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PrevPrevious Episode*Why Remnant is Attractive (Part 7 of 7)
Next ExpisodeHandcart Disasters & Mormon Reformation (Part 2 of 9)Next

Will Bagley on Juanita Brooks (Part 1 of 9)

Table of Contents: Will Bagley on Juanita Brooks (Part 1 of 9)

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163 years ago this month a terrible massacre occurred in southern Utah: the Mountain Meadows Massacre.  Juanita Brooks was the first LDS scholar to examine the massacre, and her book published in 1957 set the standard for Mormon scholarship.  In our next conversation with Will Bagley, we’ll get acquainted with him, and he will give his impressions of Brooks’ famous work.

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Will:  That takes me to my next subject, which is how much I admire and respect Juanita Brooks. When I began working full time on the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1995, the first thing I did was read the second edition, but this is the first edition of her Mountain Meadows Massacre. She did a minor update, which I’ve got around here, someplace, in 1970.  I don’t agree with everything Juanita Brooks concluded, but I can’t help but recognize her courage and her dedication to the truth.

…

It was courageous book. She worked within very narrow confines but did an absolutely beautiful job. I want to read a quote… It’s not very long, but it’s absolutely the essential documents and everything that had emerged that Juanita Brooks found in her long life, because she was 52 when the book came out, and she came to four basic conclusions. The first one was, while Brigham Young and George A. Smith, the Church authorities chiefly responsible, did not specifically order the massacre, they did preach sermons and set up social conditions which made it possible. Now to me, that is assigning who holds the moral responsibility for the worst event to ever happen in Utah, outside of a couple of massacres of Indians. I think that pretty well defines who deserves to be held accountable.

Do you agree?  Check out our conversation as we get more acquainted with Will.

Juanita Brooks - Will Bagley on Juanita Brooks (Part 1 of 9) - Mormon History Podcast
Juanita Brooks groundbreaking book, “Mountain Meadows Massacre” was published in 1957 & was the first scholarly treatment of the disaster.

Don’t miss our other conversations with Richard Turley & Barbara Jones Brown.

Richard Turley – Prosecuting the Cold Case:  MMM

Richard Turley is Managing Director of Public Affairs for LDS Church and author of 4 books on Mountain Meadows Massacre
Richard Turley is Managing Director of Public Affairs for LDS Church and author of 4 books on Mountain Meadows Massacre

269: What Did Brigham Know, & When Did He Know It? (Turley)

268: Federal Investigation into MMM (Turley)

267: Was John D. Lee Most Guilty? (Turley)

266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners (Turley)

Barbara Jones Brown on MMM

Barbara Jones-Brown is Executive Director of Mormon History Association.
Barbara Jones Brown is Executive Director of Mormon History Association.

261: Who Bears Responsibility for MMM? (Jones Brown)

260: After the Killing (Jones Brown)

259: Cattle Rustling Turns Deadly (Jones Brown)

258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown)

257: Revenge for Haun’s Mill & Pratt’s Murder? (Jones Brown)

256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

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More Podcasts with these Guests:

  • Remembering Will Bagley (Part 5 of 5)
  • *Bear River Massacre (Part 9 of 9)
  • Kingdom of the West (Part 8 of 9)
  • Trials of Lee/Forgery
  • MMM Cover Up

Get more information on the people and things discussed in this episode:

  • Guest: Will Bagley
  • Mormon violence, Mormons & Crime, Mountain Meadows Massacre
  • Historical Mentions Mormon History
  • Tags: Church History, GT Podcast, iTunes, murder

Tell me when the next episode drops!

PrevPrevious Episode*Why Remnant is Attractive (Part 7 of 7)
Next ExpisodeHandcart Disasters & Mormon Reformation (Part 2 of 9)Next
  • Date: September 25, 2020
  • Guest: Will Bagley
  • Mormon violence, Mormons & Crime, Mountain Meadows Massacre
  • Historical Mentions Mormon History
  • Tags: Church History, GT Podcast, iTunes, murder
  • Posted By: RickB

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Rick Bennett is the friendly, independent historian at the heart of Gospel Tangents LDS Podcast: The Best Source for Mormon History, Science, and Theology. When he isn't interviewing Mormon scholars, prophets, and others, he is teaching math and statistics at Utah Valley University. He also freelances as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries, as well as in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah.

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