The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds 718 - Brigham Young - Part Four
Jan 27, 2026
A wild historical deep dive into Brigham Young’s household, businesses, and political power in 19th century Utah. They cover polygamy, underage and pressured marriages, and the mechanics of church-controlled property and labor. Tense federal confrontations, the Utah War, supply raids, and the Mountain Meadows atrocity get examined. The wrap touches on wealth, legal battles, and Young’s institutional legacy.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Centralized Church Power And Property
- Brigham Young centralized religious, political, and economic power to control Mormon life and property.
- He used consecration and church trusteeship to put vast assets under his name and the church's control.
Marriage Control As Social Leverage
- Young positioned himself as sole arbiter of marriages, divorces, and polygamous consent within the community.
- That control shaped family life, reduced women's agency, and funneled social power upward to church leaders.
Handcart Scheme And Migrant Debt
- Brigham created a transport company and lent handcarts to migrants, charging them and expecting labor to repay debts.
- Many migrants died on the journeys and settlers often entered indentured servitude to the church.
