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Thomas Kane. So much of the Utah state capital has Mormon religious symbology that it's hard to distinguish the state and church government. In fact, the streets in Salt Lake City are numbered based on their distance from the Mormon Temple, not the state capital, which is a little bizarre (and numbering based on Temple distances is common throughout Utah) but this makes some sense because the state capital moved there relatively late in the game, after the roads were already numbered. However, when you read signs like the one describing this guy in the state capital, you have to wonder about any pretense of separation of church and state. "Brigadier General Thomas L. Kane. The immortal friend of Utah and its people. Following the days of their severest persecutions in the winter of 1846-7, when the Mormon pioneers, driven from their beloved city of Naovoo, Illinois by mob violence, were scattered across the frozen plains of Iowa, there came into their midst a young man, Thomas L Kane, a Native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who expressed a desire to assist them in their suffering. Through the Christian and economic benefactions of Thomas I Kane and his father Judge John K Kane, United States District Judge of Philadelphia, the War Department at Washington DC was directed by President James K Polk to accept the enlistment of the Mormon Battalion of 500 men in the war with Mexico who under the command of Lt Col P St George Cooke marched to California, built Fort Moore at Los Angeles, and aided in establishing American sovereignty in southern California. The Government money paid the battalion members was used to feed and clothe the destitute Mormons in Iowa and this, with their indomitable faith and perseverance, enabled them to make their migration to the Salt Lake Valley in July, 1847. Later, on January 24, 1848, while several mustered-out Mormon Battalion soldiers were digging a mill race at Sutters Mill on the American River near Sacramento California, gold was discovered which resulted in the California Gold Rush of 1849 which brought statehood to California in 1850." |