"Horrible Massacre of Emigrants!!" The Mountain Meadows Massacre in Public Discourse

Archive

Since September 1857, the events of the Mountain Meadows Massacre have been recounted and interpreted by innumerable writers. From newspaper articles, to government reports, to novels, to plays, and even to films, the massacre has been represented in popular culture and public discourse in ways that reflect the historical context of the writers and the meanings they derived from the events of September 11, 1857.

Rather than delving into the facts surrounding the massacre, this archive focuses on these portrayals of the Mountain Meadows Massacre and how their creators represented the event and its aftermath. Additionally, this archive gives users tools to explore these representations. With these tools, which include advanced browsing functions, concept highlighting that reveals narrative elements within texts, and visualizations that illustrate language usage and information dissemination, visitors can begin to develop their own understanding of the ways the massacre was reported on, ignored, contextualized, and reinterpreted over time.

The initial stages of this project focus on newspaper coverage of the massacre from 1857-1870. Many of the descriptions of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in later works spring from this early period of reportage, particularly from the earliest California reports of the massacre. Reports of a poisoned ox and the verbal abuse of Mormon women, as well as assertions of Mormon guilt and unburied corpses arise in these first articles and editorials and recur for many years.

Upon the completion of the first stages, newspaper accounts from the years following Philip Klingensmith’s confession and John D. Lee’s arrest, trial, and subsequent execution will be integrated into the archive. As these later newspaper articles are added, government reports about the massacre, burial of victims, the quest for reparations for families of the victims, and the Lee trial also will be folded into the archive.

In later phases of the project, fictional treatments of the Mountain Meadows Massacre will be added, as will depictions of the massacre in non-fiction works of Western Americana. Dramatizations of the massacre on stage and in film will round out the archive.

