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What did Sir Richard Burton observe during his 1860 trip to Salt Lake City?
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Sir Richard Burton
Richard Burton, c. 1880.
During his 1860 trip to Salt Lake City, Sir Richard Burton documented his observations in the volume City of the Saints (1861). In this work, he provided a sophisticated analysis of the Mormon church and composed a vivid portrait of its leader, Brigham Young. Furthermore, Burton maintained a dispassionate perspective regarding the Mormon practice of polygamy, a subject that was causing significant outrage among the American public at the time.1