Friday, October 7, 2011

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was the killing of roughly 120 emigrants who were passing through Southern Utah. The massacre occurred on September 11, 1857. The emigrants--men, women, and children--were traveling from Arkansas to California, part of the Baker-Fancher wagon train. They were killed by a group of Mormons with the help of local Paiute Indians.

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The following is from an article written by Richard E. Turley, Jr a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“For a century and a half the Mountain Meadows Massacre has shocked and distressed those who have learned of it. The tragedy has deeply grieved the victims’ relatives, burdened the perpetrators’ descendants and Church members generally with sorrow and feelings of collective guilt, unleashed criticism on the Church, and raised painful, difficult questions. How could this have happened? How could members of the Church have participated in such a crime?

IMG_3339 Two facts make the case even more difficult to fathom. First, nothing that any of the emigrants purportedly did or said, even if all of it were true, came close to justifying their deaths. Second, the large majority of perpetrators led decent, nonviolent lives before and after the massacre.

As is true with any historical episode, comprehending the events of September 11, 1857, requires understanding the conditions of the time.

IMG_3337 In 1857 an army of roughly 1,500 United States troops was marching toward Utah Territory, with more expected to follow. Over the preceding years, disagreements, miscommunication, prejudices, and political wrangling on both sides had created a growing divide between the territory and the federal government. In retrospect it is easy to see that both groups overreacted—the government sent an army to put down perceived treason in Utah, and the Saints believed the army was coming to oppress, drive, or even destroy them.

IMG_3340 In 1858 this conflict—later called the Utah War—was resolved through a peace conference and negotiation. Because Utah’s militiamen and the U.S. troops never engaged each other in pitched battle, the Utah War has been characterized as “bloodless.” But the atrocity at Mountain Meadows made it far from bloodless. The Saints had been violently driven from Missouri and Illinois in the prior two decades, and they feared history might repeat itself.” It is believed that it was this fear that led to such a horrible massacre.

The monument is located about 6 miles south of Enterprise, UT. This is a heart wrenching part of Utah’s history and if you would like to read more, please visit the following website.

http://mountainmeadowsmassacre.com/

12 comments:

  1. That's horrible. Doug knew that story, I did not.

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  2. Hi Sandie......I know this story....in fact there is a book written about it. It is a novel based on fact....I have read it and of course for the life of me i cannot remember its name.....but it was a GREAT read.

    xo

    Jo

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  3. Thanks for telling this interesting story. I'd never heard of this before. I guess you just had to be around in those times to even hope to understand.

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  4. I read of this just recently - can't remember where. There are many sad incidents in history that defy explanation.

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  5. That is some very interesting history. That church seems to have some ongoing difficult history to deal with.

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  6. I learned about the Mountain Meadows Massacre when I watched a movie about it called "September Dawn". The movie didn't get very good reviews, and I'm guessing that like most movies, it wasn't very accurate, but it gave me a sense about what happened. Like other sites, it's a part of history.

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  7. I have always found the history of the West very interesting but had not heard of that massacre.

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  8. so glad to see you back on the road. Looks like you are having a great time!

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  9. I never heard of this. Thanks for the history lesson.
    You have been a blogging maniac lately! Keep it up! Great work.

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  10. Sounds like being on the road again certainly agrees with you. Enjoy yourself because we know what's going to happen once you really do make it to Arizona.

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  11. It boggles the mind what Man feels compelled to do in the name of God!

    Sooo sad.

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

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  12. I have a pain in my heart every time I read about the Massacre. A family of four (a couple, a son, and a daughter) were traveling on that wagon train. the children saw their parents murdered and the children were taken as workers by a morman family. The children were eventually rescued by other members of their family and returned to Tennessee. The son was my "several greats grandfather."

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Thanks for visiting today. I look forward to reading your comments. Have a beautiful day.