Mormon, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints
Prior to World War I, the largest group of American settlers that came to Alberta were the Mormons or Latter-day Saints (LDS) from Utah. The Mormon people who came to Canada’s west not only wanted land to build houses and churches on, but the freedom to practice their religion without being bothered by the government. The Mormon religion was having problems with the government of the United States because they practiced something called “polygamy”. This means that a man could have more than one wife at a time. In 1887, Church leader Charles Okra Card took advantage of Canada's settlement policy to relocate to Alberta. This decision resulted in the establishment of Cardston, the first permanent LDS settlement in Canada, and the building of the first Mormon temple built outside of the United States.
After the Mormon Church officially gave up the practice of polygamy in 1890, LDS immigration to Alberta became more accepted and increased. Cardston continued to grow and other new LDS communities like Stirling and Magrath were also founded.
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