The arrival of the railroad in Mormon territory in 1869 initiated ripples of change in Mormon culture far beyond the relative ease with which newcomers – both convert Saints and crusading Gentiles – could reach Zion.

One of those unforeseen ripples gradually transformed education among the Saints: The railroad changed the economy, bringing previously unavailable manufacturing equipment and finished goods to Utah and greatly increasing the need for more highly skilled workers who needed more education than the sporadic, poorly equipped district (public) schools could provide.

The railroads also brought Protestant missionaries who quickly realized that the Achilles heel to Mormonism wasn’t with the adults, but with the children: Continue reading Fielding Academy Catalog: LDS Education, 1902-03 →