Аннотация

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, familiarly known as Mormons, were among the first Americans to settle in Mexican California. They took a prominent part in the events leading to the California Gold Rush and its immediate consequences. This paper describes the LDS arrival and the significant Mormon role California’s early Gold Rush history, and it provides a fresh interpretive view of the relationship between California Mormons and the church hierarchy established under Brigham Young’s leadership in Salt Lake City, Utah.