Tintic War facts for kids
The Tintic War was a series of short fights that happened in February 1856. These battles took place in the Tintic and Cedar Valleys of Utah. They happened after another conflict called the Walker War had ended. This war was named after a Ute leader known as Tintic. It involved several clashes between the settlers and the native Ute people. Most of these fights started because the Ute people were stealing cattle from the settlers. This happened because there was a serious drought, which made it hard for them to find food.
Who Fought in the Tintic War?
The Tintic War was a conflict between the native Ute people and the settlers who had moved into the Tintic and Cedar Valleys. The Ute tribe had lived in these valleys for a long time. The settlers were mostly members of the Mormon faith. The main leader for the Ute people during this time was a sub-chief named Tintic.
Why Did the Tintic War Start?
At first, the settlers and the Ute people got along fairly well. However, small fights began to break out between them. The first major battle happened at a place called Battle Creek.
These conflicts started because the Ute people had been forced to leave their traditional lands by the settlers. During the cold winter, they did not have enough food or resources to survive. They began to starve. The new settlers, who were mostly from Europe, moved into the area. They started building mining towns. They used up many of the land's resources, like timber and game animals. They also changed the flow of water.
The settlers were very successful at raising livestock and growing crops on the land. Because the Ute people were starving and their resources were gone, they had to start stealing from the settlers to survive. Brigham Young, an important leader among the settlers, once talked about these early problems. He said that the Ute people "came pretty nigh starving to death last winter." He also noted that they knew if they were "driven from these valleys in winter, they must perish."
What Happened After the Tintic War?
The Tintic War ended when the U.S. government stepped in. In the late 1860s, the government moved the Ute people from their lands. They were taken to a special area called the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, located in the Uinta Basin.
However, moving the Ute people did not solve all the problems right away. The government never actually bought the lands from the Ute people. This caused issues that continued for many years, even after World War II. Later, a group called the Indian Claims Commission asked for money for the lands that had been taken from the Ute people.
