Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, and Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces and Their Paradoxical Sense of Place
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-2018 Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, and Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces and Their Paradoxical Sense of Place Anthony Ross Garner Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons, and the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Garner, Anthony Ross, "Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, and Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces and Their Paradoxical Sense of Place" (2018). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7077. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7077 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SELF-RELIANCE, SOCIAL WELFARE, AND SACRED LANDSCAPES: MORMON AGRICULTURAL SPACES AND THEIR PARADOXICAL SENSE OF PLACE by Anthony Ross Garner A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in American Studies Approved: ______________________ ____________________ Joyce Kinkead, Ph.D. Lisa Gabbert, Ph.D. Major Professor Committee Member ______________________ ____________________ Jennifer Reeve, Ph.D. Mark R. McLellan, Ph.D. Committee Member Vice President for Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2018 ii Copyright © Ross Garner 2018 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, and Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces and Their Paradoxical Sense of Place by Anthony Ross Garner, Master of Arts Utah State University, 2018 Major Professor: Dr. Joyce Kinkead Department: English Fundamental to the American agrarian tradition is the belief in the land’s ability to endow those who work the land with desirable social virtues—independence and self- reliance being the most important. Endorsed by some of America’s most influential thinkers, independence and self-reliance permeate America’s agricultural history and are embedded in its language and landscapes. To assess the impact of these agrarian virtues on American agricultural spaces, this thesis examines the history and modern practices of a subsidiary institution of American culture: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through historical and ethnographic research of the Church’s industrial welfare farms and family garden spaces, this thesis examines how the LDS Church has embraced independence and self-reliance as motivating ideals for its agricultural projects. This study demonstrates that while Mormonism has consistently emphasized principles of self- reliance in its religious teachings and agricultural endeavors, its independent tone is iv complicated by religious ideals of social welfare. These somewhat paradoxical values are further complicated by adaptations the Church has undergone institutionally and culturally during an era of industrialization and urbanization. The combined effects of self-reliance, social welfare, and modernization have necessarily imbued Mormon agricultural landscapes with a paradoxical sense of place defined not only by explicit values of independence and selfless service, but by complex economic interdependencies, social isolations, and spiritual connections as well. (239 pages) v PUBLIC ABSTRACT Self-Reliance, Social Welfare, and Sacred Landscapes: Mormon Agricultural Spaces and Their Paradoxical Sense of Place Anthony Ross Garner What is the sense of place of Mormon agricultural landscapes? That is to say, what makes an LDS Church-owned welfare farm or a Mormon family garden meaningful to those who interact with it? In formulating a partial answer to this question, this thesis demonstrates how religious ideals of self-reliance and social welfare explicitly define Mormon agricultural landscapes, providing a sacred sense of their purpose to those who work and benefit from them. However, these sacred landscapes are complicated by developments of industrial agricultural equipment, corporate institutions, and urban demographics, which tend to isolate people from each other and the land they live from while developing in them a false sense of independence and sustainability. The LDS Church and its membership have learned to mitigate these negative implications to a degree, though I suggest doctrinal reasons they could do better. As case studies, this thesis examines the motives and methods of an industrially scaled Church welfare farm in Blue Creek, Utah and a Mormon family garden in Bluffdale, Utah. Contextualized within relevant American and Mormon history, I explore the paradoxical sense of place of Mormon agricultural landscapes where ideals of self- reliance and social welfare thrive and social isolation and emotional interconnection coexist, which makes room for principles of economic efficiency and environmental conservation to find a compromise. vi To Mom and Dad vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Like adolescence, writing a master’s thesis can be an exciting, awkward, and sometimes painful experience: exciting in its intellectual discoveries; awkward in its initial expressions of ideas; and painful in the recognition of that awkwardness. And just as a teenager needs a complex network of family, friends, neighbors, and teachers, to survive puberty, a scholar similarly benefits from an encouraging community while he or she discovers his or her niche in academia. For patiently coaching me through my somewhat clumsy intellectual years, I thank Dr. Joyce Kinkead who offered meaningful feedback on each draft, and whose farm literature course set the tone and direction of my thesis. I am also grateful to Dr. Lisa Gabbert for introducing me to place studies through her graduate seminar on folklore and the experience in ethnographic research that entailed. Dr. Jennifer Reeve’s agricultural expertise was also invaluable to me as a humanities student, whose technical knowledge and extensive reading list informed my research. Beyond my academic mentors are the employees of Blue Creek Utah Crops whose cooperation through interviews and site visits provided the bulk of my primary sources. Thanks to Cary Sanders, Rod Montierth, Craig Hawks, Greg Grant, Clint Grant, and Clair Zollinger for their time and thoughtful answers to my questions. Also, a special “thanks” goes to my parents, David and Christy Garner, and older siblings, Richie Garner and Makenna James. Their thoughts and memories on gardening in the Mormon tradition form the reminder of my primary sources and constitute many hours of fond nostalgia. I am also in debt to Utah State University’s administrative staff in the English department and the Cache Valley Historical Society (CVHS). Dr. Christine Cooper- viii Rompato, Director of Graduate Studies; Lori Hyde; Carol Hatch; and Candi Checketts all helped me in the filing and refiling of necessary paper work and CVHS encouraged me with timely funding and sincere interest in my scholarship. Finally, my wife, Amanda Garner, deserves more gratitude than I can express for her persistent optimism and encouragement. I turned to Amanda many times throughout the writing process frustrated and depressed and she inspired me as only she could. My one regret is all those hours I spent absorbed in my work could have been better spent with her. Ross Garner ix CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii PUBLIC ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER I. AMERICAN AGRARIANISM, MORMONISM, AND PLACE MAKING .............. 9 II. SOCIAL WELFARE AND SELF-RELIANCE: EVOLVING IDEALS OF MORMON AGRARIANISM ....................................................................................... 26 III. ISOLATION AND INTERCONNECTION: CORPORATE PARADOX AT THE BLUE CREEK FARM ......................................................................................... 48 IV. SELF-RELIANCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE: URBAN PARADOX AT THE GARNER FAMILY GARDEN ........................................................................... 74 V. THE FARM AND GARDEN’S FUTURES: TOWARDS AN INSPIRED LAND ETHIC………………………………………………………………………..107 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 118 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 123 A. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS................................................................................... 124 B. BLUE CREEK WELFARE CROPS INTERVIEWS ............................................. 126 C. GARNER FAMILY GARDEN INTERVIEWS .................................................... 174 x LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 “Plat of the City of Zion, circa Early June-25 June 1833” ...........................29 2 General Area of Blue Creek Utah Crops Welfare Farm ...............................49 3 "Big Field" Welcome Sign to Blue Creek's Main Yard ................................52 4 USDA Map of Blue Creek ............................................................................53