Podcasts about Utah War

In this episode of Welcome To The Party Pal hosts Michael Shields and Douglas Grant break down American Primeval, the American Western miniseries created and written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg. Starring Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin, the series is set in 1857 during the Utah War and examines the fight to gain control of the American West and the violent clash between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and cultures in the Utah Territory, centering on the events surrounding the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Join in on an episode that tips its cowboy hat to captivating storytelling, a jaw dropping performance by Shea Whigham, and a surprisingly tender series conclusion, all while giving birth to what will forever be known as the "Revenant-Verse." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode of Taking It Down opens with a welcome specific to new listeners (0:01) before a quick summary for the week (0:45). Donovan and Blaine then talk about what sticks with them throughout the fifty years of 'Saturday Night Live' (2:17) before shifting into the different Wild West of the Utah War in Netflix's series 'American Primeval' (6:59). The guys break down the show and its connections with no spoilers before discussing some of 'Severance' and its fifth episode in the non-spoiler section of the podcast (21:52). After the break in the spoiler section of the week, it's only the fifth episode of 'Severance,' which gives both Donovan and Blaine a lot to think about despite its mid-point episode appearance (24:53). Find this podcast and a lot more on the website The Alabama Take.

Sing Sing is a theater and prison drama directed by Greg Kwedar and written by Clint Bentley and Kwedar from a story by Bentley, Kwedar, Clarence “Divine Eye” Maclin, and John “Divine G” Whitfield. It is nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Colman Domingo and Best Adapted Screenplay. And: American Primeval is a Netflix limited series written and created by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg. It’s set in 1857 during the Utah War, and it stars Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Jai Courtney, Shea Whigham, and more. GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani: Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Taneisha Duggan: Associate producer at Octopus Theatricals Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Lindsay and Bryan as they dive into the explosive history of the Utah War for part two of our Utah War series. We explore the complex interplay of guerrilla tactics, federal overreach, and theocratic resistance that defined this strange conflict. From Brigham Young's bold proclamations to Porter Rockwell's psychological warfare, the duo unpacks how …

Join Lindsay and Bryan as they dive into the explosive history of the Utah War for part two of our Utah War series. We explore the complex interplay of guerrilla tactics, federal overreach, and theocratic resistance that defined this strange conflict. From Brigham Young's bold proclamations to Porter Rockwell's psychological warfare, the duo unpacks how …

The Netflix mini-series “American Primeval” depicts the Utah War with extreme brutality. It's also raising questions about historical accuracy.

Lindsay Hansen Park is a prominent Mormon history scholar and consultant for Hollywood productions, including the wildy popular Netlix series "American Primeval" and Hulu's "Under the Banner of Heaven".Lindsay shares her insights on the creative and historical aspects of portraying Mormon history in American Primeval, the challenges of balancing historical accuracy with storytelling, and her perspective on Brigham Young's controversial legacy. We discuss the harsh realities of the Utah War, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and the Mormon pioneers' journey to Utah. Lindsay and I explore the complexity of faith, survival, and representation in media in this one.Lidsay's Website: Sunstone.orgCheck out my Online Men's Coaching Community We Are The They and see how it's changing men's lives across the globe!Get my FREE guide with 45 Days of Simple Tips to Become a Better ManPick up my USA Today bestselling book Be One: How to Be a Healthy Man in Toxic TimesJoin the Real Men, Real Conversations Facebook Group

Dive into the chaotic and fascinating history of the Utah War with Lindsay and Bryan. They’ll unravel how political paranoia, religious zeal, and national stereotypes collided in the 1850s, leading to guerrilla warfare, fiery rhetoric from Brigham Young, and nearly one-third of the U.S. Army marching into Utah Territory. Was it truly a “bloodless war”? …

Dive into the chaotic and fascinating history of the Utah War with Lindsay and Bryan. They’ll unravel how political paranoia, religious zeal, and national stereotypes collided in the 1850s, leading to guerrilla warfare, fiery rhetoric from Brigham Young, and nearly one-third of the U.S. Army marching into Utah Territory. Was it truly a “bloodless war”? …

