Battle at Fort Utah facts for kids

The Battle at Fort Utah was a difficult conflict that happened in 1850. It took place at Fort Utah, which is now the city of Provo, Utah. This battle was between the Timpanogos people and a group of Mormon settlers called the Nauvoo Legion.

At first, the Timpanogos people and the settlers lived together peacefully. They even shared friendly moments. However, things changed after a very hard winter. During this time, some Timpanogos took about 50 cattle from the Mormon settlers. Also, a Timpanogos man known as Old Bishop died in a conflict with three Mormon settlers.

These events led the settlers at Fort Utah to ask their leaders for permission to go to war. Brigham Young, a main leader of the Mormon settlers, decided to send the Nauvoo Legion to deal with the Timpanogos. He wanted to remove any Timpanogos who were seen as a threat to the settlement.

The Conflict Begins

Captain George D. Grant led the first group of the Nauvoo Legion. Later, General Daniel H. Wells took over command of the army. The Timpanogos people tried to defend themselves from their village and an old cabin. But they were eventually forced to leave their camp.

The Mormon soldiers then chased the Timpanogos. They pursued members of Chief Old Elk's tribe and other Timpanogos they found in the valley. Sadly, around 100 Timpanogos people were killed during this pursuit. This included people from Chief Pareyarts' tribe and other groups, even if they had not attacked the settlers before.

After the Battle

After the fighting, some Timpanogos were taken prisoner. This included people who had sought safety at the fort before the battle. These prisoners were left outside in the cold, and some became very ill from the harsh weather.

A settler named William Potter was concerned about their condition. He asked for blankets for the prisoners, which were eventually given to them. More than forty prisoners, mostly women and children, were then taken to Salt Lake City. They were placed with Mormon families. The idea was for them to learn new ways of life.

However, this plan did not work out well. Many of the Timpanogos prisoners became sick and died. Most of them also managed to escape, especially in the spring. They went to live with other Ute groups. News about these events, including the taking of prisoners, reached the United States government. Later that year, when Edward Cooper became the Indian Agent for Utah, addressing this situation became one of his first important tasks.