Mountain Meadows massacre and the media
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Mountain Meadows massacre The Mountain Meadows Massacre (September 7–11, 1857) was a series of attacks during the Utah War that resulted in the mass murder of at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train. The massacre occurred in the southern U ...
was covered to some extent in the media during the 1850s, its first period of intense nationwide publicity began around 1872. This was after investigators obtained the confession of Philip Klingensmith, a Mormon
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
at the time of the massacre and a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in the Utah militia. National newspapers also covered the
John D. Lee John Doyle Lee (September 6, 1812 – March 23, 1877) was an American pioneer and prominent early member of the Latter Day Saint Movement in Utah. Lee was later convicted as a mass murderer for his complicity in the Mountain Meadows massacre, s ...
trials closely from 1874 to 1876, and his execution in 1877 was widely publicized. The first detailed work using modern historical methods was published in 1950, and the massacre has been the subject of several historical works since that time. In historical fiction, the massacre inspired a genre of frontier crime fiction in the 19th century. The massacre has been portrayed in several plays, and in a 2007 motion picture, ''
September Dawn ''September Dawn'' is a 2007 Canadian-American Western film directed by Christopher Cain, telling a fictional love story against a controversial historical interpretation of the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre. Written by Cain and Carole Whang Sc ...
''. The Massacre has also been of subject of several film documentaries including, '' Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre'' (2004) and '' The Mountain Meadows Massacre'' (2001).


Early depictions

One of the earliest depictions of the massacre was written by a massacre participant, John D. Lee, and was entitled ''Mormonism Unveiled; or the Life and Confessions of the Late Mormon Bishop, John D. Lee'' . This ''Confession'' was published in 1877, and expressed Lee's opinion that George A. Smith was sent to southern Utah by
Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his ...
to direct the massacre. In 1872,
Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
commented on the massacre through the lens of contemporary American public opinion in an appendix''Appendix B''
/ref> to his semi-autobiographical
travel book The genre of travel literature encompasses outdoor literature, guide books, nature writing, and travel memoirs. One early travel memoirist in Western literature was Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias, a Greek geographer of the 2nd century CE. In ...
''
Roughing It ''Roughing It'' is a book of semi-autobiographical travel literature by Mark Twain. It was written in 1870–71 and published in 1872, as a prequel to his first travel book ''The Innocents Abroad'' (1869). ''Roughing It'' is dedicated to Twa ...
''. In 1910, the massacre was the subject of a short book by Josiah F. Gibbs, who also attributed responsibility for the massacre to Brigham Young and George A. Smith. The trial of John D. Lee, which was highly publicized at the time, put an idea of an out-of-control theocracy into the public imagination. And, beginning in the late nineteenth century, the tragedy found place in a whole genre of historical treatments, novels—even two silent films. While the historical works among these critiqued (often in polemic fashion) early Utah's religious teachings and rhetoric, a caricature drawn from out of their criticisms came to find its place, in stereotype form, in popular fiction and entertainment.


