LDS-Owned Property and Prostitution in Nineteenth-Century Salt Lake City
The history of prostitution in nineteenth-century Salt Lake City remains one of the more controversial aspects of early Mormon Utah. Discussions of the topic are often polarized. Critics sometimes claim that Mormon leaders openly supported prostitution, while defenders frequently dismiss concerns altogether. The historical record supports neither extreme. Instead, the evidence reveals a more complex reality: prostitution existed openly in Salt Lake City, a significant red-light district developed within the city, and some church-owned or church-controlled commercial properties were leased to tenants operating within that district.¹ ² The historical record demonstrates that prostitution existed openly in Salt Lake City, that a substantial red-light district developed within the city, and that some church-owned or church-controlled commercial properties were leased to tenants operating within that district.¹ ² The evidence does not support the claim that prostitution was an official doct...