Hawaiian Latter-day Saints faced discrimination in Salt Lake and moved to the desert in Iosepa.

Hundreds of Hawaiian saints left paradise and built a thriving village in one of Utah's most desolate valleys. Today, if you drive out to Skull Valley, Utah, you'll see a harsh desert surrounded by brown mountains. It's hard to imagine that this lonely and desolate place was once home to a remarkable Hawaiian community. In the late 1800s, native Hawaiian converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began gathering to Zion.

Many settled in Salt Lake City. They came hoping to build a new life among fellow saints. Instead, many faced prejudice and discrimination. Newspapers spread stereotypes about Pacific Islanders. Finding work was often difficult. And in 1889, several Native Hawaiians were denied United States citizenship because courts ruled they belonged to a race that was ineligible for naturalization under federal law.

So, the Hawaiian Saints looked for a new beginning. Church leaders established a settlement for them deep in Skull Valley, which is 75 mi southwest of Salt Lake City. They named it Eioeppa, the Hawaiian form of Joseph, named after Joseph F. Smith, who served as a missionary in the Hawaiian Islands. These saints had left some of the most beautiful islands in the world. They traded tropical beaches for dust, sagebrush, and isolation.

Yet, they refused to give up. They built homes, planted crops, and raised families. And against all odds, they transformed a barren desert into a thriving community. But they didn't do it alone. According to oral histories preserved by members of the Skull Valley Goushoot community, the Hawaiian saints and the Goushoot tribe helped one another survive in the valley. The goshoot shared knowledge of the land and traditional medicine and Hawaiian women served as midwives and cared for goshoot women during childbirth.

One goshoot descendant said that without the help of women from Eioeppa during a difficult childirth, much of his family might not exist today. For nearly three decades, the Hawaiian Saints made Eioeppa their home. When a temple was announced in Hawaii, many families chose to return to the islands they had left behind. Little by little, Eioeppa was abandoned. And today, only ruins and a cemetery remain.

But every Memorial Day weekend, descendants and Polynesians gather at Eioeppa. They clean the graves, share food, tell stories through crafts, song, and dance. And included among the many Polynesian cultural dancers are members of the Gou tribe. They all honor the faith of the Hawaiian pioneers who left paradise, built Zion in the desert, and created a legacy that still lives on today.