Mormon colonizers were sent out throughout the desert West in the later parts of the 19^th century seeking to expand the world of Deseret.  First, they developed arable lands in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona, but also a group ventured further south into northern Chihuahua State.  Here, some of the valleys and places where enough water existed, they founded a total of ten Mormon colonies over time.  Two survive today, though one of those is becoming engulfed by the growth of nearby Nuevas Casas Grandes.