat and a benefit, but he knows that the benefits far outweigh the problems. Because of the rail road the missionaries can get places faster. The immigrants do not need hand carts any more to cross the dangerous plains. It makes it easier to build the temple. We could also export raw and finished material and import raw material. What Brigham did not want was the importation of finished products. Brigham did not like merchants who would sell their material for high prices. Brigham wanted saints to be self-sufficient. The tickets to ride the train were also very expensive and the Mormons did not have the cash for it. The rail road would bring in the "gentiles" and their standards, like their fashions. The fashions would be bad for the women. The Mormons also get the rail road workers coming into Utah territory. We had the Chinese coming out from California and the Irish were coming from the east. The Irish were Catholic and were known to be drunk and violent. No one liked the Irish and no one understood the Chinese. These workers coming in would cause a lowering of morals among the saints. Brigham combated these threats in different ways. To combat the fashions he re created the Relief Society for the women. To combat all the new merchants coming in he boycotted the non-LDS merchants and told the saints they were not allowed to buy any coffee, tea, or tobacco from them. Brigham says lets start to live the word of wisdom. The boycott lasted a year until Brigham created ZCMI as a retail store to help the saints become self-sufficient. Many other Mormons start new businesses as well.