In this episode, Lindsay and Bryan discuss the Mormons' first venture heading west: Samuel Brannan's expedition to the so-called, "Upper California." Special thanks to Matt Riley for the cameo on this episode.

Music mentioned and used in this episode:


Mormon Symphony & Mormon Youth Chorus - The Upper California

E86: The Upper California

There’s the Mormon history you do know … and the Mormon history you don’t. Join Lindsay Hansen Park (Year of Polygamy) and historian Bryan Buchanan as they dig into all aspects of Mormonism’s astonishing 200-year past—uncovering the little-known stories that chronicle how a six-person church grew into a multi-billion-dollar religion.

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Did you know that Brigham Young called people on official church missions to pan for filthy lucre? Come learn about the Gold Mission with Lindsay and Bryan.



SHOWNOTES:

 	The Mormon Gold-Mining Mission of 1849 by Eugene Campbell
 	Bancroft’s history of Utah
 	Kenneth Owens, Gold Rush Saints: California Mormons and the Great Rush for Riches 
 	Kenneth Davies and Lorin Hansen, Mormon Gold - Mormons in the California Gold Rush Contributing to the Development of California and the Monetary Solvency of Early Utah 
 	Erwin Gudde, Bigler's Chronicle of the West 
 	M. Guy Bishop, Henry William Bigler: Soldier, Gold Miner, Missionary, Chronicler

Episode 123: The Gold Mission

The sale of the Kirtland Temple from the Community of Christ to the LDS church has made headlines lately. Join Bryan and Lindsay as they discuss the long and storied history of the Kirtland Temple ownership.



SHOWNOTES:

 	Become a recurring donor at Sunstone.org
 	Davis Bitton, “The Waning of Mormon Kirtland”
 	Roger Launius, The Kirtland Temple: A Historical Narrative 
 	Christian Larsen, The Ancient Order of Things: Essays on the Mormon Temple 
 	Kim Loving, “Ownership of the Kirtland Temple: Legends, Lies, and Misunderstandings”
 	David Howlett, Kirtland Temple: The Biography of a Shared Mormon Sacred Space 
 	Jeff Walker, “The Kirtland Safety Society and the Fraud of Grandison Newell A Legal Examination”

Episode 122: Ownership of the Kirtland Temple, a History

Join Lindsay and Bryan as they talk about the state of Mormon historical source material. Does the LDS church hide its history? What sources are available? How do you check our work? We also discuss our new move to Youtube as well.



SHOWNOTES:

 	Youtube version of this episode
 	Subscribe to Sunstone's youtube channel
 	Become a recurring donor to Sunstone

Episode 121: Youtube and Historical Sources Discussion

Who were the real Mormons? We mean, the top-shelf kind? According to Brigham Young, any of the California Mormons couldn't pass muster. Join Lindsay and Bryan as they talk about the history of how California Mormons came to be.



SHOWNOTES:

 	Become a monthly donor here!
 	Pictures of Fort San Bernardino
 	Mormons Created and Then Abandoned San Bernardino
 	The Rise and Decline of Mormon San Bernardino by Edward Leo Lyman
 	The Mormon settlement in San Bernardino, 1851-1857

 

Episode 120: San Bernardino Mormons

Petty jokes about his name aside, who was Richard Ballantyne? Bryan and Lindsay dive into Brother Ballantyne and his history with the history of Sunday School in the Mormon church.



Shownotes:

 	DONATE TO SUNSTONE
 	Richard Ballantyne founded the first sunday school in Utah 1897
 	Things You Didn’t Know (or May Have Forgotten) about Sunday School
 	Mormon Sundays by William G. Hartley

E86: The Upper California

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