 July 1847, the Saints entered the Salt Lake Valley, being led to their new home by their President Brigham Young. President Young had carried out the plans laid by his beloved prophet predecessor, Joseph Smith. Who was this man, Brigham? In his day, he was loved and revered by his friends, hated and feared by his enemies. He was notable or notorious. In his time, a man could be many things. Many events had united to produce the combination of spirituality, practicality, toughness, and love for his fellow man that would enable him to lead his people to the Rocky Mountains, and there, firmly established Christ's Church of the Later Days. I'm a Green Mountain boy. I was born in Whitingham, Vermont, June 1st, 1801, four years before the Prophet Joseph was born. My father, John Young, fought in the Revolutionary War. He married Abigail Howe, and he gave her 12 children, five boys and seven girls, of which I was the ninth child. In my youthful days, I had no opportunity for letters. Instead of going to school, I had the opportunity of learning how to work, picking up brush, rolling logs, plowing, sawing, barefooted in the midst of roots, getting machines towed and feet bruised. Oh, I learned how to make bread, wash dishes, and milk the cows, and make butter. But when I was 14, after the death of my sweet mother, I was pretty much on my own. I began to labor with my hands, doing what laborers I could find, I learned the laborers of house painting, glass glazing, carpentry, so forth, et cetera. It was to Port Byron, New York, that he took his bride, Miriam Works, in the autumn of his 24th year. Later with his wife and daughters, he moved to the little town of Mendon, New York, where his father and most of his brothers and sisters lived. Just a few miles away in Palmyra, the first copies of the Book of Mormon were printed a year later. Brigham's brother Phineas purchased a copy of the book from a young missionary, Samuel Smith, the prophet's brother. Phineas read it, believed it, and showed it to Brigham. Brigham was convinced that there was something in Mormonism, but it was two years before he was converted. And then it was due to the weight in the testimony of five young missionaries who spoke by the power of the Holy Ghost. Brigham later said of this experience, If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had declared the truth of the Book of Mormon unto me, why it would have been to me like smoke which arises and vanishes out of sight. But when I saw a man without eloquence who would say to me and could only say, Why I know that the Book of Mormon is true by the Holy Ghost and I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the Lord, while the spirit proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding and I knew by the power of the Holy Ghost that his testimony was true. In April 1832, Brigham was baptized. Then after walking homeward two miles in the snow, his clothing still wet, he was confirmed a member of the church and ordained an elder. In May his wife, then suffering from tuberculosis, was also baptized. In September she died. It may have been this sad experience that prompted him to make the most important journey of his life up to that time to Kirtland, to meet Joseph the prophet. He found him chopping wood in the forest. Brigham often spoke of this meeting. Here my jaw was full at the privilege of shaking the hand of the prophet of God. And I received the sure witness at that moment he was all God had ever revealed him to me to be a true prophet. In that hand class began a lasting loyalty and Brigham was not above defending the prophet through force if necessary. A man named Holly had an impression rest down on his mind with great weight that he must tell Joseph Smith that the Lord had rejected him as a prophet. Well he went through the streets of Kirtland after midnight crying, Whoa, whoa, under the inhabitants of this place. Well I put on my pants and shoes and took my cowhide and went out. I laid hold of him and jerked him around and assured him if he did not stop making his noise and let the people get their sleep without interruption I would cowhide him on the spot. For we had the Lord's prophet right here and we did not need the devil's prophet crying around through the streets. Enemies in and out of the church continually sought Joseph's life and Brigham became a bodyguard to the prophet. Scores and scores of knights have lain on the floor with a loaded revolver under my pillow to protect the life of the prophet Joseph. He was the greatest man on the earth. I feel like shouting hallelujah all the time when I think I ever knew Joseph Smith the prophet from the Lord raised up in these latter days. Brigham Young was a powerful missionary delivering his first discourse only a week after his baptism. He said of this experience The Spirit of the Lord was upon me and I felt that my bones would consume within me unless I could tell the people what I'd seen and heard and learned. He served missions in Canada, the eastern United States and finally England. The mission to England developed not only his spiritual power but his incredible leadership and business sense. He arrived in Britain an unschooled carpenter sick, ragged and penniless and managed affairs so well that in only one year he and his companions were able to print 3,000 hymn books, 5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, 2,500 volumes of the Millennial Star and over 60,000 tracts. Establish a sizable immigration fund, pay for clothing, rent and their passage home and leave behind 2,500 dollars worth of supplies with all debts paid in full. More important, they baptized between 7,000 and 8,000 people. Of his missionary journeys, Brigham Young later said, I've traveled these many years in the midst of poverty and tribulation and that too with blood in my shoes. I wanted to thunder and roar out the gospel of nations. It burnt my bones like fire pent up. Nothing would satisfy me but to cry abroad in the land what the Lord was doing in the latter days. Brigham was in the eastern states promoting Joseph Smith's candidacy for the President of the United States. When news of the tragedy at the jail in Carthage, Illinois, reached him, the prophet Joseph and his brother Hiram had been shot. It now fell upon President Young to complete the construction of the Navu temple which Joseph had begun and to plan and carry out the Exodus to the Great Basin. By April 1847, the first company was on its way west from winter quarters, Nebraska, all along the route President Young preached purity, honesty and virtue. Attention the whole camp of Israel. No iniquity will be tolerated in this camp. By late July, this pioneer company reached Salt Lake Valley without losing so much as a man or a horse. But moving the saints to the Great Basin was not the only difficult task. The challenge was settling the land but this was good land. God would temper the elements for the saints and bring them bounteous harvests. Brigham not only preached doctrinal sermons but he also preached about fences, pig pens, frugality