The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California

Image:Duncan MacFarlane - The ship 'Brooklyn' off Skerries Rock.jpg

File:Samuel Brannan.jpg

A Mormon immigrant company, under direction of Samuel Brannan, departed on the ship Brooklyn from New York on February 4, 1846 en route to the Great Salt Lake Valley via California. The group under the direction of Brannan navigated around Cape Horn and arrived at Yerba Buena on July 31, 1846. The company of around 230 people were the first known Latter-day Saints to set foot in California. Their numbers nearly tripled the population of the small town of Yerba Buena, later renamed San Francisco. While there, Brannan and other church members began publication of one of California's first English-language newspapers, the California Star, in October 1846.{{cite book | last = Warner | first = Ted J. | contribution = California, Pioneer Settlements in | contribution-url = http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/EoM/id/5574 | pages = 246–248 | editor-last = Ludlow | editor-first = Daniel H | editor-link = Daniel H. Ludlow | year = 1992 | title = Encyclopedia of Mormonism | title-link = Encyclopedia of Mormonism | location = New York | publisher = Macmillan Publishing | isbn = 0-02-879602-0 | oclc = 24502140 }} One of the Brooklyn saints, Angeline Lovett, set up a school in the old Franciscan Dolores Mission, the first English-language school in California.[http://smithinstitute.byu.edu/shop/pdfsrc/43.4Hansen.pdf "Every Book . . . Has Been Read Through"]{{dead link|date=January 2014}}. The Brooklyn Saints and Harper's Family Library. Lorin K. Hansen.

During the early autumn of 1846, Brannan led 20 men to the San Joaquin Valley where they founded a Mormon farming village named New Hope Colony. It soon failed as heavy seasonal storms flooded the valley, destroying their crops. Most of the Brooklyn saints left California for Salt Lake City in 1848.

File:Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial, Downtown Los Angeles.JPG, Los Angeles]]

In January 1847, the Mormon Battalion arrived in San Diego. Battalion members helped construct a number of building and public works in San Diego. They then traveled to Los Angeles where they built a fort and raised the first American flag in California. Six discharged battalion members were at Sutter's Mill in northern California when gold was discovered there on January 24, 1848. On their way, they carved an emigrant road that would be used by thousands of westward bound travelers including the gold rush "Forty-Niners."

[http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist2/gold.html The Discovery of Gold in California], John Sutter, Hutchings' California Magazine, November 1857: The Mormons did not like to leave my mill unfinished, but they got the gold fever like everybody else. After they had made their piles they left for the Great Salt Lake. So long as these people have been employed by me they hav[sic] behaved very well, and were industrious and faithful laborers, and when settling their accounts there was not one of them who was not contented and satisfied.

In February 1856, George Q. Cannon began publication in San Francisco of the Western Standard, a weekly periodical supportive of the church.{{cite book|last = Jenson| first = Andrew| title = Encyclopedic History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints| publisher = Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints| year = 1941}}

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[[File:SanBernardino-Mormonrelic-1865.jpg|thumb|250px|right|

April 1865 sketch of the ruins of the Mormon Elders residence in San Bernardino, California.]]

:Main: History of San Bernardino, California: Mormon San Bernardino

The first colonization from Utah to California came in 1851 when a company of about 450 saints and enslaved people under direction of Amasa M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles settled at what is now San Bernardino. The colony was the final settlement in a string of Mormon communities extending {{convert|800|mi|km}} from Salt Lake City in an area known as Deseret. The community thrived, and on July 6, 1851, the San Bernardino Stake, California's first, was organized. The colony was dissolved by the church at the advance of Johnston's Army toward Salt Lake City in 1857. Brigham Young instructed the settlers to return to Utah to colonize. About 1,400 (fewer than half) returned to Utah at the request of the church. The San Bernardino Stake was dissolved in 1857 as well as the ecclesiastical units within the stake.

Image:Wilshire Ward Chapel.jpg, Los Angeles]]

The Los Angeles Branch was created on March 21, 1895."[http://www.mission.net/california/los-angeles/page.php?pg_id=5174 History of the California Los Angeles Mission]" In 1896, the Northern California and Southern California conferences were organized. The Sacramento Conference was added in 1898."[http://blog.saclds.com/category/church-history/ The Church in California]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}". SacLDS.com (blog). November 3, 2005 Most missionary work around the turn of the century took place in larger population centers.

