 Frontier fighters. Attic recitals of the early pioneers who explored and settled the far west. One of the most noted, one of the most courageous of these was Brigham Young, successor to Joseph Smith, founder and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. In the jail at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother, Haram, have voluntarily surrendered to the authorities and await trial for charges arising from the teachings of their church. I fear, Haram, that this is the end. Joseph, my brother, what crime did we or our followers commit that the Gentiles persecute us this way? My vision and the revelation, Haram, of the Book of Mormon, equal in our faith with the Bible. Get that mob outside to decreed our death. Joseph, who will be our people's temporal and spiritual leader after you're gone? God will guide our people in their choice, but my successor will be a strong man and a devout man, a man of great enterprise who will be humble before God. Look, Joseph, look, that mob of men, they're coming close to the jail. Their faces are blackened. Yes, Haram, I see. Time draws near. Remember Paul's message to the Ephesians, Haram, having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he has purposed in himself, in the disambition of the people. The news of the double murder of Joseph and Hiram Smith reached Brigham Young while he was in England doing missionary work. But upon hearing of Joseph Smith's death, he returned to Nova, Illinois and was elected to succeed Joseph Smith. Persecution of the Mormons continued with unbated fury. Then, early in 1846, it was decided that the entire community would migrate to the far west. First, a party of trailblazers must prepare the way. The start was made in April. There were 143 persons in the advance party, including three women and two children. Brigham Young himself was captain. June, 1846, along the Missouri River on the nation's frontier. Glory to God, Brigham. I feel like a new man. So do I, Orson Flat, but the hardest part of our journey is still ahead of us. Our destination lies in a valley where all will be peaceful and quiet. A valley of hope. Our promised land. Across the great plains and deserts plunged the brave group, the vanguard of an exodus which became one of the greatest events in history. Not even the rugged and forbidding Rocky Mountains could bar the way of these stalwarts to whom suffering was something to be born with inspiring fortitude. Then, July 21st, 1847... How much farther must we journey, Brigham, before we reach the promised land? We are spent. We punger through thirst. Courage, men. Courage. God has sustained us thus far. He will not forsake us now. Remember the words of our scripture from the Book of Mormon. There are many kingdoms. For there is no space where there is no kingdom. Remember those precious words, my brothers. For their application is to the temporal life as well as to the spiritual. He's right. Our leader is right. Let's go on to the promised land. How far have we traveled? About 1,500 miles. But I feel that we are very close to our destination. Where are our awesome patent-arrested snow? I haven't seen them for several days. Hide in those mountains over yonder. I sent them there to make a survey. Careful snow. One fall, step, and you'll find yourself on those rocks down there. I'll be careful, but here, you give me a hand. How much higher must we climb before we get to the top of this mountain? See that bench up there, just over our heads? You mean that flat place, like a big stone tabletop? That's as near to the summit as we dare go. But once up on that bench, we can see for miles around. Or the rest of it. Let's keep going. Here we are snow. Practically on the roof of the world. I mean these anyway. Look, Orson, down in Yonder Valley, all that land and that great body of water, it's our valley, our destination. Praise God. The promised land. The head of the party entered the valley the same day that snow and pratt made their discovery. President Young and the rest of the wayfarers arrived July 24th. And one of the first buildings to be erected was a fort of ten acres, built of adobe and logs. That winter and early the next year, the rest of the emigrants arrived from winter quarters in Nebraska, where they had found asylum from their Illinois enemies. Soon there were thousands of persons in Salt Lake Valley. Food was scarce. The hunters and fur trappers in the surrounding mountains were skeptical of the success of the project. Hank, them settlers down in the valley is going to starve to death. You're dead right, President. Is there any reason in that hole? Look at them. Lawn, digging, planting, working like the beavers are catching my traps. And like them same beavers, they're going to be catched, too. I wonder what that party's doing up on what those settlers have named City Creek. I see them. Carrying lumber and digging a long ditch toward the dry fields. They've been added for weeks. More foolishness. More useless digging and hauling. Why, no tame. Look, Presser. Look. By cracky. They're turning the course of the creek. There's mountain water running into that ditch. Why, they're going to cover their fumes with that creek water. You call that foolishness? No. No, I take it all back. I swallow my words. You can't get ahead of Illinois, folks. And you see, Presser, I'm from Illinois myself. By flooding the half-baked soil of Salt Lake Valley with mountain water, Brigham Young became a pioneer in agricultural irrigation. The abundant supply of water soon made the dry, dead soil green with waving crops. Industry and perseverance transformed the desert into a garden. Then came the time to harvest the wheat, oats, corn, and other grain. Brigham. Brigham. Here I am, Heber, looking up in the sky, same as you are. What's that coming? That big black cloud blotting out the sun. They're crickets, Heber. Millions of them. See, here are the scouts. They're attacking our wheat, our corn, our garden. Look, they're falling into the water ditches. They're choking at the flow. Unless providence intervenes, we panic. Black pastel, mental death, Brigham. Look, man, grasshoppers, too. It's a locust plague of the Bible. Only worse, crickets and grasshoppers. Pratt. Orson Pratt. Here I am, Brigham, shoveling crickets and grasshoppers out of this ditch. Pratt, you send word to keep all the women indoors. Send riders to the outlying farms to keep the ditches open at all costs. All women and children is gone. It's getting dark as night, Brigham. There's a thick blanket of insects between us and God's heaven. What shall we do? Do, man. Where's our faith in God? Order the church sexton and the elders to give the signal for prayer. Then down on your knees to ask God's help in this, our great time of need. Pray, everyone, pray for deliverance from this black insect. Lord God of hosts, thou who has delivered thy people from our enemies and has guided us to this place, deliver us from this plague of insects which is about to destroy the faithful of thy holy city. Amen. Amen. Brigham. Brigham. Rather young. Look towards the west. Towards the west. Birds. Thousands of birds. Hungry birds. Look at them catching insects in the air. But they're seagulls. They're seagulls all right and mighty hungry. Just season the vows of those crickets and grasshoppers. Brigham, the gulls have saved us. Birds against insects. And the birds are winning. The seagulls were sent by God. Even when the work of clearing the fields has been done, I want all the elders called to account for it. Of course, Brigham. But have you any special object? Yes. I want a law passed that from now on this eagle, that beautiful graceful bird which has saved this valley from destruction, will be protected. And anyone who kills one of those birds will merit instant punishment. Time and provenance were good to the men and women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And in 1877, Brigham Young talks to John Taylor, senior apostle of the Mother Church. John. By time to move on to another mansion is near. My work will soon be finished. And the great work it has been. Well, yes. Yes, John. I am grateful for the privilege of leading our people to this beautiful valley. I am grateful for the privilege of a prolonged life so that I might see the fulfillment of so many of my dreams. I have seen colonists from our church scattered wide, settling other valleys, irrigating them, making homes. I have seen sawmills, tanneries, mercantile stores, mines brought into being and nurtured by our people. Yes, John. Mine has been a full life. And I have few regrets. Utah is now a territory of the United States of America. You and the others must work now toward the culmination of that dream, John. The granting of full statehood to our Utah. Exactly 20 years later, Brigham Young's final dream came true. January 4th, 1896. President Grover Cleveland signed an act of the United States Congress admitting Utah into the Union as the 45th state. Her great seal, typifying the progressive spirit of her people, bearing a beehive and the one word, industry. Another stimulating chapter dedicated to those men and women to whom we owe a debt we can never repay. The Frontier Fighters.