Meadow Mountain Massacre

[the Robot Vegetable]

Ted Samsel (tejas at infi.net) wrote once upon a time in rec.arts.books:
: I can't recall the incident, but Mormon vigilantes massacred a
: "gentile" wagon train at one time.... I think it is called the
: Mountain Meadows Massacre.


   In 1847 the first Mormon Pioneer Party left Raw West, Missouri,
enroute to a new home.  They found Utah and set themselves up as
a self-ruling entity.  In 1857 the rumor spread that the mail routes
were cancelled and an US army on the way to put down the rebelion
in Utah.
   There was a call to arms.  There arose a deep distrust of all
non-Mormons.  The order went out: Don't sell stuff to the gentiles.
Utah is a natural way station for caravans heading west.
   The Fancher Train arrived needing supplies.  They did not meet
with cooperation.  They moved south, and ended up in the Mountain
Meadows just northwest of St. George.
   The Indians and the Mormons shared a desire to have the wagon
trains gone.  A group of Indians attacked the Fancher Train, but
were beat off by superior firepower.  Three from the Fancher train
snuck out to get help from Cedar City.  They were set upon by the
Mormon militia, one killed and the other two driven off to be killed
later by Indians.
   The Mormons approached the Fancher Train with a white flag.
the Fanchers were to be escorted out to protect them from the Indians.
The weapons were loaded in one wagon, children under 10 in another.
The rest of the children and the women walked behind this wagon.
The men followed, each escorted by a member of the Mormon Militia.
   When the wagon with the young children drove out of sight, a
signal was given.  All the men were shot pointblank. Indians fell
upon the women and older children and killed them.
   This event occurred on September 11th, 1857.
   The events which followed tell a fascinating tale, as the Mormons
and the US come to grips with the horrible incident.  Today there
is a monument at the location,  with the names of the victims listed,
the incidents told, and locations pinpointed,  placed there by
the Mormon Church.

   _Hiking and Exploring the Paria River   Including: The Story of
John D. Lee and the Mountain Meadows Massacre_  Michael R. Kelsey
ISBN    0-944510-09-4

   _The Mormon Establishment_   Wallace Turner

        the Robot Vegetable