On January 21, 1923, the Los Angeles Stake became the first to be created in the state since the San Bernardino Stake had been dissolved. The Los Angeles Stake was divided on May 22, 1927 to form the Los Angeles and Hollywood stakes. On July 10, 1927, the San Francisco Stake was established.Deseret Morning News 2008 Church Almanac. p 196

On February 18, 1939, 1,400 people visited the church's exhibit at the opening day of the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco. This exhibit was a visitors' center portraying a reduced-size Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Eight more stakes were created in the 1930s, five in the 1940s, and 30 in the 1950s. The completion of the Los Angeles and Oakland temples soon followed.

In 1980, church president Spencer W. Kimball spoke to members in the Los Angeles area in the Rose Bowl, with an estimated 75,000 in attendance.Robert A. Rees, [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1980/08/news-of-the-church/record-number-at-southern-california-area-conference?lang=eng "Record Number at Southern California Area Conference"], Ensign, August 1980, pp. 72–74.

At the beginning of the year 2000, California had 17 missions, more than any other state in the United States. In the state's major cities, many minority converts were taught and baptized in their native language. With a significant immigration to California from Latin America, five Spanish-speaking stakes have been organized. Various Asian and Polynesian wards function as well, and a Tongan stake was created in San Francisco in 1992. There are currently more than 200 ethnic wards and branches in California.[http://maps.lds.org/ LDS Meetinghouse Locator - displays location of wards of with various languages]

Church president Gordon B. Hinckley attended the rededication of the historic Hollywood (now Los Angeles California) Stake Center on June 8, 2003.{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2003-06-14/unique-building-restored-rededicated-23745 |title= Unique building restored, rededicated: President Hinckley invokes blessing at Los Angeles California Stake Center |newspaper= Church News |first= Lincoln |last= Hubbard |date= June 14, 2003 }}

File:Mormon Battalion.JPG]]

In July 1996, the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the ship Brooklyn was celebrated through reenactment of the event on a replica ship that sailed into the San Francisco Bay. Church members throughout the state commemorated the anniversary with observances that included an exhibit at the San Francisco Maritime Museum,{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1996-07-06/exhibit-honors-lds-settlers-in-california-10709 |title= Exhibit honors LDS settlers in California |newspaper= Church News |date= July 6, 1996 |first= Ana |last= Gabriel }} performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the Davies Symphony Hall,{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1996-08-03/opening-the-golden-gate-with-music-tabernacle-choir-performs-in-honor-of-pioneer-voyage-10420 |title= Opening the 'Golden Gate' with music: Tabernacle Choir performs in honor of pioneer voyage |newspaper= Church News |date= August 3, 1996 |first= Gerry |last= Avant }} dedications of plaques honoring the early settlers, and pioneer activities and parades.{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1996-08-03/1846-seafaring-pioneers-honored-in-activities-in-rustic-mission-setting-10710 |title= 1846 seafaring pioneers honored in activities in rustic mission setting |newspaper= Church News |date= August 3, 1996 |first= Ana |last= Gabriel }}

In addition to commemorating the arrival of early Latter-day Saint settlers, as well as contributions to the development of the state, members throughout California donated many hours of service in community projects sponsored by wards and stakes, including gathering supplies and food for the needy; cleaning parks, beaches and roadways; painting and repairing homeless shelters, and cleaning up graffiti.{{cite web |last1=Awad |first1=Shareen |title=How Did The Mormon Church Establish A Presence in the Inland Empire? |url=https://www.kvcrnews.org/local-history/2019-02-26/how-did-the-mormon-church-establish-a-presence-in-the-inland-empire |website=KVCR |publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=23 March 2023 |date=February 26, 2019 |quote=Back in 1996, I started California Community Work Day. All over the state we gave 150,000 hours of service that day in remembrance of the pioneers.}}

On January 18, 1997, 2,400 church members re-enacted the arrival of the Mormon Battalion in California 150 years earlier. Other Mormon Battalion celebrations along the coast followed on respective anniversaries. On March 6, 1997, Hinckley spoke to a record audience of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council,{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1997-03-15/church-keeps-faith-with-pioneers-12359 |title= Church keeps faith with pioneers |newspaper= Church News |date= March 15, 1997 |first= John L. |last= Hart }} and on March 19, he addressed the World Forum of Silicon Valley.{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/1997-03-29/global-reach-of-latter-day-saints-12738 |title= Global reach of Latter-day Saints |newspaper= Church News |date= March 29, 1997 }} He also spoke at various church events during the year. A church-produced video depicting the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill was donated to the state of California to be shown continuously at Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma.

