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CHAPTER VI CONCLUSION The b ro a d c o n c e rn of t h i s s t u d y was t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e n a t u r e o f n i n e t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Mormon f o l k h o u s in g i n t h e F a r West M o rm o n -se ttle d a r e a . was b a s e d on th e a s s u ra p tio The r a t i o n a l e f o r t h e s t u d y t h a t Mormon p e o p le , who were g a t h e r e d from a wide d i v e r s t y o f c u l t u r a l b a c k g ro u n d s, were a s s i m i l a t e d u n d e r th e o r a t i c r u l e and f r o n t i e r c o n d i­ t i o n s , and t h e d e g re e o f t h a t a s s i m i l a t i o n i s e v i d e n t in t h e u n i f o r m i t y o f c e r t a i n c u l t u r a l la n d s c a p e f e a t u r e s . Some la n d s c a p e f e a t u r e s such as th e v i l l a g e s t r e e t - a n d - f i e l d p a t t e r n s became common b e c a u s e o f Church p o l i c y o r d i r e c t p ro m o tio n by Church l e a d e r s , b u t f o l k h o u s in g form s were n e v e r p r e s c r i b e d o r c o n s c i o u s l y prom oted by o f f i c i a l d o m . The d e p th o f c u l t u r a l a s s i m i l a t i o n and ho m ogeneity can be b e t t e r a p p r e c i a t e d by an a n a l y s i s o f f o l k h o u s in g , f o r t h e p e r p e t u a t i o n of s t a n d a r d h o u s in g ty p e s a p p e a r s due more t o an u n c o n s c io u s a c c e p ta n c e a t t h e " g r a s s r o o t s " l e v e l o f Mormon s o c i e t y th a n t o d i r e c t p o l i c i e s s e t by Church h i e r ­ arch y . The Mormon c u l t u r e e v o lv e d from humble b e g in n in g s i n t h e e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y r e l i g i o u s e n v iro n m e n t o f w e s te r n New York and a t f i r s t c o m p rised o n ly p e o p le s who s h a r e d a s e t o f v a l u e s common t o th e New England f r o n t i e r o f 1830. But a s t h e c u l t u r e c o n t i n u a l l y g a t h e r e d more and more c o n v e r t s 228 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.