Deseret (Book of Mormon)
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Deseret is a term originally derived from the Book of Mormon, a scripture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church) and other Latter Day Saint groups. According to the Book of Mormon, "deseret" meant "honeybee" in the language of the Jaredites, a group believed by Mormons to have been led to the Americas during the time of the construction of the Tower of Babel (see Ether 2:3).
Deseret was proposed as a name for the U.S. state of Utah. Brigham Young—governor of Utah Territory from 1850 to 1858 and President of the LDS Church from 1847 to 1877—favored the name as a symbol of industry. Young thought his followers should be productive and self-sufficient, a trait he had perceived in honeybees.[1] The LDS-organized territory petitioned for statehood as the State of Deseret in 1849-1850, but the petition was rejected by the U.S. Congress because of the vast size of the relatively unpopulated area that was controlled exclusively by the Church. Later attempts at statehood used the federally-recognized Utah Territory name instead, which was derived from the resident Ute Indians meaning "People of the Mountains".[2][3]
Some vestiges of the name survive. For example, the state symbol of Utah is a beehive; this emblem is represented on both the state seal, state flag, and marker shields for state highways. The state nickname is the "Beehive State" and the honeybee is Utah's official state insect.[4] The state of Deseret is on a commemorative block located on the 220 foot landing of the Washington Monument; it reads "Holiness to the Lord. Deseret."
[edit] Other Uses
Various businesses and organizations use "Deseret" or "Beehive" as part of their name, particularly those that have connections to the LDS Church. Prominent examples include:
- Deseret Morning News, Utah's second-largest daily newspaper. The newspaper was established when the area was called Deseret Territory
- Deseret Book, the nation's largest LDS bookstore chain
- Deseret First Credit Union, formerly known as the LDS Church Employees Credit Union
- Deseret Industries, a Utah-based thrift store
- Deseret Ranch in Florida - currently the largest cattle ranch in the United States