Membership growth has slowed in California since 1991 and began to decrease starting in the 2010s.

In times of disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, and floods, church members in California have donated countless hours of service, helping communities to recover.

In 1997, members in San Diego donated some 40-50 tons of food to eight community agencies for the homeless and needy.{{cite news |last1=Price |first1=Sidney |title=LDS gather, donate 40-50 tons of food |url=https://www.thechurchnews.com/1997/12/27/23251281/lds-gather-donate-40-50-tons-of-food |access-date=23 March 2023 |work=Church News |date=December 26, 1997}}

In May 2003, hundreds of Los Angeles-area Muslims and members of the Pasadena California Stake joined in preparing emergency supplies for Iraqi families. With conflicts of the war with Iraq completed, a humanitarian aid day was set for May 10, 2003, where hygiene kits for some 10,000 families were completed and added to a $650,000 shipment of medical supplies and blankets donated by the church.{{Cite news |url= https://www.thechurchnews.com/archive/2003-05-17/hygiene-kits-to-help-10-000-iraqi-families-23600 |title= Hygiene kits to help 10,000 Iraqi families: Will supplement LDS shipment of medical supplies, blankets |first= Sonja Eddings |last= Brown |newspaper= Church News |date= May 17, 2003 }}

Church members in the state have also taken leadership roles in moral issues, such as combating pornography and have cooperated with other congregations of various interfaith endeavors. Members have been active in other moral issues including abortion, gambling, drug and alcohol abuse, and marriage.[https://web.archive.org/web/20071223082200/http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/public-issues Public Issues]. LDS Newsroom. LDS stance on public and moral issues

File:Church of Jesus Christ.JPG

File:Latter-day Saints - Palm Desert, California.jpg

List of LDS Church adherents in each county as of 2010 according to the Association of Religion Data Archives:{{cite web|url=https://www.thearda.com/RCMS2010/selectCountyA.asp|title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report|publisher=Thearda.com|access-date=February 5, 2022}} Note: Each county adherent count reflects meetinghouse location of congregation and not by location of residence. Census count reflects location of residence which may skew percent of population in locations where adherents reside in a different county as their congregational meetinghouse.

As of February 2025, California had the following Stakes:

{{notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=outside|Stake located outside California with congregation(s) meeting in California}}

}}

The California Mission was opened on July 31, 1846 with Samuel Brannan as president. It was discontinued in 1858 due to the Utah War, but later reopened in 1892 with Luther Dalton, who began missionary labors in San Francisco and Oakland. In 1894, Karl G. Maeser relocated to California to direct the Utah exhibit in the state's mid-winter fair and to serve as president of the California Mission.

;Notes

• {{note label|Note1|a|a}} California Anaheim Mission - The California South Mission was renamed the California Anaheim Mission on June 20, 1974.
• {{note label|Note2|b|b}} California Arcadia Mission - On June 20, 1974, the California East Mission was renamed California Arcadia Mission.
• {{note label|Note3|c|c}} California Los Angeles Mission - The California Mission was renamed the California Los Angeles Mission on June 20, 1974.
• {{note label|Note3|d|d}} California Newport Beach Mission - The California Irvine Mission was realigned and renamed the California Newport Beach Mission on July 1, 2019.
• {{note label|Note4|e|e}} California Oakland Mission - On June 20, 1974, the California Central Mission was renamed California Oakland Mission. On July 1, 2009, it was renamed the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission after consolidation with the California San Francisco Mission.
• {{note label|Note6|f|f}} California San Francisco Mission - On July 1, 1997, the California San Francisco Mission was created. On July 1, 2009, it was consolidated into the California Oakland Mission. The resulting mission was named the California Oakland/San Francisco Mission.
• {{note label|Note5|g|g}} California Sacramento Mission - On January 2, 1942, the Northern California Mission was organized. It was renamed to the California North mission on July 15, 1966, and ultimately renamed the California Sacramento Mission on June 20, 1974.
• {{note label|Note5|h|h}} The California San Bernardino Mission was named the California Redlands Mission for much of the 2010s.

