I was amazed to see the event took place on 9111857. 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 tragedy in mountain meadows on september 11a date that would later come to stand. Throughout the book, the authors paint finely drawn portraits of the key players in the drama, their backgrounds, personalities, and roles in the unfolding story of misunderstanding, misinformation, indecision, and personal vendettas. Lds church apologizes for mountain meadows massacre. Discover mountain meadows massacre memorial in veyo, utah. The book faithfully and surprisingly recount the story of the mountain meadow massacre.
The aftermath of mountain meadows history smithsonian. Gibbs, who also attributed responsibility for the massacre to young and smith. Mountain meadows massacre 1857 massacre frank kirkman. Lds church apologizes for mountain meadows massacre the salt.
The first detailed and comprehensive work using modern historical methods was the mountain meadows massacre in 1950 by juanita brooks, a mormon scholar who lived near the area in southern utah. Mountain meadows massacre timeline exploring mormonism. Lee was the single mountain meadows culprit arrested. Mountain meadows massacre utah, united states 1857. Bagley was also one of the people interviewed for a mountain meadows episodecoproduced by bill kurtis and paul andrew hutton, and scheduled to air in late december 2004of the history channels. Part ii, the dilemma of blame, salt lake tribune, march 14, 2000 that which we have done here building a monument to victims of the m. Produced in cooperation with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, it is the. The mountain meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the bakerfancher emigrant wagon train at mountain meadows in southern utah. The mountain meadows massacre has long stained brigham youngs reputation and that of his church, partly because young afterwards showed little indication of wanting the perpetrators punished. The 26th annual lecture revisiting the massacre at mountain. Juanita brooks held appointment as a field fellow of the henry e. In the fall of 1857, some 120 californiabound emigrants were killed in lonely mountain meadows in southern utah.
Revisiting the massacre at mountain meadows 5 know the complicated man john d. Until september 1857, the mormons had been the victims of violence more than its purveyors. 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. The mountain meadows massacre book by juanita brooks. 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. Pushing to open again free emigration on the south route, cummings took. After reading michael richan on the event in one of his river books i had to read the true story on the event. The mountain meadows massacre of 1857 and the trials of john d. Lee, the only militiaman executed, was effectively a scapegoat. Juanita brooks was a wonderfully brave woman to have composed this book. The incident began as an attack, quickly turned into a siege, and eventually culminated in the murder of.
What is the mountain meadows massacre mountain meadows. The book provided an important history of early mormonism as well as. The mountain meadows massacre juanita brooks download. The mountain meadows massacre stands as one of the darkest events in mormon history. What amazes me most about the evolution of the story of the mountain meadows massacre is that 150 years it was about blood atonement, hatred of gentiles and robbery. For a more complete, documented account of the event, readers are referred to the forthcoming book massacre at mountain meadows. Sessions said is demonstrably untrue, so i thought we might publish with minor embellishments my recollection of the events that led me to write the first serious study of the mountain meadows massacre in. The names have been gathered from a variety of sources that include eyewitness accounts, arrest warrants, criminal indictments, and newspaper. A new book, massacre at mountain meadows, tries to explain what happened that day and why. An american legend and a monumental crime, on attack on wagon train by pahute indians and mormons. The mountain meadows massacre occurred on friday, september 11, 1857 in mountain meadows, utah, several miles south of enterprise in washington county along the old spanish trail.
May 11, 2017two new volumes contribute to understanding the mountain meadows massacre the volumes, titled mountain meadows massacre. Juanita brooks book was objective on both sides, pointing out the atmosphere among the lds people at the time of the mountain meadows massacre while also showing the inconsistencies in some of the lds explanations. Sep 11, 2011 the mountain meadows massacre is one of the worst tragedies in the history of the american west. A stoic rock cairn is all that remains to remember one of the more brutal instances of frontier treachery in american history. After finishing jon krakauers amazing under the banner of heaven, i turned to dentons book for a fuller account of the mountain meadows massacre. But the novel explores much more than whether or not lee led the massacre of. If there is one clear point in the book it is that in times of prejudice and war, even good people will do horrific things. This book was the first to seriously attempt an honest investigation of the massacre, unflinchingly seeking the truth. The mountain meadows massacrewas the first work to fully document mormon involvement in the massacre. Young and the massacre at mountain meadows, wrote that the struggle often.
