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Author: Illinois Reason for Mormons Living in Utah
A historian explains that a lot of Mormons now live in Utah because an Illinois governor kicked them out.

Author and historian George Smith wrote the new book Nauvoo Polygamy, in which he describes the origin of polygamy, which is also known as "celestial marriage" or "plural marriage."

Smith says polygamy started in the early- to mid-1800s as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formed in Nauvoo, which is a small community along the Mississippi River . At the time, however, the town boasted a population of around 10,000, which was more than Chicago .

Smith says polygamy was illegal by Illinois law, and though many Mormons denied they practiced it, it became more popular as time passed. Citing disregard for the law and increasing conflicts with other residents of Illinois, Gov. Thomas Ford kicked many Mormons out of Nauvoo and sent them west to Mexican territory, which is now the Salt Lake Valley.

Under government pressure, Smith says the Mormon faith officially stopped practicing polygamy in 1890. It was so controversial that it never became an official part of Mormon history.

(Illinois Radio Network)
02 16 09 by Newsroom
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