Mountain Meadows massacre — 1857 massacre of California-bound emigrants by Mormon militiamen
The massacre of over 120 Arkansas emigrants by Mormon militiamen in 1857 remains one of the deadliest mass killings of civilians in American frontier history.
Key Facts
- Date of massacre
- September 7–11, 1857
- Victims killed
- At least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher party
- Survivors
- 17 young children aged six and under
- Indictments issued
- 9 indictments in 1874
- Only person convicted
- John D. Lee, executed by firing squad March 23, 1877
- Wagon train origin
- Mostly immigrant families from Arkansas, bound for California
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Utah War, intense hostility between Mormon settlers and the U.S. government generated widespread war hysteria among Latter-day Saints. Local militia leaders acted on rumors of threatening behavior by the Baker–Fancher emigrant party, and the atmosphere of the Mormon Reformation encouraged suspicion of outsiders. These conditions prompted militia leaders Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee to plan an attack on the traveling party.
Mormon militiamen, some disguised as Native Americans and aided by Southern Paiute recruits, launched a multi-day assault on the Baker–Fancher wagon train at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah Territory. After a five-day siege, militia commander William H. Dame ordered the killing of all adults and older children. Militiamen entered the camp under a white flag, disarmed the emigrants, then murdered them with auxiliary forces; only 17 young children survived.
Following the massacre, most victims' remains were left exposed, and survivors were distributed among local families while victims' possessions were auctioned. Investigations stalled due to the Civil War, and only nine indictments were issued by 1874. John D. Lee was the sole person tried and convicted; he was executed in 1877. Debate continues among historians over whether Brigham Young and senior LDS leadership bore direct responsibility for ordering the killings.