Mountain Meadows Massacre
25.4 miles North on UT-18 from St. George
Close to Veyo, Utah in Washington County
In 1999, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint placed a burial site monument in Mountain Meadows to remember the horrible deaths of 100 to 140 people in September of 1857. Just a two minute walk up a cement trail is a display with information of what took place and views of where it took place.
There has been plenty of controversy over what happened in that fall in 1857 but whatever happened it was a horrific tragedy.
The victims were a wagon train full of emigrants from Arkansas simply looking for a better life in California. The group is know as the Baker-Fancher wagon train group.
The Utah Territorial Militia (Mormon Battalion) solicited the help of the Paiute Indians and actually dressed up like Indians t0 apparently give the impression that Indians were responsible for the attack.
Before the attacks, the Mormons were persecuted and murdered driving them to the west. The deaths include the church founder and profit Joseph Smith.
Rumors of misdeeds lead to the hostile environment which lead to the deal of all those over 8 years old in the party. Those under 8 who were spared were then placed with Mormon Families.
Church leader at the time, Brigham Young, was not found guilty in the matter but it is believed that he planned a denial and cover-up. Much later, the church opened up about the massacre and placed a monument at the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
