The State of Deseret, and the Deseret Alphabet
In 1849 the new settlers (most of whom were LDS) proposed to the United States that they form a new state- the State of Deseret. Deseret is a word from the Book of Mormon (the LDS scripture) relating to a beehive. See below for the proposed boundaries for the state. The proposal was denied, and it would take almost 50 more years before statehood would be granted.
Next, we are going to do a fun activity! After the pioneers arrived, they began using a different written language than anyone else on earth, called the Deseret Alphabet. It is a phonetic alphabet, meaning that each character in the alphabet makes a specific noise that is used to compose words. We're going to practice translating the Deseret Alphabet!
Look at the pages below. The first is the translating key that you will use to find what each character sounds like. Then on the second page you will find two examples of the Deseret Alphabet you will use to practice translating.
Deseret Alphabet Key.pdfDeseret Alphabet pg1.pdfDeseret Alphabet pg2.pdfFor the answer key of what is said, click here