Brigham Young's Mormon pioneers reach Salt Lake Valley

Background. The Mormon exodus began in February 1846 due to religious tensions and legal indictments in Illinois. Young organized the journey to Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in 1846. The well-organized wagon train migration began in earnest in April 1847. Young consulted with members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles who had recently returned from the British mission in April 1847.

Arrival in Salt Lake Valley. Scouts Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 21, 1847. Brigham Young arrived on July 24, 1847, a date recognized as Pioneer Day in Utah. According to tradition, Young experienced a vision of the valley prior to arrival, though this account appears only in later narratives. Young designated the location for the Salt Lake Temple four days after arriving.

Establishment of Salt Lake City. Young founded Salt Lake City after arriving in Utah. He was unanimously elected as the church's second president in 1847. The community of Bountiful was established to the north shortly after the first company arrived. Shoshone residents taught pioneers to harvest sego lily bulbs for food following a measles outbreak in 1847.