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Show Mormon landscape becomes more explainable. If we turn the "order produces order" thesis around to become "order condones [a degree of] disorder," then we have made a meaningful step toward a better understanding of nineteenth century life in Mormon Utah. During the Kingdom Building phase of Mormon western settlement (roughly the years j:)-e-twe-ert 1847-1890), the social world of Mormonism was firmly anchored in the church and its institutions. This rigid structure gave the Saints not only a sense of stability and order, but also a type of corporate identity. As long as the group maintained a degree of physical isolation and the cultural boundaries separating Mormons from non-Mormons existed outside the Kingdom, oneness within the community could be largely expressed in corporate terms--in the town settlement form and in the building of temples--rather than in housing uniformity. This study is an attempt to explain how and why diversity of folk architectural design occurred in nineteenth century Utah, but in doing so, it becomes a vehicle for uncovering something of the complex social structure which was Zion. In spirit, I have followed Dean May's keen observation that "in detailed studies of life in Mormon villages of the past one has a rare opportunity to discern and analyze the processes that contributed to the building and perpetuation of a distinctive subculture. 1131 The opportunity is there, but only if we recognize the town's inherent power to influence the direction and outcome of such inquiry. To study town life we must ignore the town as an explanation form and look instead for actual evidence of that life. Domestic architecture, as an observable product of real human action, offers perhaps the best chance for success in such an endeavor. One of the recurring problems in studying such things as Mormon 13 |
