(Rood & Thatcher, 1) Even here, the Mormons would be met with considerable challenges. The 'gentile' influence of American military force would ultimately push to confrontation the Mormons and various governmental groups set on obstructing effective settlement of the polygamist groups. Ultimately though, its brief history of reluctant nomadic behavior had prepared it better than such groups to shape the future of the Utah territory. Vying for American statehood in the face of much institutional and practical obstruction, the Mormons would nonetheless be able to out-wait other interested parties. As Rood & Thatcher report, "although the struggle for survival was difficult in the first years of settlement, the Mormons were better equipped by experience than many other groups to tame the harsh land. They had pioneered other settlements in the Midwest, and their communal religious faith underscored the necessity of cooperative effort." (Rood & Thatcher, 1)

These characteristics would precipitate considerable opportunities for success in the broad, harsh desert terrain that covers much of the territory. The participation of the Mormons in the Mexican-American war, in fact, would be fundamental in delivering the territory to American ownership, earning the population some degree of esteem with a government that nonetheless opposed its fast growing prominence in the preservation of settlement in the frontier. Quite to the point, well before its achievement of statehood in 1899, the Mormons had succeeded in situating themselves...

Under Mormon leadership, "basic industries developed rapidly, the city was laid out, and building began. Natural resources, including timber and water, were regarded as community property; and the church organization served as the first government." (Rood & Thatcher, 1)
This would seat the Mormons in a prime position of power in directing the states future, with evidence abounding today. The cultural identity of Utah is locked into its Mormon history and faith, making its presence both with subtlety and stark visibility in government, economy and public life. Today, the Mormon faith continues to expand outward through the United States and other parts of the world. However, as a matter of its history and present success in Utah, this remains and likely always will remain the heart of the Church of Latter-day Saints.

Works Cited:

Newsroom. (2008). Utah Membership. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Online at http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/utah-membership

Pew Research Center (PRC). (2008). U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Poll, R.; Alexender, T.G.; Campbell, E.E. & Miller, D.E. (1989). Utah's History. Utah State University Press.

Rood, R. & Thatcher, L. (2009). Brief History of Utah. Utah History To Go. Online at http://historytogo.utah.gov/facts/brief_history/index.html