Abstract

Historians have used a variety of touchstones to describe the Mormon experience—polygamy, communal associations, and corporatization among others—but none has provided a long-term, large-scale interpretation of LDS leisure and recreation. This project focuses on the period from 1890 to 1940 and describes the most significant changes that occurred in Mormon recreation practices and ideology. Following the contours of recreation thought in progressive America, leaders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints employed recreation as a tool to socialize adolescents into the faith. Concerned with the problems posed by rapid urbanization and industrialization, Mormons attempted to ameliorate the problems of the city by inculcating morals and values through sports and recreation programs.