Date Source Author Title
October 3, 1857 Los Angeles Star Rumored Massacre on the Plains
October 10, 1857 Los Angeles Star Horrible Massacre of Emigrants
October 10, 1857 Los Angeles Star The Late Horrible Massacre
October 10, 1857 Los Angeles Star From Salt Lake City
October 12, 1857 San Francisco Herald Topics of the Day
October 13, 1857 Los Angeles Star Public Meeting
October 15, 1857 San Francisco Herald The Emigrant Massacre
October 17, 1857 Daily Alta California The Immigrant Massacre
October 17, 1857 San Francisco Herald Untitled [There can no longer be any doubt…]
October 17, 1857 Los Angeles Star The Duty of the Government
October 21, 1857 San Francisco Herald Perils of the Plains: The Mormons and the Late Massacre
October 23, 1857 Western Standard Untitled [Since the arrival of the last Utah mail…]
October 23, 1857 Western Standard Massacre of Emigrants–Reckless and Malignant Slanders
October 24, 1857 Los Angeles Star The Late Outrages on the Plains—Further Particulars
October 24, 1857 Los Angeles Star More Outrages on the Plains
October 27, 1857 Daily Alta California Later from the South
October 27, 1857 San Francisco Herald Untitled [From the news published in another column…]
October 31, 1857 Los Angeles Star The Late Outrages On The Plains—Another Account
November 1, 1857 Daily Alta California Futher Particulars About the Murdered Immigrants—Their Names and Circumstances—the Mormons Guilty of the Crime—How they Should be Punished
November 4, 1857 Nevada Democrat The Late Massacre on the Plains—Additional Particulars
November 6, 1857 Western Standard Killing of Immigrants—Mormons Falsely Accused—Further Endurance No Longer A Virtue
November 6, 1857 Western Standard Untitled [The news brought from the East by the John L. Stephens…]
November 7, 1857 Los Angeles Star Arrival of the Salt Lake Mail
November 7, 1857 Los Angeles Star More Outrages
November 7, 1857 Los Angeles Star Arrival of the Mail from Salt Lake City
November 9, 1857 The Daily Cleveland Herald Horrible Massacre of Emigrants—Over 100 Persons Killed
November 12, 1857 San Francisco Evening Bulletin Letter From San Bernardino: The Mormon-Indian Outrages on the Plains
November 12, 1857 Chicago Daily Tribune Horrible Massacre of Emigrants by Indians
November 14, 1857 Los Angeles Star Affairs in Utah
November 17, 1857 New York Times Horrible Massacre of Arkansas and Missouri Emigrants
November 18, 1857 The Weekly Raleigh Register Horrible Massacre of Emigrants—Over One Hundred Persons Killed
November 20, 1857 New York Times Latest Intelligence
November 21, 1857 Chicago Daily Tribune The Mormon Outrages
November 30, 1857 New York Herald News from the Plains
November 30, 1857 New York Times Arrival of the Northern Light
December 2, 1857 Cleveland Herald Mormons and Indians Butchering Emigrants
December 2, 1857 Omaha Nebraskian The Mormon Outrages
December 4, 1857 New York Herald Complicity of the Mormons in the Late Emigrant Massacre—The Indians were Tools in the Hands of the Saints
December 4, 1857 Chicago Daily Tribune Murderous Outrages by the Mormons and their Indian Allies Confirmed
December 4, 1857 Savannah Morning News Later from the Plains
December 4, 1857 Chicago Daily Tribune Terrible Massacre of Emigrants by the Mormons and Indians
December 5, 1857 Daily Chronicle & Sentinel The Late Massacre of Emigrants in the Mormon Settlements
December 5, 1857 The Salem Observer The Mormons and the Murdered Emigrants
December 7, 1857 Mormons and Indians Butchering Emigrants Mormons and Indians Butchering Emigrants
December 9, 1857 Deseret News Untitled [The California Mail…]
December 11, 1857 Daily National Intelligencer The Late Emigrant Massacre Exaggerated
December 12, 1857 Los Angeles Star Untitled [Letter to the Editor from Cajon Pass]
December 12, 1857 Los Angeles Star Public Meeting
February 4, 1858 New York Times The Utah Expedition
February 18, 1858 Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat Extract from a letter [from] Carroll Co.
February 27, 1858 Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat Public Meeting of the People of Carroll County
March 18, 1858 The Congressional Globe Massacre of Emigrants to California
March 19, 1858 The Congressional Globe Massacre of California Emigrants
April 3, 1858 Boston Cultivator Untitled [A communication from the Secretary of war…]
April 17, 1858 Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat Meeting in Newton County
May 29, 1858 Southern Vineyard The Federal Government and Utah
July 8, 1858 New York Times Interesting from Utah
August 3, 1858 New York Times Utah
August 12, 1858 San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin Morman Agency In Last Year's Massacre At Mountain Meadows
February 15, 1859 Valley Tan Untitled [The massacre at the Mountain Meadows is still fresh…]
March 15, 1859 Valley Tan Charge
March 29, 1859 New York Times From Salt Lake
March 29, 1859 Valley Tan Untitled [The Church Organ…]