1. The Potential TikTok Ban and Its Political FalloutThe episode delved into the potential banning of TikTok in the U.S. and the political ripples it could create, particularly for Republicans if such a move is executed shortly after inauguration. The hosts speculated on notable buyers like Kevin O'Leary and Elon Musk and even shared a humorous anecdote about a fake Elon Musk account jesting about buying TikTok and renaming it. The discussion invoked a sense of nostalgia for Vine and posed the idea that Elon Musk could revive it as a strong competitor to TikTok.2. Wildfires in California: Insurance and Economic ImpactThe hosts painted a grim picture of the wildfires in California, predicting them to be the costliest disaster in U.S. history, with insurance costs estimated between $250 and $270 billion. They critiqued California's environmental laws and insurance regulations, arguing that restrictions on insurance premium adjustments have prompted companies to withdraw fire insurance, negatively impacting residents. They also called out the government's poor allocation of resources as a contributing factor to the disaster, pointing fingers at infrastructure issues like old power lines and the lack of maintenance.3. Capitalism vs. Increasing RegulationsA significant portion of the episode focused on the alleged decline of capitalism due to increasing regulatory interventions. The hosts contended that true capitalism hasn't existed since the Federal Reserve was established. They drew historical parallels, such as the Utah War, to make their case about governmental overreach infringing on personal freedoms and private property. The discussion touched on how modern governance, particularly in states like California, has altered traditional property ownership through mechanisms like property taxes.4. California Taxes and Political Allocation of FundsDiamond Hands D issued a strong critique of California's high taxes, alleging misallocation of funds to various unions instead of essential public services like fire and police stations. The conversation included a discussion on the Democrat-union relationship, where Democrats are purported to promise high wages to unions, creating a cycle of support and financial mismanagement. The hosts went further, suggesting that hot-button social issues like abortion rights are used to distract the public from financial improprieties.5. Rebranding and Cultural Shifts of Mark ZuckerbergThe episode covered the noticeable shift in Mark Zuckerberg's public image towards more conservative and traditionally masculine traits. The hosts discussed how cultural and political pressures, such as perceived governmental influence, potentially pushed Zuckerberg towards censorship practices in the past. They observed his recent rebranding efforts, which include personal choices like fitness and martial arts training, signaling an alignment with more conservative values and an attempt to reshape his image.By highlighting these multifaceted discussions, the "Capitalist Investor" podcast effectively engaged its audience with timely and provocative content, analyzing current events through the lens of economic and political ideologies. Whether examining policy impacts, corporate actions, or cultural shifts, this episode offered a comprehensive look at issues shaping today's political and economic landscapes.

January 9 saw the release of a new Netflix series, American Primeval, set in the context of mid-19th-century Utah. Though the series is fictionalized, many of the events and peoples depicted are real, including the Utah War, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Mormon settlers, and the Shoshone, Ute, and Paiute Indians. Historians Barbara Jones Brown and Darren Parry join host John Dehlin for this live podcast to answer viewer's questions about which aspects of the series are factual and which are historical fiction. Barbara is co-author of Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath, and Darren is the author of The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History. Barbara and Darren offer a unique perspective because they are not only historians of this time period in Utah, they are direct descendants of peoples depicted in the mini-series--Darren is Northwestern Shoshone, and Barbara is a descendant of perpetrators of the horrific massacre at Mountain Meadows. Show Notes YouTube Mormon Stories Thanks Our Generous Donors! Help us continue to deliver quality content by becoming a donor today: One-time or recurring donation through Donorbox Support us on Patreon PayPal Venmo Our Platforms: YouTube Patreon Spotify Apple Podcasts Contact us:MormonStories@gmail.comPO Box 171085, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 Social Media: Insta: @mormstories TikTok: @mormonstoriespodcast Join the Discord

The Mountain Meadows Massacre—easily the darkest and most violent episode in our Church's history—happened on September 11, 1857, when a group of Latter-day Saints, aided by some Paiute Native Americans, participated in the wholesale slaughter of around 120 men, women, and children belonging to a wagon train of emigrants from Arkansas en route to California.  This atrocity occurred against the backdrop of the 1857 Utah War when the feelings of Latter-day Saints were already set on edge. As federal US troops marched toward Utah with unknown intentions, Church leaders used defiant rhetoric and counseled the Saints—who had been victims of government-sanctioned violence before—to conserve their resources and be ready for anything. It was in this unfortunate atmosphere of hysteria that those in the Arkansas wagon train found themselves as they passed through Utah. So by the time these emigrants purportedly said and did offensive things toward some Latter-day Saints, the stage had already been tragically set for the highly irrational and totally unjustified violent response they received in return.  In this episode of Church History Matters, we walk through the details of how this atrocity unfolded under the direction of local Latter-day Saint leaders and think about what possible lessons we might glean from this darkest hour of our history. For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

