The church of jesus christ of latter day saints made a distressing discovery while restoring a monument to the victims of the 1857 mountain meadows massacre in southwest utah. Sep 16, 2015 the first trial was dissolved and the suspects released. The mountain meadows massacre was a taboo subject among mormons for many years, a terrible tragedy best left forgotten. The bakerfancher group totalled around 140 members of an extended family or families. This book was the first to seriously attempt an honest investigation of the massacre, unflinchingly seeking the truth. On september 11th, 1857, a group of migrants travelling from arkansas to their new home in california, were massacred in a valley in utah known as mountain meadows, ostensibly by a group of paiute indians following a siege lasting several days. The mountain meadows massacre was caused in part by events relating to the utah war may 1857 july 1858, an armed confrontation in utah territory between the united states army and mormon settlers. On the fancher partys way through utah, rumors spread that some of its. Massacre at mountain meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the. Lee, the only militiaman executed, was effectively a scapegoat. To understand properly the mountain meadows massacre, one must know something of the stormy history of the mormon church. The now almost forgotten mountain meadows massacre was their work.
The mountain meadows massacre 1950 by juanita brooks was the first definitive study of the mountain meadows massacre. She writes, the church leaders decided to sacrifice lee. The mountain meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the bakerfancher emigrant. In the fall of 1857, some 120 californiabound emigrants were killed in lonely mountain meadows in southern utah. Mountain meadows massacre mormonism, the mormon church. See more ideas about oregon trail, history and mountains. The mountain meadows massacre site in washington county, utah, marks the location of the september 11, 1857, massacre of 120 emigrants by militiamen associated with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book is a step by step, day to day eye witness of the slaughter of over 100 human beings, men, women, and children in wagons, searching for a new life searching for a new land, troubled by hundreds of cattle they brought to the west side of the united states, being taxed for grazing rights and then innocently slaughtered. The men on the ground after the bloody deed took an oath that they would never mention the event again, either in public or in private. The mountain meadows massacre was a mass slaughter of the fancherbaker emigrant wagon train at mountain meadows, utah territory, by a local mormon militia and members of the paiute indian tribe on september 11, 1857. Leonard was also the director of the museum of church history and art in salt lake city, utah. The book faithfully and surprisingly recount the story of the mountain meadow massacre. Roberts wrote about it in the early 1900s and juanita brooks, a mormon writer, gave the event a very thorough treatment through a book published in 1962, which the church never endorsed nor. A narrative of his personal experience fifth book of the.
The controversy over the mountain meadows massacre is emblematic of the mormons difficulty in dealing with the complexities of their own past. From july to september 1857, mormon leaders prepared. I was amazed to see the event took place on 9111857. The ancient paths 7th interview with lds historian sandra tanner on the mountain meadows massacre duration. The aftermath of mountain meadows the massacre almost brought the united states to war against the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, but only one man was brought to trial. Message of the president of the united states, communicating, in compliance with a resolution of the senate, information in relation to the massacre at mountain meadows, and other massacres in utah territory. Jul 03, 2008 for many years the mountain meadows massacre was a taboo subject among mormons. Mountain meadows massacre page 2 legends of america. This was after investigators obtained the confession of philip klingensmith, a mormon bishop at the time of the massacre and a private in the utah militia. Committed by a force of mormon militia and southern piute indians, the tragedy has remained a topic of curiosity and controversy as mormons and historians struggle to understand the event, and. The mountain meadows massacre was the first work to fully document mormon involvement in the massacre. The mountain meadows massacre of 1857 and the trials of. Massacre at mountain meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the massacre ever written. The attacks began on september 7 and culminated on september 11, 1857, resulting in the mass slaughter of most in the emigrant party by members of the utah territorial militia from the iron county district, together with some southern paiute native americans.
More than 120 men, women, and children perished in the slaughter. The route followed by the fancher party from carroll county, arkansas, to the mountain meadows massacre site in southwestern utah. Prattill feeling against the emigrants alleged outragestheir arrival at mountain meadowsthey are attacked by indiansa flag or truceplan of the massacre surrender of the emigrantsthe butcheryburial of the slainthe survivors. Jun 25, 2009 using new archival research, walker, turley, and leonard strive to accurately represent the historical context surrounding the mountain meadows massacre.
The mountain meadows massacre of 1857 and the trials of john. This was the book that first got me interested in the mountain meadow massacre, what i called the 911 of 19th century. The trail from mountain meadows to san bernardino was the salt lakelos angeles wagon road, which coincided with the old spanish trail. After reading michael richan on the event in one of his river books i had to read the true story on the event. Drawn from documents previously not available to scholars and a careful rereading of traditional sources, this gripping narrative offers fascinating new insight into why mormons settlers in isolated southern utah deceived the emigrant party. Mountain meadows massacre memorial veyo, utah atlas obscura. Juanita brooks, a mormon, gave the incident its first thorough treatment in decades with her book the mountain meadows massacre in 1962. Army, and cavalry arrived at mountain meadows with orders to bury the bones of the massacre s victims. This ditch was a defensive trench dug by the emigrants to protect themselves from their attackers. This, in some ways, is just the latest in a long line of books many of them quite recent written on the mountain meadows massacre of 1857.
The republican party may not take mormon beliefs very seriously, but it does. Utah deceived the emigrant party with a promise of safety and then killed the adults and all but. On 10 september 1857, mormons and indians massacred about immigrants from arkansas on their way to california. After searching the area, the remains of 34 victims were buried on the northern side of a ditch. In september 1857 a group of mormons in southern utah killed all adult members of an arkansas wagon train that was headed for california.
