Iosepa: Hawaiians In Utah

I was browsing an archaeology magazine when I came upon an article about Native Hawaiians who settled in Utah.

In the mid-1800s, Mormons went to Hawaii (and other Polynesian islands) to convert the locals. They were somewhat successful and some of the converts wanted to join the Mormons in their Utah homeland. By 1889, about 75 Hawaiians were in Utah. These neophytes were the target of curiosity and discrimination. A reservation was set aside at Skull Valley in Utah, about 75 miles southwest of SLC, for the Hawaiians. The community was named Iosepa after Joseph Smith.

The harsh desert environment and disease equaled failure. By 1917, Iosepa was a ghost town.

CKY