After the 1838 “Mormon War” and their official expulsion from Missouri, Latter-day Saints relocated to Illinois where they built up the city of Nauvoo and a number of other settlements in Hancock County. After a short time of relative peace, they were again embroiled in conflict with their enemies which culminated in the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. This was followed two years later by the battle of Nauvoo and yet another expulsion from a US state with the blessing of its governor. Then it was off to the West where, not long after the Saints' arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, conflicts began to arise with Native Americans. And by 1857 US President James Buchanan had ordered a force of 2,500 military personnel, under the command of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, to march to Utah to ensure that Brigham Young be replaced as the governor of Utah, which brought on the “Utah War.”   Today on Church History Matters, we discuss all of this and of course trace Latter-day Saint involvment in the violence which occured along the way.  For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/   

This week, Amber covers the murder of Carrie Ann Jopek. Carrie Ann's case went cold for 30 years before her killer confessed. Then, Naomi takes us back to US westward expansion and a most notable tragedy inflicted at the hands of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For this episode, Amber was drinking a South Australian Chardonnay from Ravelston CellarsAmber's Sources:Man charged in 1982 killing of 13-year-old Milwaukee girl gets 7 years after plea deal"I can't take back how it happened:" Man charged in 1982 death of Carrie Ann Jopek gets 7 years in prisonCarrie Ann Jopek case: Plea deal in 1982 death of girl pushed down stairs - CBS NewsWhy Carrie Ann Jopek's Killer Confessed Over 30 Years LaterNaomi's Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_Massacre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints#Beliefs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Book_of_Mormon#Beliefs_of_Latter-day_Saints https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology_and_the_Book_of_Mormon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Executive_Order_44 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young Support the Show.Go check out our patreon page athttps://www.patreon.com/crimewineandchaosFor more information about Crime, Wine & Chaos, or to simply reach out and say "hi,"https://www.crimewineandchaos.comhttps://www.facebook.com/crimewineandchaoshttps://www.instagram.com/crimewineandchaospodhttps://twitter.com/crimewinechaosCrime, Wine & Chaos is produced by 8th Direction Records.Amber is the vocalist, and attempted mandolin player in the band, Tin Foil Top Hat. You can find more of her work on all of the music streaming platforms or athttps://www.tinfoiltophat.com

In this never-before-told history of Buffalo Bill and the Mormons, Brent M. Rogers presents the intersections in the epic histories of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the Latter-day Saints from 1846 through 1917. In Cody's autobiography he claimed to have been a member of the U.S. Army wagon train that was burned by the Saints during the Utah War of 1857-58. Less than twenty years later he began his stage career and gained notoriety by performing anti-Mormon dramas. By early 1900 he actively recruited Latter-day Saints to help build infrastructure and encourage growth in the region surrounding his town of Cody, Wyoming. In Buffalo Bill and the Mormons (U Nebraska Press, 2024), Rogers unravels this history and the fascinating trajectory that took America's most famous celebrity from foe to friend of the Latter-day Saints. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the evolving relationship between Cody and the Latter-day Saints can help readers better understand the political and cultural perceptions of Mormons and the American West. Brent M. Rogers connects the histories of William F. ""Buffalo Bill"" Cody and the Mormons, highlighting two pillars of the American West to better understand cultural and political perceptions, image-making, and performance from the 1840s through the early 1900s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In this never-before-told history of Buffalo Bill and the Mormons, Brent M. Rogers presents the intersections in the epic histories of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the Latter-day Saints from 1846 through 1917. In Cody's autobiography he claimed to have been a member of the U.S. Army wagon train that was burned by the Saints during the Utah War of 1857-58. Less than twenty years later he began his stage career and gained notoriety by performing anti-Mormon dramas. By early 1900 he actively recruited Latter-day Saints to help build infrastructure and encourage growth in the region surrounding his town of Cody, Wyoming. In Buffalo Bill and the Mormons (U Nebraska Press, 2024), Rogers unravels this history and the fascinating trajectory that took America's most famous celebrity from foe to friend of the Latter-day Saints. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the evolving relationship between Cody and the Latter-day Saints can help readers better understand the political and cultural perceptions of Mormons and the American West. Brent M. Rogers connects the histories of William F. ""Buffalo Bill"" Cody and the Mormons, highlighting two pillars of the American West to better understand cultural and political perceptions, image-making, and performance from the 1840s through the early 1900s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In this never-before-told history of Buffalo Bill and the Mormons, Brent M. Rogers presents the intersections in the epic histories of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the Latter-day Saints from 1846 through 1917. In Cody's autobiography he claimed to have been a member of the U.S. Army wagon train that was burned by the Saints during the Utah War of 1857-58. Less than twenty years later he began his stage career and gained notoriety by performing anti-Mormon dramas. By early 1900 he actively recruited Latter-day Saints to help build infrastructure and encourage growth in the region surrounding his town of Cody, Wyoming. In Buffalo Bill and the Mormons (U Nebraska Press, 2024), Rogers unravels this history and the fascinating trajectory that took America's most famous celebrity from foe to friend of the Latter-day Saints. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the evolving relationship between Cody and the Latter-day Saints can help readers better understand the political and cultural perceptions of Mormons and the American West. Brent M. Rogers connects the histories of William F. ""Buffalo Bill"" Cody and the Mormons, highlighting two pillars of the American West to better understand cultural and political perceptions, image-making, and performance from the 1840s through the early 1900s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