Academic treatment

In the 1890s, Assistant
LDS Church The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
Historian
Andrew Jenson Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, (December 11, 1850 – November 18, 1941) was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for much of the ea ...
collected all the records he could find concerning the massacre. These included his own field notes, excerpts of witnesses' diaries,
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a statemen ...
s, newspaper reports, and the transcriptions from the LDS Church's internal investigations. Many of the interviews were with massacre participants who were granted complete confidentiality in regard to whatever they might say. In September 2009
BYU Studies ''BYU Studies Quarterly'' is an academic journal covering a broad array of topics related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ( Mormon studies). It is published by the church-owned Brigham Young University. The journal is abstracted ...
and
Brigham Young University Press Brigham Young University Press (BYU Press) is the university press of Brigham Young University (BYU). History Brigham Young University Press was formed in 1967 through the consolidation of BYU's various publishing activities into one central or ...
published this complete collection in a 352-page book, entitled ''Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections''. The first historical work to discuss the massacre in any depth was an 1873 work by
T. B. H. Stenhouse Thomas Brown Holmes Stenhouse (21 February 1825 – 7 March 1882) was an early Mormon pioneer and Mormon missionary, missionary who later became a Godbeite and with his wife, Fanny Stenhouse, became a vocal opponent of the Church of Jesus Christ ...
entitled '' The Rocky Mountain Saints''. Stenhouse had been a prominent Mormon leader for decades, and editor of the pro-Mormon ''Salt Lake Telegraph''. Stenhouse was a liberal, however, and in the late 1860s, he joined a group of intellectual Mormons seeking liberal reform, known as the
Godbeite The Godbeites were members of the ''Godbeite Church'', officially called the ''Church of Zion'', organized in 1870 by William S. Godbe. This dissident offshoot of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was aimed toward embracing all be ...
, who were later expelled from the church for apostasy. Stenhouse's work on the massacre was drawn from newspaper reports, Klingensmith's affidavit, and some personal journalistic investigation. The first detailed and comprehensive work using modern historical methods was '' The Mountain Meadows Massacre'' in 1950 by
Juanita Brooks Juanita Pulsipher Brooks (January 15, 1898 – August 26, 1989) was an American historian and author, specializing in the American West and Mormon history, including books related to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, to which her grandfather Dudley ...
, a
Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
scholar who lived near the area in southern
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. As a young school teacher, Brooks was at the deathbed of massacre participant, Nephi Johnson, and heard his last cries of "blood, blood, blood!" Brooks found no evidence of direct involvement by Brigham Young, but charged him with obstructing the investigation and for provoking the attack through his rhetoric. Until recently many considered her book the definitive work on the massacre. Two of the most significant works after Brooks include the books ''
Blood of the Prophets ''Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows'' (2002) by Will Bagley is a history of the Mountain Meadows massacre. The work updated Juanita Brooks' seminal history '' The Mountain Meadows Massacre'', and remains o ...
'' by
Will Bagley William Grant Bagley (May 27, 1950 – September 28, 2021) was a historian specializing in the history of the Western United States and the American Old West. Bagley wrote about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military histor ...
in 2002 and ''
American Massacre ''American Massacre: The Tragedy At Mountain Meadows, September 1857'' is a non-fiction historical book by investigative reporter and author Sally Denton, released by Alfred A. Knopf in 2003. Synopsis The book is the historical account of membe ...
'' by Sally Denton in 2003. Bagley pointed to what he said was strong circumstantial evidence of Young's involvement through Smith, and through his early September 1857 meeting with Paiute Indian leaders Tutsegabit and Youngwids. Denton also suggested involvement by Young through Smith, but argued against involvement by Paiute leaders. The most current work on the massacre,
Massacre at Mountain Meadows ''Massacre at Mountain Meadows'' is a book by Latter-day Saint historian Richard E. Turley, Jr. and two Brigham Young University professors of history, Ronald W. Walker and Glen M. Leonard. Leonard was also the director of the Museum of Chur ...
(2008), was written by Latter-day Saint historian Richard E. Turley, Jr. and two
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
professors of history, Ronald W. Walker and
Glen M. Leonard Glen Milton Leonard (born 1938) is an American historian specializing in Mormon history. Background Leonard is a native of Farmington, Utah. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Utah. For a time he was managing editor of ''U ...
. Aside from available academic and scholarly sources, the authors were also granted access to the LDS
First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
's archives. The authors decided to avoid portraying the perpetrators and victims as good or evil, which would overlook their human complexity and the groups' diversities. Instead, they examined the massacre as a case of American frontier violence and vigilantism. Several film documentaries have focused on the massacre including, '' Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre'' (2004) and '' The Mountain Meadows Massacre'' (2001). The massacre, and its effects on the church's image, was also discussed in the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
series '' The Mormons'' (2007).


Historical fiction and portrayals

*The book ''
The Star Rover ''The Star Rover'' is a novel by American writer Jack London published in 1915 (published in the United Kingdom as ''The Jacket''). It is science fiction, and involves both mysticism and reincarnation. Plot summary A framing story is told in the ...
'' (1915) by Jack London has a section of the book that describes the massacre from the viewpoint of a young boy from the Fancher Party *The pla
''Fire In The Bones''
(1978) by Thomas F. Rogers is a depiction of the massacre from the perspective of John D. Lee, and is based heavily on
Juanita Brooks Juanita Pulsipher Brooks (January 15, 1898 – August 26, 1989) was an American historian and author, specializing in the American West and Mormon history, including books related to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, to which her grandfather Dudley ...
' research. *The pla
''Two-Headed''
(2000) by Julie Jensen depicts two middle-aged Latter-day Saint women reflecting on the massacre that occurred when they were children. *The nove

(2002) by Judith Freeman depicts John D. Lee's role in the massacre from the perspective of three of his nineteen wives. *The film ''
September Dawn ''September Dawn'' is a 2007 Canadian-American Western film directed by Christopher Cain, telling a fictional love story against a controversial historical interpretation of the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre. Written by Cain and Carole Whang Sc ...
'' (2007), released August 24, 2007, directed by Christopher Cain, is described by a press release as portraying the "point of view held ydirect descendants ... that the iconic Brigham Young had complicity in the massacre, a view denied by the Mormon Church." The film uses a love story to tell the story of the massacre.Se
''Variety''''The Hollywood Reporter''
o

*The Netflix series Godless (2017), features a main antagonist who is a survivor of the massacre.


See also

*
Anti-Mormonism Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed against the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The term is often used to describe people or literat ...
*
Portrayals of Mormons in popular media Latter Day Saint movement, Latter Day Saints and Mormons have been portrayed in popular media many times. These portrayals often emphasize controversy such as Polygamy and the Latter Day Saint movement, polygamy or myths about the Church of Jesus ...


Notes


References

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Internet Archive versions
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Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
br>review
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in response to the review. #. #. #. #. #.


External links


“‘Horrible Massacre of Emigrants!!’: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Public Discourse”
by Douglas Seefeldt, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln {{Mountain Meadows massacre series, state=expanded Mountain Meadows Massacre Latter Day Saints in popular culture