In addition to these missions, much of the area East of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California is located in the Nevada Reno Mission.

California currently has 8 temples in operation and 2 additional temples announced and 2 under construction.

{{Portal|LDS Church}}

• Religion in California
• Mormon Corridor
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints membership statistics (United States)

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite book

|editor= David F. Boone

|editor-link= David F. Boone

|editor2=Robert C. Freeman

|editor2-link=Robert C. Freeman

|editor3=Andrew H. Hedges |editor3-link=Andrew H. Hedges |editor4=Richard Neitzel Holzapfel |editor4-link=Richard Neitzel Holzapfel | title = Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: California

| year = 1998

| location = Provo, Utah

| publisher = Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University

| isbn = 0-8425-2395-2

| url = http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/u?/rsc,13033

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Bagley

| first = Will

| author-link = Will Bagley

| title = 'Everything is Favorable! And God Is On Our Side': Samuel Brannan and the Conquest of California

| journal = Journal of Mormon History

| volume = 23

| issue = 2

| date = Fall 1997

| pages = 185–209

| url = http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/mormonhistory/vol23/iss2/1/

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Baldridge

| first = Kenneth W.

| year = 1990

| title = California Mormons: Yerba Buena, New Hope, and Modesto, 1846-1954

| location = Turlock, California

| publisher = Marietta Pub. Co.

| isbn = 0934153094

}} Based on the author's {{Cite thesis

| year = 1956

| title = A History of the Mormon Settlement of Central California, with Emphasis on New Hope and San Francisco, 1846-1857, and Modesto, 1920-1954

| publisher = College of the Pacific

| type = M.A. thesis

| oclc = 5914081

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Carmack

| first = John K.

| author-link = John K. Carmack

| title = California Provided the Answer

| journal = Journal of Mormon History

| volume = 35

| issue = 2

| date = Spring 2009

| pages = 27–42

| url = http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/mormonhistory/vol35/iss2/1/

}}

• {{cite book

| last1 = Cowan

| first1 = Richard O.

| author-link = Richard O. Cowan

| last2 = Homer

| first2 = William E.

| title = California Saints: A 150-Year Legacy in the Golden State

| year = 1996

| location = Provo, Utah

| publisher = Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

| isbn = 1-5700-8200-6

| url = http://rsc.byu.edu/out-print/california-saints-150-year-legacy-golden-state

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Holland

| first = S. Dennis

| year = 1997

| title = Sierra Saints: a brief history of the Mormons in western El Dorado County, 1847-1997

| location = Placerville, California

| publisher = S.D. Holland Pub

| isbn = 0965990400

| oclc = 39281684

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Lyman

| first = Edward Leo

| year = 2008

| chapter = The Rise and Decline of Mormon San Bernardino

| pages = 51–73

| editor1 = Neilson, Reid L.

| editor2 = Maffly-Kipp, Laurie F.|editor2-link=Laurie Maffly-Kipp

| title = Proclamation to the People: Nineteenth-century Mormonism and the Pacific Basin Frontier

| location = Salt Lake City

| publisher = University of Utah Press

| isbn = 9780874809183

}}

• {{Cite thesis

| last = Orton

| first = Chad M.

| year = 1989

| title = Saints in the Secular City: A History of the Los Angeles Stake

| publisher = Brigham Young University

| type = M.A. thesis

| url = http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5002/

}} Based on the author's {{Cite book

| year = 1987

| title = More Faith Than Fear: The Los Angeles Stake Story

| location = Salt Lake City

| publisher = Bookcraft

| isbn = 0884946460

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Owens

| first = Kenneth N.

| year = 2004

| title = Gold Rush Saints: California Mormons and the Great Rush for Riches

| location = Spokane, WA

| publisher = Arthur H. Clark Co.

| series = Kingdom in the West

| volume = 7

| isbn = 0870623362

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Patton

| first = Annaleone Davis

| year = 1961

| title = California Mormons by Sail and Trail

| location = Salt Lake City

| publisher = Deseret Book

| oclc = 1891920

}}

{{Refend}}

• [https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/california Newsroom Facts and Statistics (California)]
• [https://www.comeuntochrist.org/ ComeUntoChrist.org] Latter-day Saints Visitor site
• [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/?lang=eng The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] Official site

{{LDS-US-States}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in California}}

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints