In the late nineteenth century, thirty thousand Mormons from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland immigrated to Utah, dissatisfied with conditions in their homelands. As their countrymen were farming rich fields in other parts of the United States, Scandinavian Mormons were making their way to Salt Lake City. Homeward to Zion tracks this movement from northern Europe to the western desert, examining the Mormon recruiting efforts in Scandinavia as well as the arduous journey across the Great Plains. Mulder draws extensively from personal narratives of these immigrants to relate their pioneering experience and their role in the history of Scandinavian migration and of the settlement of the American West.

"By defining personal letters as a vernacular genre, Attebery provides a model for discerning immigrants' shared culture in correspondence collections. By studying their words, she brings to life small Swedish communities throughout the Rocky Mountain region."--BOOK JACKET.

A comprehensive look at the Norwegian-language press, celebrating the tireless writers, editors, and publishers whose efforts helped guide Norwegian immigrants on their path to becoming Norwegian Americans