Norfolk and the Mormon Folk : Latter-day Saint Immigration through Old Dominion (1887-90)
Mormon Historical Studies
Spring 2000
1
1
2000
73-91
From 1887 to 1890, over 5,000 Mormon emigrants disembarked from ships at Norfolk, Virginia. Threats to regulate, control, and increase the costs of travel of Mormon emigrants landing at the port of New York caused the Mormons to steer their European immigrants to the Norfolk port. During this time period, the Saints used vessels from the Old Dominion Line and were routed smoothly by rail through Virginia and Tennessee. Except for a spectacular train accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1889, rail travel for the saints during this era enjoyed a good safety record.