In this never-before-told history of Buffalo Bill and the Mormons, Brent M. Rogers presents the intersections in the epic histories of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the Latter-day Saints from 1846 through 1917. In Cody's autobiography he claimed to have been a member of the U.S. Army wagon train that was burned by the Saints during the Utah War of 1857-58. Less than twenty years later he began his stage career and gained notoriety by performing anti-Mormon dramas. By early 1900 he actively recruited Latter-day Saints to help build infrastructure and encourage growth in the region surrounding his town of Cody, Wyoming. In Buffalo Bill and the Mormons (U Nebraska Press, 2024), Rogers unravels this history and the fascinating trajectory that took America's most famous celebrity from foe to friend of the Latter-day Saints. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the evolving relationship between Cody and the Latter-day Saints can help readers better understand the political and cultural perceptions of Mormons and the American West. Brent M. Rogers connects the histories of William F. ""Buffalo Bill"" Cody and the Mormons, highlighting two pillars of the American West to better understand cultural and political perceptions, image-making, and performance from the 1840s through the early 1900s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

In this never-before-told history of Buffalo Bill and the Mormons, Brent M. Rogers presents the intersections in the epic histories of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the Latter-day Saints from 1846 through 1917. In Cody's autobiography he claimed to have been a member of the U.S. Army wagon train that was burned by the Saints during the Utah War of 1857-58. Less than twenty years later he began his stage career and gained notoriety by performing anti-Mormon dramas. By early 1900 he actively recruited Latter-day Saints to help build infrastructure and encourage growth in the region surrounding his town of Cody, Wyoming. In Buffalo Bill and the Mormons (U Nebraska Press, 2024), Rogers unravels this history and the fascinating trajectory that took America's most famous celebrity from foe to friend of the Latter-day Saints. In doing so, the book demonstrates how the evolving relationship between Cody and the Latter-day Saints can help readers better understand the political and cultural perceptions of Mormons and the American West. Brent M. Rogers connects the histories of William F. ""Buffalo Bill"" Cody and the Mormons, highlighting two pillars of the American West to better understand cultural and political perceptions, image-making, and performance from the 1840s through the early 1900s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Join host Jacob as he discusses the life of Brigham Young! Today's episode will also discuss Joseph Smith, the Mormon Church, and the Utah War! Enjoy!

Join host Jacob as he discusses the life of Brigham Young! Today's episode will also discuss Joseph Smith, the Mormon Church, and the Utah War! Enjoy!

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Bruce Worthen about his recent book Mormon Envoy: The Diplomatic Legacy of Dr. John Milton Bernhisel  (U. of Illinois Press). Worthen unfolds the little known contributions of Bernhisel, who as historian Matt Grow aptly quipped, seems to "have his fingerprints all over Mormon history during this period." We chat about the 1857 Utah War, Bernhisel's rags-to-riches education at the University of Pennsylvania and in New York City, his status as confidant to Joseph Smith, Emma Smith, Brigham Young, and Joseph Smith III, and much more. Join us to learn about the enigmatic man you've never heard of behind some of the most memorable events in early Mormon history.

