Item Detail
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4403
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1
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0
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English
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Utah Territory
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Journal of the West
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April 1977
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16
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44-56
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Utah Territory was distinctly different from the other western territories because of its strong Mormon leadership. During the Civil War the territorial government, under Governor Stephen S. Harding and Colonel P. Edward Connor, competed with the entrenched power of Brigham Young for control of Utah Territory. The Mormons' claim of neutrality in 1861 convinced some Union officials that the rerouted Overland Mail and the transcontinental telegraph through Utah were at the mercy of disloyal people. The anti-Mormon campaign of Harding and Connor provoked the Mormons to the point that Harding had to be replaced and Connor warned to avoid incidents with the local citizens. Both sides then made concessions, and tensions eased after the summer of 1864. Utah Territory's economy was helped by the occupation of federal troops and by the development of an agricultural center for mining activity in surrounding territories. Based on government records and on published primary and secondary sources.