Item Detail
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9010
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4
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2
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English
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Frederick Kesler, Utah Craftsman
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Utah Historical Quarterly
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Winter 1988
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56
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55-74
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Frederick Kesler was a very talented, important man who became involved in almost every aspect of his pioneer community, yet he has been all but forgotten in Utah history. He was converted to Mormonism in 1840, and in 1842 went on a mission to the East. He came to Utah in 1851, settled down in Salt Lake City, and within five years became a polygamist. He participated in various Utah economic activities, and was a military leader during the Utah War. He was also a member of the School of the Prophets in Salt Lake City. The author outlines very nicely his various economic activities, as well as some of his domestic troubles related to plural marriage. During the latter part of his life he became increasingly involved in religious activities, including holding the office of bishop of the Sixteenth Ward. 'Frederick Kesler provided with his mills the means by which several communities could move into an industrial future. In Salt Lake City, particularly, his mechanical acumen contributed to the evolution of an industrial society, an emergence he witnessed from early settlement to statehood. Indeed, Kesler's wide-ranging acvities represent the very dymamism of the pioneer.'