Latter-Day Saint Church - LDS
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints aka Mormon features uniform traditional family-centered religious worship at many located in the area. Special programs include women's relief society, youth groups, scouting, welfare services, family history centers, sports and cultural events, and daily religious study groups (seminary and institute). The LDS Church is the third largest religious denomination in America (coming behind Catholics and Protestants).

California has more members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (over 750,000) and Temples than any state except Utah, attending almost 1400 congregations statewide.

Latter-day Saints (Mormons) have played important roles in California History. For example, a group of a few hundred Mormon converts from the Northeastern United States and Europe arrived at what would become San Francisco in the 1840s aboard the ship Brooklyn, more than doubling the population of the small town. A group of Mormons also established the city of San Bernardino in Southern California in 1851.

The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in American military history, serving from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of about 500 Latter-day Saint men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular army officers. The battalion eventually made a grueling march from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California. While in California they engaged in public works projects, road-building, local security and also help to discover gold at Sutter's Mill.

Special Programs
See the Stake Meetinghouse Directory below to find out more about their special activity programs. There are always missionaries available every Sunday morning to answer your questions at each church location.
Youth Activities - Weekly activity night, scouts, campouts, summer camps and more for youths 8-18.
Socials and Dances - Weekend socials, dances, firesides and more for youth and young single adults (YSA) ages 14 and up.
Sports - Most LDS churchs have indoor basketball or volleyball recreation court that are used for informal and league games and practices on a weekly basis.
Seminary - Gospel doctrine classes held during the week - includes both Seminary and Institute classes for ages 14 and up.
Homemaking Class - Monthly seminar for young homemakers.
Family History Research - Research your family tree and learn about prominent ancestors in your past. Most LDS Churchs have direct access to the world's largest family history library.



LDS California Family Support Groups
LDS Homeschooling in California -



California LDS in the News & Blogs
California Latter-day Saints and Propositions 8 - FairMormon.org - This article provides information about the Church's involvement with the passage of the Proposition and its aftermath. There have been more than 40 states that have put in place protections of marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Latter-day Commentary - California LDS Blog

Retail Outlets - LDS Themed
Missionary Depot - Orange CA - One-stop shopping for anyone who just got their mission call.
Be Ready Inc - Oceanside CA - Wide range of disaster preparedness kits and seminar presentation for any church, business, school, club, etc. Also carry's boy scout and LDS church supplies.

LDS Adventures by Region

Antelope Valley * Bakersfield * Central Coast * Contra Costa * Fresno * Humboldt * Imperial Valley * Inland Empire * Lake Tahoe * Long Beach * Los Angeles * Marin Co * Marysville * Mendocino * Merced * Modesto * Mojave Desert * Monterey Bay * Mount Shasta * Napa Valley * North SD * Oakland * Orange Co * Oroville * Palm Springs * Plumas * Sacramento * San Diego * San Fernando * San Francisco * San Gabriel * San Jose * San Mateo * Santa Barbara * Sonoma Co * Stockton * Ventura * Visalia

LDS Arts & Culture - California
Check the calendar for special Christmas, easter and summer series performances.

Mormon Battalion Visitors Center -
Old Town San Diego
Church operated museum commerating the 1847 completion of the longest infantry march in US History, over 2000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego. The Mormon Battalion consisted of five companies that totaled over 500 men. Multimedia presentations, historic artifacts including authentic muskets, cannon, and fine artwork.
Mormon Battalion Commemoration [4th Sat of Jan] - Annual Military Parade and Dutch Oven Bakeoff in San Diego Old Town State Park - Children's crafts and games, pioneer music, living history reenactments, wagon rides.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park recreates life in the Mexican and early American periods of 1821 to 1872. Five original adobes are part of the complex, which includes shops, restaurants and a museum. La Casa de Estudillo is a mansion built around a garden courtyard. This park covers a six block area (bounded by Wallace, Juan, Twiggs and Congress sts) re-creating the founding of the first European settlement in California. Presidio Park (located closeby) is the site of California's first mission and military fortress (1769).

Mormon Battalion Visitors Center - Old Town San Diego
Church operated museum commerating the 1847 completion of the longest infantry march in US History, over 2000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego. The Mormon Battalion consisted of five companies that totaled over 500 men. Multimedia presentations, historic artifacts and paintings.

Mormon Battalion River Crossing Monument
West Wetlands Park, Yuma AZ.

Fort Moore Pioneer Monument
Hill Street - Chinatown - Los Angeles, CA. -
Site of Fort built and manned by Mormon Battalion 1847 during occupation of Los Angeles in the Mexican-American War.

Los Angeles California Stake
In January 1923 under the supervision of Pres. Heber J Grant, The Los Angeles Stake was the first LDS stake organized outside of the Intermountain region and the also the first urban stake created outside of Salt Lake City.
Adams Ward - 1st LDS Ward created in California (1923) - still meets in its landmark building on Manhattan Place featuring LDS themed stained glass windows.

Heritage Farms Oak Glen
Mormon Pioneer Trek Reenactment
Several Working Living History Farms and Apple Orchards are located near scenic Oak Glen, high in the hills above Yucaipa. The farms grows apples, blackberries, cherries, pumpkins and raspberries. Several homesteads host a wide range of living history festivals and themed dinner shows from the civil war, colonial era, pioneer era and other great legends.

Family Search - Genealogical Resources for California
Researching your Early Family History in California - try these resources:
California Genealogy - Collections of Early California cemetary records, obituaries, mission stories, 49 pioneer stories and more.
California History Project - County Genealogy Groups and Early Newspapers
California Pioneer List - a list of settlers to California who migrated to or were born in California prior to 1880
California Historical Society - early pioneer history
California State Library - Official State History Collections.
Cindy's List - Directory of California Family History Sites

Family Search - Google Books
Researching your Early Family History in California - try Google Books:

Church History for LDS Families Quality Bound Family Night Edition Valetta - Shadow Mountain Press; The beautifully illustrated book is designed for anyone wanting to understand more clearly the history of the Church and its ties to the Doctrine and Covenants. The format – with word helps, illustrations, photos, maps, explanations, and brief commentaries – will be familiar to all who d the perennial bestseller Book of Mormon for LDS Families New Testament for LDS Families Old Testament for LDS Families Beautiful Hardcover Bookcraft Edition includes large print, multiple illustrations, commentaries and explanations.

California Saints A 150 Year Legacy in the Golden State From aiding in the early development of San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento to the ministry of Howard W Hunter as the first President of the LDS Church from California, Cowan and Homer share with us California's rich LDS history.

Gold Rush Saints California Mormons And the Great Rush for Riches Owens & Bagley - University of Oklahoma Press; From 1846 to 1857 Mormons played a crucial role in shaping events in California and the West. They were the first American settlers of San Francisco, and without them, John Sutter might not have built his sawmill and thus discovered gold in 1848. In Gold Rush Saints, Kenneth N. Owens combines narrative history and documentary accounts to reveal a hidden wealth of California and Mormon history. The first-person accounts of pioneer Mormons, both men and women, offer new perspectives on myths and realities of gold rush California.

La Jolla Hyatt Regency One Block from San Diego Mormon Temple The Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine is San Diego's landmark destination and a Mobil 4-Star and AAA 4-Diamond Award winner.