CHAPTER
6
STATEHOOD AND NATIONALIZATION,
T,
1890-1901
he completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869 at Promontory Summit and the discovery of minerals both in the territory and in Utah County brought new immigrants to the area. By 1890 Utah had one of the smallest percentages of Mormons in its history. The county mirrored this development, with a growing cosm o p o l i t a n p o p u l a t i o n as a result of mining, railroads, and industrialization. Increasing numbers of non-Mormons changed the complexion of local government. Two political parties—the People's party, composed primarily of Mormons, and the Liberal party, composed chiefly of n o n - M o r m o n s and dissenters from the LDS church—were organized in the early 1870s. From 1870 until the early 1890s the Liberal party played an increasingly significant role in Utah County's political environment, seeking a diminished role for the LDS church in political and economic arenas. Although they were a distinct numerical minority in the county, party members believed the pervasive influence of the church stifled integration with the national political-economic system. Economic and social developments in the late 1880s and early 107
