A Legacy More Precious Than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion

A Legacy More Precious Than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion | Very Good!!

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A Legacy More Prec...

	A Legacy More Precious Than Gold: Contributions of the Mormon Battalion A Church Distribution, 1998 average customer review:based on 2 reviews view larger image
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The story of the Mormon Battalion is closely connected with the history of California. In 1846 the 496 men of the battalion journeyed west to fight in the war with Mexico but instead became a significant force in the exploration, settlement, and prosperity of California and the western United States. Using their expert skills, the men helped establish San Diego and San Francisco, helped instigate one of the most famous gold rushes in history, and blazed the trail across the Sierra Nevadas, which thousands of gold prospectors would use on their way to California. These contributions of the Mormon Battalion and other early Latter-day Saints have left a legacy "more precious than gold."

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a story of faith and duty

Even in the face of constant attacks and persecution, most of the Mormon Battalion left behind their families to help the nation that had largely turned its back on their own plight - because it was the right thing to do. This great video provides insight into some of their lives, and the great contributions they made to the development of the west.

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More Precious than Gold: The Mormon Battalion
This video is surprisingly very interesting and well done. It does not focus so much on the "longest infantry march in US history," but on what the battalion members did after they were released in California (see the other video on the Mormon Battalion that I list below for more information on the actual march).

The presentation starts out with the Mormons in the Midwest during their terrible eviction and subsequent quartering at Council Bluffs, a stopping point on the way to No-Man's Land (Utah). After repeated appeals for protection to the federal government had been rebuffed, the Mormons were surprised when several federal agents showed up on June 26, 1846 to ask for volunteers for the war against Mexico. Nearly 500, wanting to prove their loyalty to the US, left their families and enlisted. They then made the march to Santa Fe, where they reprovisioned and blazed a trail to San Diego. This is where the video really picks up. After the men were discharged, they went their various ways. Some immediately headed east to find their families and others north, to San Francisco, where they met up with a group of Mormons who sailed around South America to reach the West (see the video "Forgotten Voyage" for more info on the sea voyage). Their impact on the early history of California was news to me, but is very interesting. They had a hand in the gold strike at Sutter's Mill and, as they wanted to reunite with their families somewhere to the east, blazed a trail which thousands would use to reach the gold fields. The going was hard, sometimes a mile a day, but they were ingenious in solving the problem of large rocks and boulders that obstructed their way. Check out the video!

The video lasts about 15-20 minutes, which is enough, but there is a lot packed into those 15 minutes. I picked up my copy at a Deseret Bookstore for $5; and it's well worth that price. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Mormon, western or California history.

I have reviews of other Mormon history videos which you might want to read:

Trail of Hope: Story of the Mormon Trail
Brigham Young Biography
The Mormon Rebellion
American Prophet: Joseph Smith

And here are a few more Mormon documentaries that you might want to track down that aren't on Amazon. All of them should be available at Deseret Book.

Forgotten Voyage:the Mormon Sea Trek that Sparked the Gold Rush.Time Frame Films 2002
The Mormon Battalion: Opening of the West. Arcadian Films 1999.
Sacred Stone: Temple on the Mississippi. Groberg Communications 2002
The House of the Lord: Cache Valley and Logan Temple. Temple Hill Videos 2003.
History at Temple Hill: Manti. Temple Hill Videos 1999.
A Temple Dressed in White (St. George). Temple Hill Videos. 2001

Dr. Fritz Juengling

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