It cleared up many misconceptions and stated the facts plainly. The book provided an important history of early mormonism as well as offering lees somewhat selfserving account of the events leading to the mountain meadows massacre. Horrible massacre of emigrants the mountain meadows. Mark twains version of the mountain meadows massacre. In september 1857, a wagon train passing through utah laden with gold was attacked. The mountain meadows massacre of 1857 and the trials of john d. Feb 20, 2009 a view of the terrain of the mountain meadows massacre site. Review of definitive new book, massacre at mountain meadows, august, 2008. The book concerns the 1857 mountain meadows massacre in southern utah, and is the latest study of the subject. The horrific mountain meadows massacre of 1857 indelibly stained southern. Although the mountain meadows massacre was covered to some extent in the media during the 1850s, citation needed its first period of intense nationwide publicity began around 1872. Her work was acclaimed by historians, however, leading to her recognition as an exemplary. The aftermath of mountain meadows history smithsonian.
A very sad book of the deaths of so many people at the mountain meadows massacre. War hysteria preceding the mountain meadows massacre. Captain john jacktwitty baker lead a wagon train of arkansas immigrants to california in 1857. In 1877, 20 years after the mountain meadows massacre, participant john d. The eastern portion of the route coincides with the cherokee trail. The mountain meadows massacre by juanita brooks, paperback. The mountain meadows massacre book by juanita brooks. Review of massacre at mountain meadows, in western american literature, spring 2009. The mountain meadows massacre ensign article by richard e.
Since soon after the massacre, rumors have persisted about the culpability of the church hierarchy namely president brigham young in both ordering and covering up the massacre. In 1875 one man was tried and found guilty of his part in the actions of september 11th 1857. Changing narratives of the mountain meadows massacre in utahs. It was a crime committed without cause or justification of any kind to relieve it of its fearful character. The mountain meadows massacre is widely considered to be the most violent and.
The mountain meadows massacre is something most people have probably never heard of before unless youre a mormon or had ancestors who were part of the massacred fancher wagon party. The mountain meadows massacre stands without a parallel amongst the crimes that stain the pages of american history. Massacre at mountain meadows chronicles in minute detail the horrifying murder of roughly 120 pioneers in southwest utah on september 11, 1857. Juanita brooks produced excerpts in mountain meadows massacre, 25360. In the summer of 1857, however, mormons experienced a wave of war hysteria, expecting an allout invasion of apocalyptic significance. Mountain meadows massacre utah, united states 1857.
It was one of the biggest mass murders in the history of the american west and ironically speaking, the killers were white men, murdering white people in cold blood. History of the mountain meadows massacre, by shannon a. The bakerfancher party were refused stocks in salt lake city and chose to. As historian will bagley noted, lee reconstructed his chronology to distance himself from the initial attack and provided blistering attacks on the men who testified against him.
This church had its beginnings in western new york during the revivalist period of the early 1800s, when preachers stirred whole counties into frenzy with their lurid eloquence, and sporadic sects sprang up over the. Massacre at mountain meadows is a book by latterday saint historian richard e. Critics charge that the massacre was typical of mormon culture of violence, and claim that church leaderspossibly as high as brigham youngapproved of, or even. The book provided an important history of early mormonism as well as.
The mountain meadows massacre 1950 by juanita brooks was the first definitive study of the mountain meadows massacre juanita brooks, a mormon historian trained in historical methods, was discouraged from studying the incident, and she suffered some ostracism from fellow mormons after its publication. The tragedy in mountain meadows on september 11a date that would later come to stand. The mormons tried to cover up involvement in the massacre, and it was blot on the churchs history. Mountain meadows massacre archaeology magazine archive. On september 11, 1857, a wagon train traveling through utah was ambushed and its approximately 120 members killed in what is now known as the mountain meadows massacre. The three lds historians did not shy away from the fact that it was indeed the white mormons who maintained the main attacks and tricked the doomed settlers into surrender by using a false white flag and had them murdered in a very efficient nazi style massacre. This engrossing documentary includes interviews with historians, reenactments, and photographs that tell all sides of the mountain meadows massacre.
The opposition and violence mormons were both victims of and party to during. This mountain meadows massacre is brought to you for free and open access by the all. Remembrances of the mountain meadows massacre wikipedia. The utah war and its mountain meadows massacre byu. Stapley on september 11, 1857 a band of mormons in southern utah lured a large group of californiabound emigrants from their defensive coral under a white flagged pretense of protection. Discover mountain meadows massacre memorial in veyo, utah. An arkansas emigrant party arrives at salt lake cityassassination of parley p. John lee was taken, five months later to mountain meadows and, sitting on his own coffin, on the site of the massacre, was executed by firing squad. The bakerfancher party was camped at mountain meadows on september 7 when paiutes and some mormons dressed as paiutes to conceal their mormon affiliation attacked. Lee was tried, convicted, and executed by a firing squad on the very spot that the mountain meadows massacre took place. Visitor information mountain meadows, utah national historic landmark. The mormons in utah were concerned about us troops coming into their area. He has authored or edited several other books, including. It was a tragic event in mormon history many thought best forgotten.
The incident began as an attack, quickly turned into a siege, and eventually culminated in the murder of. In the book, brooks demonstrated convincingly that the mormon militia was responsible for the massacre, and that john d. The church cant predict when the next 2008 is going to take place, christopher. The book is a mustread for scholars of the mountain meadows massacre and lds. The mountain meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the bakerfancher emigrant wagon train at mountain meadows in southern utah. On september 11, 1857, a band of mormon militia, under a flag of truce, lured unarmed members of a party of emigrants from their fortified encampment and, with their paiute allies, killed them.