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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A human d w e l l i n g i s more t h a n a s h e l t e r ; i t i s a p h y s ic a l e x p re ssio n of c u l t u r a l t r a d i t i o n s . I n i t s form and s t r u c t u r a l d e t a i l s a d w e l l i n g p r e s e r v e s econom ic and t e c h ­ n o l o g i c c o n d i t i o n s , b u i l d i n g p r a c t i c e s , and c l u e s t o s o c i a l s t a t u s , m o res, c u s to m s , v a l u e s v and m y th s. The h o u s e , when s y s te m a tic a ll y s tu d ie d , y ie ld s v a lu a b le i n s i g h t s i n t o th e p r o c e s s e s and p a t t e r n s o f human s e t t l e m e n t . T hu s, no geo­ g r a p h i c a l t r e a t i s e on t h e s e t t l e m e n t o f any c u l t u r e i s c o m p le te w i t h o u t an i n - d e p t h lo o k a t i t s h o u s in g . F olk h o u s in g s t u d i e s ( i n c l u d i n g d w e l l i n g s , b a r n s , and o u t b u i l d ­ i n g s ) may be u s e d t o e s t a b l i s h t h e g e o g r a p h i c a l o r i g i n o f a c u l t u r e , t o d e m a r c a te c u l t u r a l r e g i o n s , t o i n d i c a t e t h e r o u t e s o r a r e a s o f c u l t u r a l m i g r a t i o n and d i f f u s i o n , a n d , e s p e c i a l l y i n te r m s o f t h e Mormon e x p e r i e n c e , t o d e m o n s tr a te t h e d e g r e e o f c u l t u r a l h o m o g e n eity and a s s i m i l a t i o n w i t h i n t h e M o rm o n -s e ttle d F a r W est. I n 1847 t h e Mormons p l a n t e d t h e n u c le u s o f what e v e n t u a l l y became a h i g h l y d i s t i n c t i v e r o g i o n i n t h e G r e a t B a s in a r e a o f t h e W est. E s s e n ti a lly a refu g ee p o p u la tio n , t h e Mormons were u n i t e d by p e r s e c u t i o n , by f a i t h i n a Z i o n i s t t h e o l o g y , and by s t r o n g c h a r i s m a t i c l e a d e r s h i p , and were co n­ t i n u a l l y s t r e n g t h e n e d i n numbers by a s t e a d y i n f l u x o f new c o n v erts. The g o a l o f t h e Mormon movement u n d e r t h e p o w e rfu l and p r a c t i c a l l e a d e r s h i p o f Brigham Young was t o e s t a b l i s h 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.