To get away from persecution they were facing and to get away from the people who were killing them just for being Mormon as well as other various hardships they were facing because of their faith.
The Mormons went west because people in New York and Illinois did not like them and did not let them practice plural marriages. There were some serious problems of violence against Mormons.
Mormon Trail to Utah
The Mormon pioneers took the Mormon Pioneer Trail to Utah.
Although the first Mormons to travel the trail were leaving Nauvoo, Illinois, the actual start of the trail is officially in Iowa. From there it passes through Nebraska and Wyoming before ending in Utah.
Most Mormons followed the Mormon Trail, which was roughly the same as the Oregon trail until the Mormon trail split off to Utah in Wyoming. Some Mormon pioneers took a boat around South America, docked in California, and travelled to Utah through Nevada.
Obviously it's because the Mormons traveled the trail.
The Mormon Trail ended in Salt Lake City, Utah. From there, many Mormons were sent to colonize towns all over the west, while others stayed in the city.
The Mormons were kicked out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, so they formed the Mormon trail and traveled to Utah in search of a place where they could practice their religion in peace.
Mormons travelled the Mormon trail to Utah in wagon trains from 1845 to 1869. In 1869 the transcontinental railroad was completed and many Mormons going to Utah began taking the train.
Early Mormons had a few small settlements in Iowa and the Mormon Trail went through Iowa en route to Utah.
Mormon trail is the path the member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons, took to reach the Salt Lake Valley in Utah State in the mid 19th century. It is 1300 miles long and it connects Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Mormon trail was taken by a religious group commmonly called the Mormons. They were fleeing religious persecution in the eastern united states and walked to Utah - the path they took is often called the Mormon trail. The Mormon battalion trail is different. The government drafted a couple thousand Mormons to fight in the Mexican American war. The battalion trail is the trail they walked from Utah down through Arizona and into san Diego. They basically just walked there, they never saw a battle or fired a shot. They were allowed to return home around 3 years later.
Brigham Young lead the first group of Mormon pioneers along the Mormon Trail to Utah in 1846-47. Subsequent groups came over the next 25 years lead by various experienced trail guides. The Mormon Trail followed a similar route to the Oregon Trail until Wyoming, when it went south to Utah rather than north to Oregon.