clean houses and bread. Some women will set the yeast in the morning and let it stand till it sours and mix up the flour and knead it ready for baking. And then if sister somebody comes by they sit down and talk over all old times and the first thing you know is the bread is sour. Oh dear, I forgot about that bread. So there goes one quarter of the flour and the husband comes home and looks sour and is sour along with the bread. He spoke his mind very plainly. I have courage enough to tell a man of his meanest no matter whether he be a sheriff, a judge, a governor, a priest or a king. I profess to know the will of God concerning the saints and I have boldest enough to tell you about it regardless of your wrath. And I expect it is on that account that the Lord has placed me to occupy the position I do. The people loved and admired his fearless stature and defense of the faith. Brigham Young preached trust in God with a practical twist. Trust in God. Don't catch gold rush fever. Stay, plant your crops and waste nothing and soon you will be able to buy and sell these miners. Trust God. In 1857 an army under Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston was dispatched to the Utah territory by President Buchanan. When Colonel Cain visited as an emissary from the president, Brigham commented, When Colonel Cain came to visit us he tried to point out a policy for me to pursue but I told him I should not turn to the right nor to the left only as God dictated that I should do nothing but what was right. Throughout this military threat Brigham Young demonstrated again his determined faith that God would protect the saints from their enemies. Well we do not want to fight the United States but if they force us into it I'll tell you we should do the best we can and as the Lord lives we shall come off conquerors for we trust in him. Brigham Young was prophet and president of the church for three decades longer than any other modern prophet. His administration saw many historically important events during the Civil War which broke out between the northern and the southern states in 1861. Everyone knew Brigham Young was a family man. Though he could be sharp in reproving enemies and sinners he was gentle to his family whom he dearly loved. I believe the Lord is blessed and is one of the greatest families any man ever had on earth. If I was to wake up on resurrection's morning and find that I'd failed my family I believe I would feel I'd failed in everything. He ruled his family by love and persuasion. I do not believe in making my authority as a husband or a father known by brute force but by superior intelligence by showing them that I am capable of teaching them. If the Lord has placed me to be the father of a family let me be so in all humility and patience not as a tyrannical ruler but as a faithful companion an affectionate and indulgent father and a thoughtful and unassuming superior. He built the lion house to shelter some of his numerous family. The lion at the entrance was well placed being a universal symbol of power and authority. Indeed Brigham Young was often called the lion of the Lord. His official residence was the Beehive House named for the symbol of industry. He also built a school for his family though his own formal education was scanty one day as he said Brigham Young well knew the importance of education. Every accomplishment, every polished grace every useful attainment in the mathematics, music and in all the science and art belong to the saints and they should avail themselves as expeditiously as possible the wealth of knowledge that the sciences offer to the diligent and perseverant students. Under his direction other schools were built higher education was implemented and the saints encouraged to take advantage of the educational opportunity. He said Education is the power to think clearly to act well in the world's work and the power to appreciate life. I want to have schools to entertain the minds of the people and draw them out to learn the arts and sciences. There is nothing I would like better than to learn chemistry, botany, geology, mineralogy so that I could tell what I walk on what about the air I breathe and what I drink. President Young also oversaw the construction of the social hall. He knew that people struggling to make a living and shut off from the world needed entertainment. I had not a chance to dance when I was young and never heard the enchanting tones of the violin until I was 11 years of age then I thought I was on the highway to hell if I suffered myself to linger and listen to it. Oh but my little children shall not be subjected to such an unnatural training but they shall go to the dance and read novels and anything else that will tend to expand their frames and fire their spirits improve their minds and make them feel free and untrammeled in body and mind. Always a builder he oversaw the construction of a beautiful tabernacle large enough to seat thousands. In the last year of his life he would see the St. George Temple dedicated the completion of the Salt Lake Temple he would never see although it had been under construction for 25 years about the building of the temple he stated. It is for us to do those things which the Lord requires at our hands and leave the result with him. It is for us to labor with a cheerful goodwill and if we build a temple it is worth a million in money and if it requires all of our time and means and we should be forced to leave it we should do it with cheerful hearts if the Lord in his providence requires us to do so. Brigham Young taught the saint's submissiveness to the will of the Lord it is no matter to us what the Lord does or how he disposes of the laborers of his servants but when he commands it is for his people to obey. Looking back over his life what did he note of importance? He summarized it pretty well for the New York Herald. As I look back over my life I have witnessed the people of this territory by the Latter-day Saints for about 100,000 souls the fountain of over 200 cities towns and villages which extend to Idaho in the north the Wyoming in the east Nevada in the west and Arizona in the south establishment of schools, mills, factories and other institutions calculated to improve and benefit our community. All my transactions and laborers have been carried on in accordance with my calling as a servant of God. My whole life is devoted to the Almighty's service and while I regret that my mission is not better understood by the world the time will come when I shall be understood and I leave to futurity the judgment of my laborers and the results as they shall become manifest. With all his accomplishments none was greater than his ability to inspire people with his testimony of Jesus Christ. I testify that Jesus is the Christ the savior and the redeemer of the world I have obeyed his sayings and realized his promises and the knowledge I have of him the wisdom of this world cannot give. My faith is placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ and my knowledge I have received from him.