Life — December 27, 1900 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Historic Bits: The Migration of the Latter Day Saints This satirical cartoon depicts the westward movement of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons) during the 19th century. The illustration shows a large procession traveling across the landscape—wagons, people on foot, livestock, and covered tents—moving from left to right across the page. The satire likely mocks the religious migration itself, which was a contentious subject in American popular culture. The Mormons faced significant opposition and were driven westward multiple times, eventually settling in Utah. The detailed, crowded composition humorously portrays the scale and chaos of their journey, treating a serious religious and historical event as comedic spectacle for Life magazine's readers, who generally held skeptical or hostile views toward Mormonism.