After the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844, the majority of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called "Mormons") followed Brigham Young westward in search of peace and freedom. They arrived in the Great Basin area of Mexico in 1847, which was soon annexed into the United States and eventualy became the state of Utah in 1896. Today, about 10% of the world's 15 million Mormons live in Utah.
Well, he didn't find Utah, it was already there and he knew how to get there. He didn't found Utah either - the area was called Territory of Deseret until after Brigham's death. Utah became a state in 1896, but Brigham Young died in 1877. Brigham Young moved to the area because the Mormons had been kicked out of their homes in Missouri and Illinois. Joseph Smith had previously said that they would find peace in the Rocky Mountains, so Brigham lead the people there.
The Great Basin area, near the Great Salt Lake. What is now Salt Lake City, Utah.
They moved out west to both follow directions given to Brigham Young by Joseph Smith and to avoid persecution long enough to get established and settled in an area.
Brigham Young proposed a state called "Deseret", which included all of Utah and parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona. He often refered to the area as Deseret or Zion.
The Mormons (LDS) under Brigham Young, to get away from the control of the US Federal government and set up their own independent country of "Deseret".
The original state proposed was called Deseret. It covered a much larger area than the modern state of Utah.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the "Mormon" church) believe that God lead the pioneers to safety in Utah. Each of the hundreds of wagon or handcart groups that came was lead by an experienced trail guide. The first group to arrive in Salt Lake City was lead by Brigham Young, who acted as President of the Church after the murder of Joseph Smith. He had received a vision of the Salt Lake valley, so he knew the right place when he saw it.
The Mormon Trail
The area of Young State Park is 2,278,380.1658112 square meters.
Utah was first settled in a large scale by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Hence, their mere survival in the area contributed tremendously to the development and Americanization of the territory. Moreover, under Brigham Young, the second President of the Church, Church members established a government in the territory, with Young as the first governor.
Utah was founded by Mormon Pioneers. They first arrived in the area in 1847, when it was part of Mexico. At the time they were led by Brigham Young. That being said Native Americans "founded" Utah long before.