The Mormon Battalion Historic Site is a

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...

Old Town, San Diego Old Town is a neighborhood in San Diego, California. It contains and is bounded by Interstate 8 on the north, Interstate 5 on the west, Mission Hills on the east and south. It is the oldest settled area in San Diego and is the site of the f ...

, California, built in honor of the members of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) who served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

's Mormon Battalion during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

of 1846–1848. The battalion was stationed in Old Town in 1847, during which they participated in many civic improvement projects.

History

The original visitors' center was dedicated by church president

Harold B. Lee Harold Bingham Lee (March 28, 1899 – December 26, 1973) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the List of presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 11th President of the Church (LDS Church), president o ...

on November 3, 1972, and opened to the public on November 6. In June 2008, the center was closed, and a new center, constructed with some existing elements, was built on the footprint of the original. The new center was opened to the public on January 30, 2010 and dedicated by church

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

Jeffrey R. Holland on March 26, 2010.

The Mormon Battalion

In 1846, in response to a call for midwesterners to bolster the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War, a group composed largely of Mormons formed the Mormon Battalion. In July of that year, 496 men, 36 women and 43 children left

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The population was 62,799 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, te ...

, to assist the war efforts in California. The ensuing six-month, 2,000 mile journey was one of the longest marches in U.S. history. 27 of the group members died due to illness and accidents. Most of the remaining women and children stayed in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...

. 335 men and four women continued on to San Diego, under the command of Lt. Philip St. George Cooke. The battalion arrived in San Diego on January 29, 1847. By this time, fighting had ended. Left without their original purpose, the members of the battalion instead found work in helping to secure San Diego. They engaged in such pursuits as building a bakery, digging wells, blacksmithing, cart repair, whitewashing existing buildings, and brickmaking. They also built the first fired-brick structure in San Diego on the town plaza, facing San Diego Avenue. The building was originally designed to be a town hall, and it later became the first courthouse in San Diego.

References

External links

Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego
Official site
Mormon Battalion Historic Site
Ensign Peak Foundation Mormon Battalion Buildings and structures in San Diego Properties of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California {{LDS-stub

History

The Mormon Battalion

See also

References

Further reading

External links