My husband and i just finished reading a book about the mountain meadows massacre and today we visited the sacred site. On september 10th, 1999, the remains recovered from that grave were reinterred in a burial vault inside the new wall, along with some soil from arkansas, during a private ceremony. A very sad book of the deaths of so many people at the mountain meadows massacre. Revisiting the massacre at mountain meadows 3 that to have this history both advocate and defend this new dispensation, it must be kept honest and fearless and full as well when the tide of events were not favorable for the church and also when the tides seemed to run against it. Massacre at mountain meadows wins best book award, mormon history association, may 22, 2009. Some mormons, who previously had been victimized by the. The mountain meadows massacre is widely considered to be the most violent and. Mountain meadows massacre november 30, 1999 by luscinia brownhovelt and elizabeth j. He is the recipient of the 2017 genealogyhistory achievement award from the american library association. Review of definitive new book, massacre at mountain meadows, august, 2008. Visitor information mountain meadows, utah national historic landmark. 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. Program on the massacre at mountainmeadows, 4 august 2008 kuer.
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. These words were set to music by pete moore in 2000. The mountain meadows massacre josiah francis gibbs. Massacre at mountain meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the massacre ever written. The mountain meadows massacre article by richard e. 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 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. 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. The leaders of the mormon church also counseled silence.
Meadows in 1857, honor those who died, preserve the site, and build understanding with others. This book is written by three lds historians who claims that they had the full support of their church in writing about this incident. Baker reportedly found nothing relating to the massacre, clearing the way for the construction of the new monument. Category iv related materials cds, dvds, videos, photos.
In the fall of 1857, some 120 californiabound emigrants were killed in lonely mountain meadows in southern utah. It was a crime committed without cause or justification of any kind to relieve it of its fearful character. Gene sessions, mountain meadows association on august 3rd, 1999, workers excavating for the wall around the new monument accidently uncovered the 1859 carleton grave. The book covers the subject of mountain meadow massacre that took place in sept 1857 where 120 white settlers of a wagon train passing through utah were murdered by white mormons. 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. Archaeologist says he has found actual mountain meadows. Briggs revisiting the massacre at mountain meadows 26th annual juanita brooks lecture by glen m. Her work was acclaimed by historians, however, leading to her recognition as an exemplary. My analysis of skeletal remains from the massacre site is integrated with archival. In 1857, at the time of the mountain meadows massacre, brigham young, was serving as president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church and as governor of utah territory. The incident began as an attack, quickly turned into a siege, and eventually culminated in the murder of. Mountain meadows massacre page 2 legends of america. The new book, massacre at mountain meadows, published by oxford.
To understand properly the mountain meadows massacre, one must know something of the stormy history of the mormon church. Toward a consensus account and time line 19th annual juanita brooks lecture by robert h. Thirtysix of the 81 people in the donner party wagon company lost their lives at donner lake and alder creek due to starvation during the harsh winter. Leonard and their colleagues uncovered a great deal of information about the 1857 massacre, leading to a clearer understanding of how this tragedy happened. The controversy over the mountain meadows massacre is emblematic of the mormons difficulty in dealing with the complexities of their own past. But in the aftermath of the massacre, only one participant was. Ensign, september 2007 the tragedy at mountain meadows massacre. The 26th annual lecture revisiting the massacre at. Leonardfor their book, massacre at mountain meadows, published in 2008.
The mountain meadows massacre book by juanita brooks, 1950 for the information page, click here. During years of research for their 2008 book massacre at mountain meadows. Mountain meadows massacre mormonism, the mormon church. Among the materials they found were two major collections known but largely. The book faithfully and surprisingly recount the story of the mountain meadow massacre. Jun 25, 2009 using new archival research, walker, turley, and leonard strive to accurately represent the historical context surrounding the mountain meadows massacre. Americas overland emigration trails in the 1840s and 1850s were rife with danger. As a duty to myself, my family, and mankind at large, i propose to give a full and true statement of all that i know and all that i did in that unfortunate affair, which has cursed my existence, and made me a wanderer from place to place for the last nineteen years, and which is known to the world as the the mountain meadows massacre. A resulting book published by oxford university press in 2008 by authors ronald w. From the beginning, accounts have been confused and muddled about why it happened, who ordered it, and what might have provoked it. Gullible and trail weary, some emigrants took the bait and fell into pitiful circumstances.
