<P> The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints ( LDS Church ) , also known as Latter - day Saints , who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah . At the time of the ceasefire and planning of the exodus in 1846 , the territory was owned by the Republic of Mexico , which soon after went to war with the United States over the annexation of Texas . Salt Lake Valley became American territory as a result of this war . </P>
where did the members of the mormon church eventually settle
the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah