the mountain massacre The mountain meadows massacre was the killing of roughly 120 emigrants who were passing through southern utah in september 1857. the emigrant men,women,and children were traveling from Arkansas to california,part of the baker fancher wagon train.they were killed by a group of mormon with the help of local Paiute Indians. the mountain meadow massacre is located in a mountain valley about 35 miles south west of cedar city ,utah. After leaving Arkansas,the fancher party traveled west Nebraska territory before entering utah territory.In utah,the party passed fort bidger and salt lake city traveling south west until reaching cedar city. Cedar city was the last stop before california.In cedar city,the fancher …show more content…
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. 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 …show more content…
At the close of the massacre there was eighteen children still alive, one girl, some ten or twelve years old, they said was too big and could tell, so they killed her, leaving seventeen. A man, I afterwards learned to be named John Willis, took me in his charge (the children were divided) and carried me to his house the next day in a wagon; he lived at Cedar City and was a Mormon; he kept me there that winter. Next spring he moved to a place called Toquerville. I stayed there about a year, until Dr. Forney had us children gathered up and carried us to Santa Clara, from there we went to Salt Lake City and remained two months, from there we came back to the states. I know that most of the party that did the killing were white men. The Mormons got all the plunder. I saw many things