On 26 June 1858, COL Albert Sidney Johnston ordered his troops forward, marching them towards Salt Lake City. For over a year, they had endured cold, hunger, and grueling marches. Now, as they entered Salt Lake City, they found it abandoned -- other than a few Soldiers of the Nauvoo Legion, who stood ready to set the city ablaze if Johnston's Soldiers began rampaging. How did Johnston's Army feel about this ambiguous end to a year-long campaign?  How did Latter-day Saints deal with uncertainty amid Army patrols and evacuation orders? And how effective were these military measures, when the spirited young men and women of Pioneer Utah wanted to be together? On this episode, we explore: ○  Johnston's Decision to March to Salt Lake City before he could be reinforced -- and all the glory for a successful campaign stolen -- by General William S. Harney.  ○  The Nauvoo Legion's efforts to evacuate the city and prepare it for burning.○  How the young men and women of pioneer Utah creatively defied evacuation orders, armed sentries, and patrols, to be together.  ○  Johnston's march through Salt Lake City, despite the taunting appearance of BG James Ferguson and the Nauvoo Legion Cavalry.  ○  Mixed reactions -- both of disappointment and awe -- at entering Salt Lake City.  ○  Loud complaints of New York Times correspondent James Simonton at the distance that the Latter-day Saint women maintained from both him and the Army -- and one obvious reason why that Simonton seemingly overlooked.  ○  The end of the Utah War and tribute to Thomas L. Kane of Pennsylvania.For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War. It is available on Amazon and Google Books.  Search Terms: Thomas L. Kane, Brigham Young, COL Albert Sidney Johnston, New York Times, James Simonton, James Ferguson,  Governor Alfred Cumming, Utah War, Camp Scott, Fort Bridger, Wyoming History, Utah History, James Buchanan, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, U.S. Army, American West, Romance, Courtship, and Marriage in Pioneer Utah, Polygamy, Monogamy.

In March 1858, Thomas Kane's efforts to end the Utah War had been fruitless.  a week with COL Albert Sidney Johnston and the U.S. Army on the plains of Wyoming. President James Buchanan had sent the Army to Utah, to remove Brigham Young as Governor and replace him with Alfred Cumming. This had led to a months-long armed standoff between the US Army and the Latter-day Saint militia. Sensing that he alone could work out a peace between the two sides, Thomas Kane raced to the Wyoming Wilderness, at personal expense and with no official authority, to throw himself between the Armies and negotiate a peace. But after months of grueling travel, personal danger, and several close calls with death, Thomas Kane had made no progress in convincing COL Johnston or his staff to de-escalate the conflict.     This would change on the night of March 16th, when Kane called on COL Johnston with an usual request. Kane asked for permission to pass through the Army's defensive line to travel to the Latter-day Saint militia and deliver a sealed letter to Brigham Young. As one of the few outsiders that the Latter-day Saints trusted, Kane could cross through the Nauvoo Legion's defenses without trouble, even though they had brought the U.S. Army campaign to a cautious halt.  COL Johnston gave him permission. and so Kane armed himself with two pistols, took his brother's rifle, mounted his horse, and headed west, passing through the Sentry Line and riding towards the Latter-day Saint militia.On this episode, we explore Kane's secret message to Brigham Young, his close call with death as he survived an attempt on his life, his meeting with William Kimball where he proposed an audacious plan - Bring Alfred Cumming alone into Salt Lake City, leaving the Army without a mission or purpose, and set the stage for a lasting peace.  To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War. It is available on Amazon and Google Books.  o   Matthew J. Grow, “I have Given Myself to the Devil: Thomas L. Kane and the Culture of Honor,” 73 Utah Hist. Q. 4 (2005).  o   Richard D. Poll, “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War,” 61 Utah Hist. Q. 2 (1993). o   Elder Lance B. Wickman, “Thomas L. Kane: Outrider for Zion,” Ensign (September 2003).Search Terms: Thomas L. Kane, Brigham Young, COL Albert Sidney Johnston, CPT Culvier Grover, MAJ Fitz John Porter, Governor Alfred Cumming, Utah War, Camp Scott, Fort Bridger, Wyoming History, Utah History, James Buchanan, Patrick "Pat" Kane, Elizabeth Kane, Echo Canyon, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, U.S. Army, American West. Note: During their lifetimes, a debate came up between Alfred Cumming and Thomas Kane on one side and Major Fitz John Porter on the other as to whether Cumming was heading off into the unknown or whether Brigham Young had invited him into the Salt Lake Valley. It seems clear that Young had not passed any message to Cumming (a good part of Kane's discussion with William Kimball was focused on what to do if Brigham Young did not agree) -- but Kane may have overplayed his hand in assuring Cumming he would be well received.  

