Today marks 168 years since the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Following last year’s JWHA conference in St George, Utah, I drove by the 4 monuments to the tragedy. Here is an in-depth account of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, an “unspeakable tragedy” that occurred on September 11, 1857. This episode is a somber reflection on this event, along with a condemnation of political and gun violence.
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Context and Causes of Mountain Meadows Massacre:
In 1857, Utah was considered in rebellion by President James Buchanan, who sent the U.S. Army to put down the “Mormon rebellion”. Mormons, having previously been expelled from Kirtland, Missouri, and Nauvoo, were on edge, determined not to be driven out again. Brigham Young, then a former governor, had directed Mormons not to sell supplies to immigrants because they were preparing for war. He also warned the federal government about the dangers on the immigration road if Mormons were attacked and had told Native Americans that it was “okay to steal from any immigrants”.
The victims were the Fancher- Baker party, a group of about 100-120 men, women, and children from Arkansas, traveling to California with many cattle. They were denied supplies in Utah and were in the “wrong place at the wrong time”.
Mountain Meadows Massacre Events:
- The conflict began around September 7th when Mormons, who had enlisted Native Americans, attempted to raid the immigrants’ cattle. An initial scuffle resulted in a Mormon shooting and killing one immigrant.
- The Baker-Fancher party circled their wagons, forming a defensive fortification.
- To cover up the initial murder and prevent witnesses, local Mormon leaders decided to kill everyone.
- The party was under siege for several days, running low on ammunition and food, and being shot at when they tried to get water from a spring.
- John D. Lee, a Mormon, pretended to be a negotiator and came under a white flag of truce. He persuaded the immigrants to surrender their guns, promising safe passage.
- The men were separated from the women, children, and sick. A signal, possibly “halt” followed by “do your duty,” was given. Mormon men shot the Fancher men next to them. The women and children were also killed, as they didn’t want any witnesses.
- Approximately 96 to 120 men, women, and children were killed. Seventeen small children survived because they were deemed too young to “tell tales”.
Aftermath and Memorials:
The Mountain Meadows Massacre is considered the “worst chapter in LDS history”.
- John D. Lee was the only person convicted (and executed) for his role in the massacre. He was tried in Beaver, Utah, in two trials (1875 and 1876), with the second resulting in his conviction by an all-Mormon jury. He was executed by firing squad at the massacre site on March 23, 1877, almost 20 years after the event.
- The LDS Church later purchased the land and worked with the federal government to establish it as a National Historic Landmark.
- The site includes several memorials:
◦ The Overlook Monument:
The monument features a wall with the names of many victims. It also has lookout points to identify the Men and Boys’ Memorial, Women & Children’s Memorial, and the immigration campsite.
◦ The Gravesite Memorial:
Patterned after an 1859 cairn built by U.S. Army soldiers. It contains stones from the original cairn and crypts where the bones of 29 victims were reinterred in 1999, wrapped in shrouds and placed in oak ossuaries on a thin layer of Arkansas soil. A child’s skull, removed by the U.S. Army in 1879, was reinterred by relatives in 2017. The memorial was dedicated on September 11, 1999, with a statement of regret from Henry B. Eyring on September 11, 2007.
◦ Memorial for Men and Older Boys:
A smaller monument about two-thirds of a mile from the gravesite.
◦ Memorial for Women, Children, and Wounded:
Located three-quarters of a mile beyond the men and boys’ memorial.
I also travelled to Beaver, Utah, where John D. Lee was tried. There is a historic courthouse there, although it may not be the exact building from the trials. Many of the miltia came from Parowan and Cedar City, where the “trouble started” andmany participants in the massacre were from there.
Have you seen the memorial before?
Don’t miss our other Tangent Trips! https://gospeltangents.com/mormon_history/gt-trips/
Copyright © 2025
Gospel Tangents
All Rights Reserved
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