Media coverage of the Mountain Meadows Massacre facts for kids
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a terrible event that happened in 1857 in southern Utah. Although it was mentioned in newspapers back then, it became much more famous around 1872. This was when investigators got a confession from Philip Klingensmith, who was a Mormon bishop and a soldier in the Utah militia at the time of the massacre.
Newspapers also closely followed the court cases of John D. Lee from 1874 to 1876. His execution in 1877 was widely reported. The first detailed history book about the massacre was published in 1950. Since then, many other historical works have explored this event.
The massacre has also inspired many stories, plays, and movies. These include the 2007 film September Dawn. There are also documentaries like Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre (2004) and The Mountain Meadows Massacre (2001).
Early Stories and Books
One of the first stories about the massacre was written by John D. Lee, who was involved in the event. His book was called Mormonism Unveiled; or the Life and Confessions of the Late Mormon Bishop, John D. Lee. It was published in 1877. In this book, Lee said that George A. Smith was sent by Brigham Young to southern Utah to direct the massacre.
In 1872, the famous writer Mark Twain wrote about the massacre in his travel book Roughing It. He shared what people in America thought about the event at that time.
In 1910, Josiah F. Gibbs wrote a short book about the massacre. He also blamed Brigham Young and George A. Smith for what happened.
The court cases of John D. Lee were very public. They made people think that the Mormon leaders were out of control. By the late 1800s, the massacre appeared in many history books and novels. There were even two silent films about it. These works often criticized the religious teachings of early Utah. This led to a simplified, sometimes unfair, picture of the event in popular stories and entertainment.
How Historians Studied the Massacre
In the 1890s, Andrew Jenson, an Assistant Historian for LDS Church, gathered many records about the massacre. These included his own notes, parts of diaries, sworn statements, and newspaper reports. He also collected information from the LDS Church's own investigations. Many people involved in the massacre shared their stories with him, and their names were kept secret. In 2009, BYU Studies and Brigham Young University Press published all these records in a book. It was called Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections.
The first history book to deeply discuss the massacre was The Rocky Mountain Saints by T. B. H. Stenhouse in 1873. Stenhouse had been an important Mormon leader and editor of a pro-Mormon newspaper. However, he later joined a group of Mormons who wanted reforms. They were called the Godbeites and were later removed from the church. Stenhouse's work on the massacre used newspaper reports, Klingensmith's statement, and his own research.
The first detailed and complete book using modern historical methods was The Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1950. It was written by Juanita Brooks, a Mormon scholar who lived near the area in southern Utah. When she was young, Brooks was with Nephi Johnson, a massacre participant, when he died. She heard his last cries of "blood, blood, blood!" Brooks did not find proof that Brigham Young was directly involved. However, she said he made it harder to investigate and that his words may have helped cause the attack. For a long time, many people thought her book was the most important work on the massacre.
Two other important books after Brooks's work are Blood of the Prophets by Will Bagley (2002) and American Massacre by Sally Denton (2003). Bagley suggested that Brigham Young was involved through George A. Smith. He also pointed to a meeting Young had with Paiute Indian leaders in September 1857. Denton also thought Young was involved through Smith. But she disagreed that Paiute leaders were involved.
The most recent major book on the massacre is Massacre at Mountain Meadows (2008). It was written by Latter-day Saint historian Richard E. Turley, Jr. and two history professors from Brigham Young University, Ronald W. Walker and Glen M. Leonard. These authors were allowed to look at the private records of the LDS First Presidency. The authors tried not to show the people involved as simply good or evil. Instead, they looked at the massacre as an example of violence and vigilante actions on the American frontier.
Several documentaries have focused on the massacre. These include Burying the Past: Legacy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre (2004) and The Mountain Meadows Massacre (2001). The massacre and its impact on the church's image were also discussed in the PBS series The Mormons (2007).
The Massacre in Books and Movies
- The book The Star Rover (1915) by Jack London includes a part that describes the massacre. It is told from the view of a young boy from the Fancher Party.
- The play Fire In The Bones (1978) by Thomas F. Rogers shows the massacre from John D. Lee's point of view. It is based a lot on Juanita Brooks's research.
- The play Two-Headed (2000) by Julie Jensen shows two older Latter-day Saint women thinking about the massacre that happened when they were children.
- The novel Red Water (2002) by Judith Freeman tells about John D. Lee's role in the massacre. It is seen through the eyes of three of his nineteen wives.
- The film September Dawn (2007) was released on August 24, 2007. The filmmakers said it shows the view of direct descendants. They believe that Brigham Young was involved in the massacre, which the Mormon Church denies. The movie uses a love story to tell the story of the massacre.
- The Netflix series Godless (2017) features a main bad guy who survived the massacre.
