Brigham Young, Mormons, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre Facts & Worksheets

Brigham Young and Exile to Utah

• Brigham Young was born in 1801 and worked as a carpenter and painter.
• He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1832 and became one of the twelve apostles in 1835.
• Joseph Smith founded the Church. After Smith was killed by a mob in 1844 while he was in jail in Carthage, Illinois, Brigham Young became the new leader of the Church.
• At that time, many Mormons were being badly treated in the eastern United States. They were forced to leave their homes in Missouri and Illinois. After Joseph Smith’s death, things got worse, and Brigham Young decided to lead the Mormons into exile to find safety.
• In 1847, he led thousands of Mormons on a long journey across the country. They finally reached the Salt Lake Valley in what is now called Utah. There, they started a new life, far away from others, where they hoped to live in peace.
• To help more people come to Utah, Brigham Young helped create the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company. This group helped about 80,000 Mormon converts from Britain, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe move to Utah.
• He also supported building telegraph lines to connect Mormon towns to Salt Lake City. 
• He also helped the transcontinental railway by preparing the land and organising transport.

The Mountain Meadows Massacre (1857)

• In the 1850s, there was growing tension between the Mormon settlers in Utah and the United States government. Many Americans distrusted the Mormons because of their different religious beliefs, their practice of polygamy, and the strong control Brigham Young had over both the church and the government in Utah.
• The Mormons, on the other hand, felt they were being treated unfairly and feared that outsiders would try to take away their freedom.
• In response, then U.S. President James Buchanan sent a group of U.S. Army soldiers in 1857 to restore federal control in what became known as the Utah War. Although it was mostly a show of force and there were few battles, the Mormons prepared for defence, believing they might be attacked. 
• Many Mormons feared this would lead to another attack like the ones they had faced in Missouri and Illinois, where they had been violently forced out.
• Mormon leaders warned church members not to trade with or help non-Mormons (called “Gentiles”) and asked Indigenous groups to be ready in case fighting broke out. 
• One wagon train passing through the area was the Baker–Fancher Party, a group from Arkansas travelling to California. As they passed through towns like Cedar City and Parowan, Mormon leaders refused to sell them supplies. Some travellers became angry and reportedly made threats, which increased local fears.
• In response, local Mormon leaders, including John D. Lee, Isaac C. Haight, and William H. Dame, planned an attack. They also involved a group of Paiute Indigenous people, although it's unclear how willing they were to help. 
• Nonetheless, what began as a plan to scare or punish the group turned into a massacre.
• The attack began on 7 September 1857 at a place called Mountain Meadows, where the emigrants had stopped to rest and freshen their animals before heading across the desert to San Bernardino.
• Local Mormon militia launched a surprise attack on the wagon train. The emigrants defended themselves and set up a barricade using their wagons.
• During the early attacks, it became clear that the emigrants were holding out well, and the militia failed to defeat them quickly.
• Although the attackers managed to steal some wagons and supplies, the emigrants recognised that many of the attackers were white men, not just Indigenous people. 
• The Mormon militia had tried to pretend it was only an attack on  Indigenous people, but this did not fool the emigrants.
• The fighting continued for five days. 
• On 11 September, Lee approached the travellers with a white flag, pretending they would be safely guided out of the area. 
• Tired and out of supplies, the emigrants agreed to surrender and left their defences and weapons behind.
• However, once they were separated and unarmed, they were brutally attacked. 
• Around 120 people were murdered, and only 17 small children were spared.

Aftermath

• After the massacre, many tried to blame only the Paiute Indigenous people. 
• Many people across the country were shocked and demanded answers. The U.S. government launched investigations, but it took years before anyone was punished.
• In 1874, John D. Lee, one of the main people involved, was arrested and put on trial. After two trials, he was found guilty and was executed in 1877 near the site of the massacre.
• Isaac Haight and other local leaders were indicted (formally charged) but never brought to trial, and Haight went into hiding. He was later excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• There is no clear evidence that Brigham Young ordered the massacre. He denied it and said he didn’t know about it until after it ended.

Legacy and Historical Impact

• The Mountain Meadows Massacre is still seen as one of the most tragic events in early American and Mormon history.
• For many years, people argued about who was truly responsible, and some tried to cover up what had happened. The event damaged the reputation of the Mormon community and increased mistrust between Mormons and the rest of the country. 
• Even though Brigham Young did not take part in the killings, some historians believe his leadership style and the tense situation in Utah at the time helped create the conditions that allowed the attack to happen.
• As both Church leader and Governor of Utah Territory, he had a lot of power, and some feel he should have done more to prevent such violence.
• Over time, historians found more evidence about the roles of local leaders, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has since expressed sorrow for the killings. 
• In 2007, 150 years after the massacre, the church officially called the event a “terrible tragedy” and placed a memorial at the site.