Following his release, he eventually made his way to Kirtland, Ohio, where he was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints[4][5] in 1842.

Upon arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, Belnap was sent to settle in Fort Buenaventura built by Miles Goodyear in Weber County, Utah.

In early 1868, Belnap moved part of his family to western Weber County to the newly forming community of Hooper, where he was appointed the first "presiding elder" and later as bishop.

It is said that Belnap desired to move his family out of Ogden to avoid the corrupting "gentile" influences that were arriving with the coming of the Transcontinental Railroad.

In fact, his 40-acre homesite on the east banks of the Weber River in Ogden had been selected as the rail yards of "Junction City."

On 8 March 1869, he sat on the reviewing stand with other dignitaries of Weber County for an historic celebration as the tracks and first Union Pacific Railroad engine steamed into Ogden.

Gilbert Belnap's descendants have distinguished themselves in a wide variety of fields, including medicine, law, finance, business, religion, sports, politics, music, and education.