Salt Creek Canyon massacre facts for kids
The Salt Creek Canyon massacre was a sad event that happened on June 4, 1858. Four immigrants from Denmark were attacked and killed by unidentified Native Americans. This happened in Salt Creek Canyon, a winding area near what is now Nephi in Juab County, Utah.
What Happened in Salt Creek Canyon?
In early June 1858, a group of Danish immigrants was traveling to a new home. They wanted to settle with other people from Scandinavia. Their destination was a Mormon community in the Sanpete Valley. The group included Jens Jorgensen, his pregnant wife Hedevig Marie Jensen Jorgensen, Jens Terklesen, Christian I. Kjerluf, and John Ericksen. They were not carrying any weapons.
They were traveling with an ox pulling a wagon. Another ox was pulling a handcart. A handcart is like a small cart that can be pulled by hand or an animal. On the afternoon of June 4, they were almost out of Salt Creek Canyon. They were about one and a half miles from the Sanpete Valley.
Suddenly, members of an unidentified Native American tribe came out from their hiding places. They attacked the group. Two of the men were killed and their wagon was burned. Another man was killed after running about 50 yards (46 m). The pregnant woman was also killed near the wagon.
John Ericksen had been walking a bit ahead of the others. He managed to escape unharmed. He reached the nearby town of Ephraim around dark. The ox pulling the handcart got scared by the attack. It ran back to Nephi. The bodies of the victims were taken to Ephraim for burial. It is still not clear why the attack happened.
Remembering the Event
A monument stands to remember the Salt Creek Canyon massacre. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers group put up this monument in 1936. It is monument number 11. You can find it on Utah State Route 132 between Nephi and Fountain Green, Utah. It marks the exact spot where the sad event took place.
