Homeward to Zion
The Mormon Migration from Scandinavia
In the late nineteenth century, thirty thousand Mormons from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland immigrated to Utah, dissatisfied with conditions in their homelands. As their countrymen were farming rich fields in other parts of the United States, Scandinavian Mormons were making their way to Salt Lake City. Homeward to Zion tracks this movement from northern Europe to the western desert, examining the Mormon recruiting efforts in Scandinavia as well as the arduous journey across the Great Plains.
The grand panorama is constructed like a mosaic, with phrases, quotations, and occasionally a paragraph from the innumerable biographies of the saints, from memoirs, letters and financial records. The book is a scholarly and highly readable treatment of a special yet fascinating chapter in the building of America, set against the background of northern Europe.
American History Review
In the late nineteenth century, thirty thousand Mormons from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland immigrated to Utah, dissatisfied with conditions in their homelands. As their countrymen were farming rich fields in other parts of the United States, Scandinavian Mormons were making their way to Salt Lake City. Homeward to Zion tracks this movement from northern Europe to the western desert, examining the Mormon recruiting efforts in Scandinavia as well as the arduous journey across the Great Plains. Mulder draws extensively from personal narratives of these immigrants to relate their pioneering experience and their role in the history of Scandinavian migration and of the settlement of the American West.
The grand panorama is constructed like a mosaic, with phrases, quotations, and occasionally a paragraph from the innumerable biographies of the saints, from memoirs, letters and financial records. The book is a scholarly and highly readable treatment of a special yet fascinating chapter in the building of America, set against the background of northern Europe.
American History Review
A thoroughly authoritative study, it is a contribution of high caliber indeed to the social history of America and to the understanding of Mormonism.
American Sociological Review
Documented historical record and personal narrative drawn from letters and diaries of immigrants themselves are juxtaposed to form an authentic and rounded picture of this aspect of Mormon life and development up to the turn of the century.
Library Journal
The republication of William Mulder’s now classic work from 1957 on the Mormon migration from Scandinavia provides an evocative and welcome reacquaintance with a topic that is frequently neglected by historians outside the community of Latter-day Saints. Homeward to Zion has retained its value as a major contribution to Mormon history and illustrates the lasting significance of authentic scholarship. Mulder’s gracefully written account deserves a hearing.
Scandinavian Studies
The author has told a fascinating story in great detail without losing the religious zeal and emotional connections felt by the converts. Mulder has produced a moving, panoramic history that is compelling not only for its human accounts but for its appealing novelistic style. Mulder is unquestionably a gifted writer who makes history interesting.
Deseret News
Homeward to Zion tells its story of proselytizing, conversion, emigration, and settlement with style and verve.
Utah Historical Quarterly
This comprehensive record masterfully weaves the letters, reminiscences, and diaries of the immigrants, missionaries, and other contemporaries into the narrative. The result is a balanced account of their pioneer experience.
Religious Studies Review
Contents
Prologue
PROMISE
Proselyte
1 FORERUNNERS
2 KEYS AND COVENANTS
3 THE SIEGE OF BABYLON
4 "ZION, WHEN I THINK OF THEE"
5 UGLY DUCKLINGS
Emigrant
6 BOOTSTRAP REDEMPTION
7 JOURNEY TO ZION
Settler
8 MORMON VILLAGERS
9 SEED OF ABRAHAM
10 MOTHER TONGUE
11 INROADS: CONFLICT AND CRUSADE
Epilogue
FULFILLMENT
SOURCES AND NOTES
INDEX
