LP+ZCMI+and+other+co-ops

**Standard 4.** Students will understand the diverse ways people make a living in Utah.
 * Objective 1.** Explore the components of Utah's economy.
 * Indicator c.** Research important segments of the local economy.


 * Lesson: ZCMI and other Co-ops **


 * Vocabulary:**
 * Co-op
 * Mercantile


 * Essential Questions:**
 * What is a cooperative and how do they function?
 * Why were co-ops created and how did they change the way business was conducted in Utah?
 * What is the lasting effect of co-ops in Utah?


 * Instructional Activities:**
 * Discuss the economic and political (including religious) environment that resulted in the first ZCMI, and how the name, Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution, reflected that niche.
 * Competition and animosity between Mormon and non-Mormon residents resulted in price-gouging and lower margins on goods shipped in.
 * The coming of the railroad was bound to exacerbate the situation, and Brigham Young wanted to encourage the cohesiveness of the Mormons against outside influences that would come with the railroad.
 * Mormon businessmen could get better deals by combining orders for imports.
 * It was important that money generated in the state, and particularly cash, not leave the local economy as miners or other settlers moved out of the area.
 * Shoppers could find a variety of goods in the same place and at consistent prices.
 * Have the students analyze some examples of advertising from that time period. You can find digital copies of papers through uen.org. I stumbled upon Deseret News [|Feb 8, 1871] and [|March 2, 1870]as excellent examples.
 * What kinds of goods is ZCMI offering?
 * Which advertisements are for local stores, and which are for stores back east?
 * Why would Chicago and New York merchants advertise in Utah papers?
 * How are the various ads similar or different from advertising today?
 * Why are the ZCMI ads in the //Deseret News// and not in some other papers, like the //Salt Lake Tribune//?[[image:SF_coop.jpg width="418" height="329" align="right" caption="Source: Utah State Historical Society, Used by Permission"]]
 * [|Fred Holabird has an article] that lists all of the known local co-ops. If one existed in or near your community, it might be interesting to research it, or have some ambitious students research it. At least knowing where it was located would be of interest.
 * Cooperatives continue to operate in Utah, though they may not appear much different than other businesses in town. The last paragraph of [|this article] lists cooperatives that operate in Utah today. If you live near any of these institutions, particularly if you are in a rural area served by a telephone or power cooperative, you should discuss how the cooperative business model continues to impact producers and consumers in your area today.


 * Assessment:**
 * Test question where students will need to be able to identify a co-op.


 * Teacher Materials / Resources:**
 * __The Utah Journey__, pages 176-178
 * []
 * []
 * []
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 * Printed off ads from Utah newspapers.


 * Local Co-ops: There is a list of local co-ops and scant information in [|this resource].


 * Student Materials / Resources:**
 * Note-taking materials.