Families moving to california or oregon fell victim to disease, injury, weather, cholera and indian attacks. 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. In september 1857, a wagon train passing through utah laden with gold was attacked. Brigham young and the mountain meadows massacre wikipedia. This book was the first to seriously attempt an honest investigation. Reviewed in the united states on september 19, 2015. Leonard the is the most authoritative book written on the. Book provides an unflinching look at mountain meadows massacre. 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. Leonard was also the director of the museum of church history and art in salt lake city, utah. Massacre at mountain meadows this is the second book about moutain meadows massacre ive read. The mountain meadows massacre was the first work to fully document mormon involvement in the massacre.
September 11th is the anniversary of one of the saddest events in utahs history, in the history of the united states of america. Mountain meadows massacre archaeology magazine archive. Feb 20, 2009 a view of the terrain of the mountain meadows massacre site. That all changed with the darkest incident of the mormon war, the atrocity known as the mountain meadows.
The mountain meadows massacre was one of the worst acts of premeditated mass murder ever committed by americans against other americans. She writes, the church leaders decided to sacrifice lee. The 26th annual lecture revisiting the massacre at mountain. The most complete study of the 1857 massacre of a nonmormon wagon train passing through utah territory. 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. Produced in cooperation with the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, it is the.
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. The book concerns the 1857 mountain meadows massacre in southern utah, and is the latest study of the subject. Tribune file photo the mountain meadows massacre is seen in this 2004 file photo. The mountain meadows massacre 1950 by juanita brooks was the first definitive study of the mountain meadows massacre. Mountain meadows massacre utah, united states 1857. In early september 1857, about 140 people camped in this valley. He was replaced as governor the following year by alfred cumming. A new book, massacre at mountain meadows, tries to explain what happened that day and why. 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. In the book, brooks demonstrated convincingly that the mormon militia was responsible for the massacre, and that john d.
The mountain meadows massacre by juanita brooks, paperback. For the decade prior the emigrants arrival, utah territory had existed essentially as a theocracy led by brigham young. 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 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.
The mountain meadows massacre victimized several groups of emigrants from the northwestern arkansas region who had started their treks to california in early 1857, joining along the way and becoming known as the bakerfancher party. There were also charlatans pitching a shortcut or quicker way. George on september 11, 1857, and involved the slaughter of 120 californiabound emigrants, the fancherbaker train. The book is a mustread for scholars of the mountain meadows massacre and lds. On august 3, 1999, a backhoe began digging the foundation. There are several books written on this very subject but we recommend the book massacre at mountain meadows by ronald w. 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. Himelfarb 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.
To everyones surprise, it scooped up the bones of 28 massacre victims, and with it unearthed a new controversy see mountain meadows massacre, november 30, 1999. This book was the first to seriously attempt an honest investigation of the massacre, unflinchingly seeking the truth. My second book, an archaeology of desperation 2011, is a coedited. A biocultural history of the mountain meadows massacre.
Carleton, special report on the mountain meadows massacre. Words of this ballad were developed and sung by soldiers who buried the victims of the massacre in 1859. See more ideas about oregon trail, mountains and ex mormon. The mountain meadows massacre ensign article by richard e.
I was amazed to see the event took place on 9111857. Massacre at mountain meadows is a book by latterday saint historian richard e. 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. Revisiting the massacre at mountain meadows dixie state. After reading michael richan on the event in one of his river books i had to read the true story on the event. Changing narratives of the mountain meadows massacre in utahs. Review of massacre at mountain meadows, in western american literature, spring 2009.
Scholars are praising a new book that offers an indepth look at one of the. The aftermath of mountain meadows history smithsonian magazine. The first was the seminal work by juanita brooks the mountain meadows massacre in 2016. 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.
Also deals with the lds efforts to hide the details and the eventual execution of lds leader john d. Mountain meadows references, maps, tables and photos. It occurred in southern utah between cedar city and st. The mountain meadows massacre is one of the most controversial moments in utah history. T he church history department of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints has gradually accumulated what may well be the largest and finest collection of information about the mountain meadows massacre ever assembled. Families moving to california or oregon fell victim to disease, injury, weather and indian attacks. Friends of the mountain meadows association home facebook. The ancient paths 7th interview with lds historian sandra tanner on the mountain meadows massacre duration. Lee, the only militiaman executed, was effectively a scapegoat. The mountain meadows massacre stands without a parallel amongst the crimes that stain the pages of american history. Until september 1857, the mormons had been the victims of violence more than its purveyors. This one was published in 2008 so, 58 years later by ronald walker a mormon historian in slc.
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