The tragedy at mountain meadows, september 1857, published by knopf. Selected trial records and aftermath, are now available from the university of oklahoma press and amazon. 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. The mountain meadows massacre church of jesus christ. Captain john jacktwitty baker lead a wagon train of arkansas immigrants to california in 1857. Records, history, monuments, information and links on the september 11, 1857 massacre at mountain meadows of more than 120 arkansas emigrants while traveling through utah on their way to california. In 1857, at a place called mountain meadows in southern utah, a band of. The leader of the wagon train was my 3rd great uncle alexander fancher. The mountain meadows massacre juanita brooks in the fall of 1857, some 120 californiabound emigrants were killed in lonely mountain meadows in southern. Mountain meadows massacre mormonism, the mormon church. Reconciliation, alongside justice, is often elusive in the long wake of mass murder. She writes, the church leaders decided to sacrifice lee.
The mountain meadows massacre ensign article by richard e. Massacre at mountain meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the massacre ever written. In remembrance of this tragedy, i am reposting a portion of a pbs documentary that explains the. Wallner, according to this website it was published in 2006, but i cant find it on amazon or any of the large book sellers. 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. Mountain meadows massacre 1857 massacre frank kirkmans. Largest collection of records and information on the mountain meadows massacre on the internet. Mountain meadows massacre mountain meadows massacre. Anyone who reads it will be shaken up by the history of the mormon church and what it has sanitized. In the postcivil war period, the nowaging issue of the massacre surfaced again, during a renewed push for statehood. Other sources will be linked to, as well as key information from either of these authors. 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. The aftermath of mountain meadows history smithsonian magazine. Mountain meadows massacre descendants this site is.
An american tragedy, which was perpetrated by a group of mormons with the aid of a few paiute native americans on 9111857 in utah territory. A very sad book of the deaths of so many people at the mountain meadows massacre. Huntington library and was enabled to carry out the original research for her book by a grant. The massacre almost brought the united states to war against the church of. Carleton, special report on the mountain meadows massacre.
The booty stolen from this train alone most likely built the temple in salt lake city. A book of narrow but dramatic interest, massacre at mountain meadows contains the most complete historical record of one of the bleakest events in the history of the mormon settlement of the west. The following is a list of men in the iron military district of utah territorys nauvoo legion militia whose names have been associated with the mountain meadows massacre. Will bagley,who operates the prairie dog press in salt lake city, is the author of blood of the prophets. The mountain meadows massacre was the first work to fully document mormon involvement in the massacre. Jul 09, 20 another section is taken from juanita brooks book the mountain meadows massacre juanita brooks is a historian and author whose ancestor took part in the mmm. See more ideas about oregon trail, church history and history.
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. An arkansas primer to the mountain meadows massacre by lynnmarie fancher and alison c. Since mormons are the only group of christians who consider the book of mormon a book of scripture, many use the book name mormon to distinguish members of the lds. The mountain meadows massacre 1950 by juanita brooks was the first definitive study of the mountain meadows massacre.
Brigham young and the massacre at mountain meadows, by will bagley, university of oklahoma press, 2002, p. Visitor information mountain meadows, utah national historic landmark. Dec 26, 1976 rev of william wise book massacre at mountain meadows. In the book, brooks demonstrated convincingly that the mormon militia was responsible for the massacre, and that john d. 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. Mountain meadows massacre memorial veyo, utah atlas obscura. Whether blood of the prophets can be classed as either antimormon or a polemic is a matter of opinion, but much of what dr. Few people know the extent of the mormon colonization of what is today the western united states, mexico, and even canada. She learned about others present at the meadows, among them her own grandfather, dudley leavitt. To appease antistatehood forces in congress demanding some acknowledgment of and punishment for the incident, john d. 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. The mountain meadows massacre descendants site is dedicated in loving memory to our ancestors who died in the massacre at mountain meadows, utah september 711th, 1857. On september 11, 1857, some 50 to 60 local militiamen in southern utah, aided by american indian allies, massacred about 120 emigrants who were traveling by wagon to california. It was a massacre that occurred at mountain meadows but it is the mountain meadows massacre, a singular event the same way wp has wounded knee massacre, american indian wars, red river rebellion, etc. In 1910, the massacre was the subject of a short book by josiah f. The mountain meadows massacre by juanita brooks goodreads.
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. The name mormons is derived from the book of mormon, an ancient book of scripture translated by joseph smith, and used by mormons in addition to the bible and other modern works. Review of definitive new book, massacre at mountain meadows, august, 2008. That all changed with the darkest incident of the mormon war, the atrocity known as the mountain meadows. Collected legal papers, initial investigations and indictments, and mountain meadows massacre. Sep 11, 2008 a new book, massacre at mountain meadows, tries to explain what happened that day and why. The victims of the massacre were from arkansas and were members of the fancher wagon train. Leonardfor their book, massacre at mountain meadows. It completely leaves out valuable facts and history about lds, and is trying too hard too pull at everyones heart strings. Lee spoken at his execution for the mountain meadows massacre march 23, 1877.