“Each One Was Going to Put the Hand to the Plow and Sow the Precious Gospel Seed”: Early Latter-day Saint Missionary Work in North Dakota

Abstract:During the “Dakota Boom” of frontier settlement in the late nineteenth century, the Latter-day Saint faith community first sought to extend its message and establish roots in the northern Great Plains through a short-term religious mission. North Dakota at this time was experiencing the “Dakota Boom,” characterized by significant immigration and establishment of new communities. Multiple religious movements sought to establish roots in the area during this influx of settlers. Among these, the Latter-day Saint faith sent its first missionary representatives into North Dakota in the summer of 1898. The four assigned Latter-day Saint missionaries spent two months becoming familiar with the region, engaging government and religious leaders, and sharing their distinctive religious message with local citizens in the Red River Valley region. This religious venture was marked by individual faith and commitment, a mixed reception among North Dakota settlers and leaders, and encounters with the hardships of this region. Despite such difficulties, this little-known historical venture served as a catalyst for later outreach efforts that firmly established the Latter-day Saints in the religious mosaic of the northern Great Plains.