Porter Rockwell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Porter Rockwell |
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| Member of the Council of Fifty | |
| March 19, 1844 – June 9, 1878 | |
| Called by | Joseph Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Orrin Porter Rockwell c. June 28, 1813 Belchertown, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | June 9, 1878 (aged 64) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Salt Lake City Cemetery |
| Known For | Personal bodyguard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, Deputy US Marshal Known as "The Destroying Angel of Mormondom" |
| Occupation | businessman, bodyguard, lawman, frontiersman, scout |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ann Neff (1854) Christina Olsen Luana Hart Beebe |
| Children | At least 7 |
| Parents | Orin and Sarah Rockwell |
Orrin Porter Rockwell (born June 28, 1813, or June 25, 1815 – died June 9, 1878) was a famous person from the Wild West period of American history. He was a lawman in the Utah Territory. People called him Old Port and The Destroying Angel of Mormondom.
Rockwell worked as a bodyguard and was a close friend of Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith. After Smith died in 1844, Rockwell became a bodyguard for Smith's successor, Brigham Young. He traveled with Young and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to the Salt Lake Valley in what is now the U.S. state of Utah.
Contents
Biography
Early Life
Rockwell was born in Belchertown, Massachusetts, to Orin and Sarah Rockwell. His family lived near the Smith family. He was related to Edmund Rice, an early settler in Massachusetts.
Rockwell was eight years younger than Joseph Smith. When Smith was working to publish the Book of Mormon, Rockwell helped out. He picked berries at night and brought wood into town to help pay for the printing.
In 1830, when he was 16, Rockwell was baptized into Smith's Church of Christ in Fayette, New York. Historians believe his baptism was on April 6, the day the church was formed. However, some documents suggest June 9. Rockwell was the youngest person in the first group to be baptized into the church.
On February 2, 1832, Rockwell married Luana Beebe in Jackson County, Missouri. He later received special blessings in the Nauvoo Temple on January 5, 1846.
Rockwell was known for being a tough frontiersman and a Deputy United States Marshal. He was involved in many conflicts during his life.
Accusation in Missouri
Boggs, from Independence, moved to the house on the original City of Zion plot after he left office and the Mormons were evicted from their homes and lands in Missouri by his Missouri Executive Order 44. Rockwell was cleared of all charges related to the attempted murder of Boggs.
The steeple of the Independence Temple by the Temple Lot is visible in the trees at the top of the hill.
On May 6, 1842, Lilburn Boggs was shot. He was the former governor of Missouri. Boggs had signed an order in 1838 that forced Mormons to leave Missouri. He was badly hurt but survived the shooting.
A man named John C. Bennett accused Rockwell of the shooting. Bennett had been a leader in the Mormon community but was no longer part of the church. He wrote that Joseph Smith had said Boggs would die violently. Bennett also claimed Rockwell left Nauvoo before the shooting and returned just before the news arrived.
Joseph Smith and his supporters strongly denied Bennett's story.
Rockwell was arrested in St. Louis on March 6, 1843. He briefly escaped from jail in Independence in late May.
On September 30, 1843, it was reported that Rockwell was not charged with shooting Boggs. There was not enough evidence against him. However, he was found guilty of escaping from jail. Rockwell was released on December 13, 1843, after ten months in custody.
Life in Utah
After Joseph Smith's death, Rockwell followed Brigham Young and the LDS Church to the Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Rockwell became a deputy marshal in Great Salt Lake City. He continued to be a law officer until he died. He was known for his strength, loyalty, and determination.
Rockwell also ran the Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery. This was located at the southern end of the Salt Lake Valley. The area was known as "Point of the Mountain".
Rockwell's reputation as a "mountain man" attracted the explorer Richard Francis Burton. In 1860, Burton visited the Salt Lake City area. He met Rockwell, and they spent time together. Rockwell gave Burton advice for staying safe on his journey to Sacramento. He suggested carrying a loaded shotgun and sleeping in a "dark camp" away from the main trail. He also warned about "White Indians," who were robbers disguised as Native Americans.
Later Years and Death
Rockwell died in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, on June 9, 1878. He passed away from natural causes. He was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. At the time of his death, Rockwell had been a baptized Latter-day Saint longer than anyone else alive.
Legacy and Influence
Rockwell was a very loyal personal bodyguard to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. It is sometimes hard for historians to separate facts from legends and myths about Rockwell. This is partly because Rockwell did not write much himself.
Joseph Smith made a special prophecy about Rockwell. After Rockwell spent eight months in jail, he returned to Nauvoo, Illinois. He surprised everyone at a Christmas party at Smith's home. Smith promised Rockwell that if he remained faithful, no enemy's bullet or weapon would harm him. This promise was similar to one given to the parents of the biblical Samson.
At one point, Rockwell cut his famous long hair. He heard about a widow who was losing her hair due to illness. He offered his hair to make a wig for her. The widow was Agnes Coolbrith Smith Pickett, Joseph Smith's sister-in-law.
The Porter Rockwell Trail is a walking path in Utah. It goes through Lehi, Draper, White City, and Sandy.
Cultural Impact
Porter Rockwell has been shown in movies and TV shows. John Carradine played him in the 1940 film Brigham Young. James Coburn played him in the 1995 TV movie The Avenging Angel. Gyll Huff was Rockwell in the 1995 film Plan 10 from Outer Space.
He was also the main character in a 1969 episode of Death Valley Days called "Son of Thunder". More recently, Corbin Allred played him in the 2019 film Out of Liberty.
In 1994, an independent film called Rockwell focused on his life.
In 2010, a documentary called Stories from the Life of Porter Rockwell was made. It included reenactments of events and interviews with historians. One of the people interviewed was John W. Rockwell, Porter Rockwell's great-great-grandson.
There are two statues of Porter Rockwell. One is near where his Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery used to be. The other is in Lehi, Utah, behind a restaurant called "Porter's Place." This restaurant celebrates his memory, though it has since moved to Eureka, Utah.
Images for kids
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Orrin Porter Rockwell
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Marker on the Mormon Walking Tour in Independence commemorating the house Rockwell was accused of shooting Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs.
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Grave marker of Orrin Porter Rockwell in Salt Lake City Cemetery.
See also
- Bear River Massacre
- Alexander William Doniphan
- Hawken rifle
- Ironport (beverage)
- Liberty Jail
- List of bodyguards
- List of Old West gunfighters
- List of Old West lawmen
- Mormon folklore
- Perry, Utah
- Pioneer Village (Utah): Gun Collection
- This is the Place Monument
- Lauritz Smith
- Lot Smith
- Utah War
