How many of the approximately 500 settlements founded in the West by Mormon Pioneers failed?
ANSWER
Some 69 of the 497 communities founded in the West By Mormon colonists from 1847-1900 have been abandoned. The highest rate for failure came with those founded from 1870-79, many in the arid Colorado Plateau. However, most of the settlements that were abandoned had little population and therefore had little impact on the overall effort. Some of the colonies abandoned by Mormon settlers, such as San Bernardino, Calif., Las Vegas, Nev., and Mormon Station, Nev., were later occupied by others.
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Source: Historical Atlas of Mormonism, "Abandoned Settlements in the West," by Lynn A. Rosenvall, pp114.