In the 1850s, Jim Bridger put his extensive knowledge of the West to use by guiding wealthy adventurers, geological surveyors, and the U.S. military. Then, in 1862, the discovery of gold in Montana sparked yet another gold rush, leading thousands of prospectors to illegally trespass on Lakota and Cheyenne land via the Bozeman trail, resulting in violence. The Army intervened and hired Bridger once again as their guide. Additionally covered in this episode is the Mountain Meadows massacre, the Utah War, and the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851.   This is part four in the Jim Bridger series. Links for the previous three installments below.   Check out my website for more true tales from the wild and woolly west! https://www.wildwestextra.com/     Email me! https://www.wildwestextra.com/contact/     Buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wildwest     Free Newsletter! https://wildwestjosh.substack.com/     Join Patreon for bonus content! https://www.patreon.com/wildwestextra     Jim Bridger Pt 1 | Ashley's 100 - https://www.wildwestextra.com/jim-bridger-ashleys-100/     Jim Bridger Pt 2 | Bugs Boys - https://www.wildwestextra.com/jim-bridger-bugs-boys/     Jim Bridger Pt 3 | Mormons - https://www.wildwestextra.com/jim-bridger-mormons/     Jim Bridger Trailblazer of the American West | Jerry Enzler - https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Bridger-Trailblazer-American-West/dp/080619197X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39712IOHTJVTB&keywords=jim+bridger+jerry+enzler&qid=1675001445&s=books&sprefix=jim+bridger+jerry%2Cstripbooks%2C120&sr=1-1     To Be a Rebel | David Loos https://open.spotify.com/show/3MB010NPTevGamVDMF4kqW     Listen to Texas History Lessons for Texas History! https://www.texashistorylessons.com/

On the night of 9 March 1858, Thomas L. Kane was trudging through a heavy snow storm on his self-appointed mission to End the Utah War. He had convinced Brigham Young and Church Leaders to extend an olive branch to the Army Expedition by offering them large quantities of food and supplies.  But now, over 25 feet of snow buried the mountain roads. With temperatures plummeting and winds howling, Kane found himself growing weaker while the storm raged around him. Sensing that he might not survive, the sickly Kane decided to prepare for the worst. He wrote a letter to Alfred Cumming, the incoming Governor of Utah traveling with the Army:  "Dear sir: In case of accident I write this memorandum to apprise you that I am the bearer of overtures for peace from Gov. Brigham Young. Letters from Pres. Buchanan throwing light upon my position will be found upon my person. My other letters and effects I beg may be forwarded to my family at Philadelphia."  But three days later, Kane, insensible and frosted, would ride into the Army Camp. On this episode, we explore Thomas Kane's awkward meeting with COL Johnston, how the Soldiers of the expedition openly grumbled that Kane should be hanged as a "Mormon spy," how Kane's relationship with Johnston soured to the point that he challenged the Commander to a duel, and how his efforts to convince Johnston to reciprocate Brigham Young's olive branch instead gave the impression that the Latter-day Saints were weak, divided, and vulnerable.  We remember how, at the end of his week at the Army Camp, Kane was farther from peace then ever . . . And yet how, when all hope seemed gone, he struck upon an idea that would prove his single greatest contribution to end the Utah War.  To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War. It is available on Amazon and Google Books.  o   Matthew J. Grow, “I have Given Myself to the Devil: Thomas L. Kane and the Culture of Honor,” 73 Utah Hist. Q. 4 (2005).  o   Richard D. Poll, “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War,” 61 Utah Hist. Q. 2 (1993). o   Elder Lance B. Wickman, “Thomas L. Kane: Outrider for Zion,” Ensign (September 2003).Search Terms: Thomas L. Kane, Brigham Young, COL Albert Sidney Johnston, CPT Culvier Grover, MAJ Fitz John Porter, Orin Porter Rockwell, Governor Alfred Cumming, CPT John W. Phelps, Utah War, Fort Bridger,Camp Scott, Ecklesville, James Buchanan, Patrick "Pat" Kane, Elizabeth Kane, Echo Canyon, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, U.S. Army, American West.The Title of this Episode comes from the report of a French Correspondent with the Army Camp, who reported that Kane "literally fell as a bombshell in the midst of federal officers."  

