the mormons settled in the salt lake valley, which at that time was used as a buffer zone between the shoshones and the utes, who were at war. upon arriving in the salt lake valley, the mormons developed and cultivated the arid terrain to make it more hospitable. they created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches and schools. access to water was crucial. almost immediately, brigham young sent out scouting parties to identify and claim additional community sites. while it was difficult to find large areas in the great basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed in all directions. church members eventually headed south into present-day arizona and mexico, west into california, north into idaho and canada, and east into wyoming, settling many communities in those areas. as they encountered local populations, they occupied their land, killed resisters and called on the federal government to remove them from their homes. mormons believed that god had given the land to them and were prepared to kill the native americans in order to take possession of their lands.