The earth will appear as the Garden of Eden : essays on Mormon environmental history

Although scholars have increasingly investigated the impact of religion and religious movements on nature, studies of the interactions between Mormons and the natural environment are few. This volume applies the perspectives of environmental history to Mormonism, providing both a scholarly introduction to Mormon environmental history and a spur for historians to consider the role of nature in the Mormon past. Since Joseph Smith's revelations, Mormons have interacted with nature in significant ways—whether perceiving it as a place to find God, uncorrupted spaces in which to build communities to usher in the Second Coming, wildness needing domestication and control, or a world brimming with natural resources to ensure economic well-being. The essays in this volume—written by leading scholars in both environmental history and Mormon history—explore how nature has influenced Mormon beliefs and how these beliefs inform Mormons' encounters with nature. Introducing overarching environmental ideas, contributors examine specific aspects of nature and Mormon theology to glean new insights into the Mormon experience. Introduction: The promise and challenge of Mormon environmental history /by Jedediah S. Rogers and Matthew C. Godfrey --History, nature, and Mormon historiography /by Jedediah S. Rogers --The Lion of the Lord and the land : Brigham Young's environmental ethic /by Sara Dant --Lost memory and environmentalism : Mormons on the Wasatch front, 1847-1930 --/by Thomas G. Alexander --The natural world and the establishment of Zion, 1831-1833 /by Matthew C. Godfrey --We seldom find either garden, cow, or pig : encountering environments in urban England and the American West /by Brett D Dowdle --Mapping Deseret : vernacular Mormon mapmaking and spiritual geography in the American West /by Richard Francaviglia --American Zion : Mormon culture and the creation of a national park /by Betsy Gaines Quammen --Before the boom : Mormons, livestock, and stewardship /by Jeff Nichols --The people cannot conquer the river : Mormons and water in the arid Southwest, 1865-1938 /by Brian Frehner --There are millions of acres in our state : Mormon agrarianism and the environmental limits of expansion /by Brian Q. Cannon --The prophet said to plant a garden : Spencer W. Kimball and the transformation of the Mormon agrarian tradition /by Nathan N. Waite --For the strength of the hills : casting a concrete Zion /by Rebecca Andersen --Epilogue: On the moral lessons of Mormon environmental history /by George B. Handley --Appendix: Righteous dominion and compassion for the earth /by Marcus B. Nash