Idaho
In 1855, Church President Brigham Young asked 26 early members of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to settle among the
Native Americans on the Salmon River. They established Fort Lemhi
in June 1855, and left in 1858 after problems with the natives.
Latter-day Saint settlers came to the Franklin area in 1860. They
dug canals in the winter snows to be ready for summer irrigation.
Franklin is Idaho's oldest permanent settlement. Other members
colonized in Bear Lake Valley and in south central Idaho.
Construction of the Utah Northern Railroad line brought settlement
in the upper Snake River Valley in 1879. Church members taught
agriculture, preached the gospel, and shared supplies with the
Native Americans. A prominent chief, Shoshone Chief Washakie, was
baptized during the early colonization efforts.
When Idaho was given
statehood in 1890, Latter-day Saints comprised about one-fifth of
the state's population. A few Church Presidents have been natives
of Idaho: Presidents Harold B. Lee, Ezra Taft Benson, and Howard W.
Hunter. Ricks Academy, founded in
1888, later became a junior college that was renamed Ricks College.
In 2001 the school became a four-year university and was renamed
Brigham Young University-Idaho.
450,347
Total Church Membership
4
Missions
1,126
Congregations
70
Family History Centers
5
Temples
United States
Organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) occurred 6 April 1830, in Fayette, New York, with 50 people and six official members present. Ten years prior to the organization, the new Church President, Joseph Smith, received a vision and further instructions from God to restore God's Church on earth. In one year (1830-31) membership increased to more than 100.
Kirtland, Ohio served as the organizational headquarters of the infant Church from 1831 until 1838. Membership grew from a handful of members to well over 2,000 before persecution and the financial upheaval of the times forced the Mormons to move on to western settlements in Missouri and Illinois. With the assassination of Joseph Smith in 1844 and increasing pressure on the Mormons to abandon Nauvoo, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi, it became obvious to Church leaders that they would need to move.
In 1846 the Saints established a refuge in what was called Winter Quarters, near present-day Omaha, Nebraska. In July of that year, the United States was involved in the Mexican-American War. While the pioneers were in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a request came from President James K. Polk for volunteers to march to Fort Leavenworth (present-day Kansas) and then to California on a one-year U.S. Army enlistment.
About 500 men enlisted in the Mormon Battalion, and about 80 women and children traveled with them. They began their journey in the sweltering heat of Council Bluffs, Iowa, on 20 July 1846, leaving their loved ones behind. The battalion completed one of the longest infantry marches in American history — about 2,000 miles (3,220 km) through what are now seven states and into Mexico. The Mormon Battalion carved out a vital road for wagons through the American Southwest.
In January 1847, Brigham Young received a revelation about “the Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeyings to the West” (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 136). When the first company of Latter-day Saint pioneers began to journey westward, they did not know their end destination. But on 24 July 1847, when the wagons rolled out of the canyon into the Salt Lake Valley, their destination became apparent. "It is enough," Church President Brigham Young said as he viewed the valley below. "This is the right place. Drive on." At least 236 pioneer companies of approximately 60,000 pioneers crossed the plains for Utah. With time, they transformed the desert valley into the bustling and prosperous Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City is home to the Church's worldwide headquarters. The Church has expanded throughout each of the United States. More than six million Latter-day Saints are spread throughout nearly 14,000 congregations.
6,641,886
Total Church Membership
125
Missions
2,164
Family History Centers
14,225
Congregations
81
Temples
North America
9,253,590
Total Church Membership
192
Missions
2,866
Family History Centers
18,159
Congregations
109
Temples
South America
4,038,045
Total Church Membership
94
Missions
979
Family History Centers
5,545
Congregations
17
Temples
Europe
516,003
Total Church Membership
43
Missions
710
Family History Centers
1,422
Congregations
12
Temples
Asia
1,155,764
Total Church Membership
42
Missions
333
Family History Centers
1,973
Congregations
8
Temples
Oceania (Pacific)
552,825
Total Church Membership
18
Missions
338
Family History Centers
1,251
Congregations
10
Temples
Africa
578,310
Total Church Membership
31
Missions
285
Family History Centers
2,004
Congregations
3
Temples
Worldwide Statistics
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has issued the following report concerning the growth and status of the Church:

Growth of the Church
16,118,169
Total Church Membership
188
Published Languages
30,506
Congregations
Missionary Program
67,049
Missionaries
421
Missions
15
Missionary Training Centers
Humanitarian Services
189
Countries Receiving Humanitarian Aid (Since 1985)
10,238
Welfare Services Missionaries (Incl. Humanitarian Service Missionaries)
Temples
159
Temples
Education
4
Universities & Colleges
404,270
Seminary Students Enrollment
357,760
Institute Student Enrollment
Genealogy
5,100
Family History Centers
140
Countries with Family History Centers