The Mountain Meadows Massacre

Question

Background Information

Central Question

Why did the Mountain Meadows Massacre happen? What caused normally peaceful settlers to commit the crimes that they did?

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What Caused the Mountain Meadows Massacre?

* Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially known as 'Mormons', will be referred to in this lesson as 'Saints' in an effort to respect current church requests.*

One of the saddest events in the history of the western United States happened in a quiet mountain meadow in southern Utah on September 11, 1857. A wagon train of emigrants, traveling from Arkansas through Utah on their way to California, was murdered by a group of Latter-day Saint men who were helped by Indians. During this lesson, you will try to figure out why this group of Saints, men who lived normal and mostly peaceful lives both before and after the attack, did such a terrible thing.

Many historians disagree about the event because most of the people who wrote about it in the 1800s and 1900s either really liked the Saints or really disliked them. It is hard for historians to tell the difference between good evidence and rumors that were started before or after the massacre. Still, here are eight things that almost all historians agree on:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church, was organized in the eastern United States in 1830. In 1847, Latter-day Saint pioneers began to settle in the Great Basin in part to get away from disagreements they had with people in the East.

After Utah became part of the United States in 1850, federal officers who weren’t Latter-day Saints were sent to help lead the new territory. These officers sometimes disagreed with the Saints and told government leaders and people in the East that the Saints were causing trouble. Many people in the East also didn’t like that some Latter-day Saint men had more than one wife. Many new Saints who moved to Utah were from Europe, and people in the East didn’t think they would be good, loyal Americans. Some people thought that the Saints were rebelling against the United States.

In 1857 President James Buchanan sent an army of about 2,500 soldiers to stop what some people called the “Mormon Rebellion” in Utah. As the army made the long journey across the Great Plains, Utah prepared for war. The army reminded the Saints of mobs they were trying to get away from when they moved west. Latter-day Saint leaders sent a militia (volunteer army) to the Great Plains to slow down and discourage the U.S. troops. The Latter-day Saint leader, Brigham Young, told the Saints to keep all of their supplies and not sell or trade any. Some church leaders made speeches that told the Saints to prepare to fight and kill and even die for their faith and families.

That same year many emigrants crossed the Great Plains toward California. The Baker, Dunlap, Fancher, Miller and Tackitt families were a part of these emigrant groups. These families each entered the Salt Lake Valley in August then joined together into a large wagon train and followed the “Southern Road” into southern Utah. They happened to arrive in Utah just as the Saints were preparing for war with the U.S. Army. The emigrants got into disagreements with the Saints over grasslands and supplies as they passed through several cities. The worst disagreements happened in Cedar City on September 3, 1857.

There were also many Indian nations in Utah during the time. The Latter-day Saints wanted the Indians to help them fight against the U.S. soldiers. When emigrants saw the Saints being friendly with the Indians it made them nervous. Even so, the Indians sometimes felt like the Saints were not treating them the right way. As part of the war, Latter-day Saint leaders asked the Indians to try to chase the cattle away from emigrant groups and the army.

On September 11, 1857, the emigrant train was massacred by Latter-day Saints and Paiute Indians at a place called Mountain Meadows. About 120 people, including many women and children, were killed. A few young children were allowed to live. After the massacre those who did it took the emigrants’ belongings and tried to hide what they had done.

Without knowing what had happened to the emigrants, the U.S. army got stuck near Fort Bridger, in what is now Wyoming, during the winter. This gave the Latter-day Saint leaders and U.S. leaders a chance to meet and to find a solution to their disagreements. Their meetings ended what some people call the “Utah War” before any real fighting happened between the Mormon militia and the U.S. army.

Many years after the massacre, the government accused John D. Lee of leading the Mormon militia and the Indians who had killed the emigrants. He was convicted and executed 20 years after the massacre at the site where it had happened. The Latter-day church punished some of the Saints who were involved. Eight Latter-day Saint leaders and militia leaders hid from law enforcers for the rest of their lives. Some Paiutes were looked down on by both Indians and others for killing the emigrants.

Interpretations of the Event

Several different interpretations have been made about what caused the massacre and what really happened at Mountain Meadows, including the four below. They may or may not be partially or completely true, but different people and/or historians have believed them and told them as if they were true.

Lesson Plan and Materials