Comments on: Match Your Judgment Against Brigham Young’s – 2 : A Question of Silver Mines

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:20:16 +0000

Those silver mines were originally dug with Nephite labor, but have been cursed with the curse of Gadianton, and any Saint who goes digging after riches will find they remain slippery, and ere he is aware he will leave the fellowship of the saints, and be left kicking against the pricks with nary a yellow dog for companionship.

There is enough wealth enough in these hills to pave a road back to the States, but it will refuse to come forth until the three nephite disciples who dedicated those pits come forth again to bless them to yield their fullness

By: Carol

Carol — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:55:41 +0000

All I know is that in “Papa Married a Mormon”, Brigham Young told Mormons to leave silver mines alone completely. I’m interested to know how close to history that book is.

By: Frank Pellett

Frank Pellett — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:35:48 +0000

I’m no scholar on BY (or even moderatly well read on him), but the practice being described, quietly buying up perspective mining areas so noone catches on to the wealth they could be sitting on, seems dishonest. I could hope BY would call them on that. The rationale of using the money to pay for their homes seems like trying to come up with some excuse for their “throw[ing] coldness upon the mining interests of this Territory and kept it back until [they] have secured the greater part of all the good land” Doesn’t the BoM have some warnings on prospecting?

By: E. Wallace

E. Wallace — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:02:38 +0000

I guess that BY told them continue their ad hoc silver-gathering. I’m also guessing he suggested some way to turn big game hunting into a money making enterprise, though I have no idea what it might be.

(I enjoyed the letter writer’s down-home wisdom about calf births.)

By: Farm

Farm — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:53:03 +0000

Tell them to cultivate and plant and seek to build up the kingdom and not dig in the earth for riches. Put their labor where it will deliver a secure return and not speculate on finding treasures in the ground only to discover after much labor they have nothing to show for their efforts in the hour of their need. Hunting would be much the same. Rather than put in hard work, which requires constant industry, hunters (or miners) would rather go off and waste their time away in the forest without building up any communities and instead just try to live off the land seeking after their own pleasure.

By: Rameumptom

Rameumptom — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:44:06 +0000

I’m thinking Brother Brigham would tell them to go ahead and mine the amount they need for practical and pragmatic purposes. I do not think he would want them to leave their farms indefinitely to mine and make themselves rich, as that would be the worst curse that could befall the Saints.

His advice on hunting wild animals would also be in the same vein: hunt what you need, but don’t kill just for the sake of killing.

By: SteveR

SteveR — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:42:48 +0000

The sculptor Cyrus Dallin’s father went to Brigham Young and explained that he wasn’t a Mormon, but he had married a Mormon woman and wanted a letter giving him permission to prospect for ore in Utah’s canyons so that he could support his family. Brigham gave him a letter that said he could look for ore anywhere in the Territory with Brigham’s blessing, but any Mormon who assisted him in any way would be disfellowshipped from the Church.

I saw a letter at the Archives where someone had sent President Young a sample of galena from somewhere in central Utah, wondering if it had silver in it, and Brigham told him that all it contained was lead (which is hard to believe).

Though I suspect you’re really going to surprise us, Ardis, Brigham probably discouraged mining, and probably also hunting.