March 29, 1859 Valley Tan Discharge of the Grand Jury
April 5, 1859 Valley Tan Discharge of the Grand Jury
April 5, 1859 Valley Tan Second Judicial District Court
April 7, 1859 San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin The Mountain Meadows Massacre
April 23, 1859 San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin Criminal Blundering in Utah
April 23, 1859 San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin The Mountain Meadows Massacre—A Tale of Horror
April 26, 1859 Valley Tan Untitled ["And there have been more murders committed…"]
April 27, 1859 New York Times News By Telegraph
April 29, 1859 New York Times Important From Utah
May 3, 1859 Valley Tan Personal
May 6, 1859 New York Times The Utah Massacres
May 10, 1859 Valley Tan "The Man for the Emergency"
May 11, 1859 Desert News Visit of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs to Southern Utah
May 31, 1859 San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin The Mountain Meadows Massacre: Surviving Children of the Murdered fix the Crime upon the Mormons.
June 4, 1859 New York Times Utah Affairs
June 9, 1859 New York Times Sixteen White Children Recovered from the Indains
June 9, 1859 New York Times From Utah
June 16, 1859 Chicago Press and Tribune A Tale of Horror.
June 22, 1859 Valley Tan The Judge Strong on Hanging
June 29, 1859 Deseret News Affairs in Utah
June 29, 1859 New York Times From Utah
July 7, 1859 Chicago Press and Tribune The Mormon Problem
July 7, 1859 New York Times From Utah
July 11, 1859 Chicago Press and Tribune The Mountain Meadow Massacre
July 11, 1859 Chicago Daily Tribune The Mountain Meadow Massacre
July 27, 1859 New York Times From Utah
August 8, 1859 Harper's Weekly The Massacre at Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory
August 25, 1859 San Fransisco Daily Evening Bulletin Revolution of Affairs in Mormondom
August 26, 1859 Chicago Press and Tribune Horace Greeley in Utah
September 8, 1859 Christian Observer The Massacre at Mountain Meadows
September 24, 1859 Arkansas State Gazette and Democrat Extract from a letter to this office, dated "Mt. Pleasant, Carroll Co., Ark."
December 21, 1859 Desert News Inefficiency of Federal Authorities
August 7, 1860 New York Times Affairs in Utah
June 8, 1864 Union Vedette Untitled [We are permitted to publish the following letter from Captain Geo. F. Prince…]
June 30, 1864 Union Vedette Our Notes of Travel Continued—A visit to the Mountain Meadows
December 24, 1864 Union Vedette Worse Than Sacrilege
February 3, 1865 Union Vedette Causes and Effects
February 7, 1865 Union Vedette Reasons why Utah Should not be Admitted into the Family of States
February 10, 1865 Union Vedette Murdered Innocents
June 28, 1866 Deseret News Mistakes and Corrections
July 27, 1866 Union Vedette Mountain Meadow Massacre
July 28, 1866 Union Vedette The Mountain Meadow Massacre
August 20, 1866 Union Vedette Crime in Utah
December 24, 1866 Union Vedette Local and Miscellaneous
February 16, 1867 Union Vedette Report on Utah Affairs
February 20, 1867 Deseret News Report of General Babcock
June 14, 1867 Union Vedette Libels on Mormonism
July 17, 1867 Union Vedette Mormonism Defined
November 1, 1869 Philadelphia Morning Post Utah: A Second Interview with Brigham Young, Jr.
December 1, 1869 Deseret News Mountain Meadow Massacre
September 11, 1871 Chicago Tribune Utah
February 28, 1872 Deseret News Excerpt from "Territorial Convention"
May 22, 1872 Deseret News Salt Lake City, Utah
September 14, 1872 New York Times A Massacre By Mormons
September 16, 1872 Daily Corrine Reporter The Mormon Press on Mountain Meadow
September 17, 1872 Chicago Daily Tribune Untitled [Soon after the Mormons established themselves in the Far West…]
September 18, 1872 Deseret News Special To The Deseret News
September 19, 1872 New York Evangelist Current Events
September 20, 1872 Daily Corrine Reporter Mountain Meadow Massacre
September 23, 1872 Chicago Tribune Personal—The Mountain Meadows Massacre
September 23, 1872 Salt Lake Tribune "As Ye Sow, Ye Shall Reap"
September 24, 1872 Daily Corrine Reporter Mountain Meadow Massacre
September 26, 1872 New York Times Evidence on the Mountain Meadow Massacre
September 30, 1872 Chicago Tribune Utah
September 30, 1872 New York Times Utah
November 8, 1872 Salt Lake Tribune The People's Column "Mountain Meadows Massacre"
January 30, 1873 Salt Lake Daily Tribune Lecture By C. W. Wandell
May 18, 1873 Chicago Tribune Mountain-Life
November 13, 1874 Chicago Daily Tribune The Mountain Meadows Massacre
November 13, 1874 New York Times The Mormons
May 12, 1875 Salt Lake Tribune Mountain Meadows Massacre
July 24, 1875 Salt Lake Tribune The Lee Trial
July 24, 1875 New York Times Mountain Meadows
July 30, 1875 New York Times The Mountain Meadow Massacre
August 17, 1875 Salt Lake Tribune Blood Atonement
September 1, 1875 Daily Arkansas Gazette The Mountain Meadow Massacre: Statement of one of the Few Survivors