Year

1847

2 sourced events from this year.

Events

1847 Timeline

All Years

1847

Culture 19th Century North Americahigh

Brigham Young Leads Pioneers into Salt Lake Valley

After Joseph Smith's murder in 1844, Brigham Young guided thousands of Latter-day Saints westward from Nauvoo, Illinois, seeking a remote homeland free from persecution. An advance company of 148 pioneers, including three women and two children, traveled more than 1,300 miles across plains and mountains. Most reached the valley by July 22, but Young, slowed by mountain fever, entered on July 24 in Wilford Woodruff's carriage. Surveying the arid landscape around the Great Salt Lake, he reportedly affirmed it as the right place for settlement. The group immediately began plowing fields, diverting water from City Creek, and laying out plans for what became Salt Lake City. Within years, irrigation transformed the desert into productive farmland supporting rapid growth.

Why it matters: The arrival established a permanent Mormon presence in the American West and initiated large-scale irrigation agriculture that sustained the region's development. It created the foundation for Utah's statehood and cultural identity, with July 24 still observed as Pioneer Day in Utah and surrounding states.

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

1847

Politics 19th Century Sub-Saharan Africahigh

Liberia Declares Independence from American Colonization Society

By the mid-19th century, the American Colonization Society had resettled thousands of freed African Americans and their descendants in West Africa to escape U.S. racial oppression. The colony of Liberia, established south of Sierra Leone, grew under settler governance amid tensions with indigenous populations. On July 26, 1847, the settlers issued a Declaration of Independence and adopted a constitution modeled on the U.S. document, proclaiming the Republic of Liberia. Joseph Jenkins Roberts was elected the first president the following year. Britain quickly recognized the new nation, though the United States delayed formal diplomatic ties until 1862 due to domestic politics. This made Liberia the first modern republic in Africa founded by formerly enslaved people.

Why it matters: Liberia's independence marked Africa's first sovereign republic in the modern era and provided a model for self-governance by people of African descent. It influenced later Pan-African ideas and survived as an independent state through the colonial period, though it later faced civil conflict.

Event Detail