In February 1858, the Latter-day Saints and the U.S. Army were in an armed standoff on the frozen plains of Wyoming.  The Army, under the command of COL Albert Sidney Johnston, were on half rations, and suffering from a lack of salt. The Latter-day Saints seemed to have the upper hand for the time being, though they faced growing threats from all sides.  In the middle of this stalemate a strange letter arrived in Salt Lake City for Brigham Young.  It had come express from the town of Nephi, about 80 miles to the south.  The note, scrawled in a hurry, contained this cryptic message: “My dear sir, I trust you will recognize my handwriting. That I have made [the journey] in six weeks from New York may persuade you that I am on no fool's errand . . . . I send this to you by express, and urge you to postpone any military movement of importance until we meet and have a serious interview. If you cannot see the expediency of doing so on other grounds, I entreat it as a favor – in requital of the services which I rendered your people in their less prosperous days. I remain their friend, to serve them faithfully, Dr. Osborne.”  Two days later, pale and shaking with illness, the mysterious “Doctor Osborne” arrived in the city – it was none other than their friend, Colonel Thomas Kane, who could now dispense with his pseudonym.   He had indeed made the trip in 6 weeks, traveling night and day to reach Salt Lake City before the Latter-day Saints and the U.S. Army came to battle. But his message to the Saints -- to welcome the Army into the valley, and immediately send them food and supplies, turned out to be a hard sell. Some (like George A. Smith) scoffed at this idea.  How COL Kane managed to (as his wife Elizabeth would later write),  "turn a whole people's will and make them ask for peace in the hour of their triumph.” To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  David L. Bigler, "The Crisis at Fort Limhi 185, 35 Utah Hist. Q. 2 (1967), available at https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume35_1967_number2/s/104099. For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War. It is available on Amazon and Google Books.  Search Terms: Thomas L. Kane, Brigham Young, George A. Smith, Utah War, Fort Bridger, James Buchanan, Patrick "Pat" Kane, Echo Canyon, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, U.S. Army, American West, Fort Limhi, Shashone, Bannock, Attack. 

This episode continues the adventures of Thomas L. Kane, who left his home in February 1858 and set out for Salt Lake City.  His self-imposed mission was to stop the Utah War.  His plan was, as his wife Elizabeth later wrote, was somewhat hazy:  “Tom's plan was to go in disguise to Utah by way of California, winter though it was, and make his unexpected appearance at Brigham Young's very gates, relying upon his own mental force and Young's knowledge of the sincerity of his goodwill to the Mormons. He actually intended to turn a whole people's will and make them ask for peace in the hour of their triumph.”  But before he could get to Brigham Young's gates, he first had to pass through the towns of Los Angeles and San Bernadino. At the time, both these towns were hornet nests of anti-Mormon frenzy.  On this episode, we recount:  o  How Thomas Kane assumed the identity of "Doctor Osborne," and came up with a cover story about needing to get to Utah to collect specimens of western flora. We recount how (somewhat ham-fisted) effort at undercover work.       o  Just how dangerous Los Angeles and San Bernadino were for Latter-day Saints in 1857 - 1858.  For background, we recount the (mis)adventures of William Wall, who passed through San Bernadino on his way home to Provo from a mission to Australia.  He was pursued by a lynch mob, but managed to evade them twice. But he had a final confrontation as he prepared to leave the City.  We recount how, as William Wall was surrounded, he bore a "powerful testimony of the Gospel."  Then, he bore a different kind of testimony with what he called a "splendid double-barreled shotgun" and a "good Bowie knife," impressing upon the mob that some of them would die along with him.     o The Vigilance Committee of San Bernadino's efforts to hunt the mysterious "Doctor Osborne."    o How Kane saved from the violence of the Vigilance Committee by Frances Swan Clark and Colonel Alden Jackson.  To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources:     o  Ardis A. Parshall, "Frances Swan Clark: A Kindness Remembered," essay posted 18 May 2008 and last visited on 6 November 2022, http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2008/05/18/frances-swan-clark-a-kindness-remembered-redux/.  I came across Parshall's essay in MacKinnon, At Sword's Point, Part 2 Chapter 7, n. 34, so thanks to both Parshall and MacKinnon!   o For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War. It is available on Amazon and Google Books.  Search Terms: Frances Swan (Kimball Clark) Clark, Winter Quarters, Thomas L. Kane, Patrick Kane, Utah War, Albert Sidney Johnston, "Doctor Osborne," George Clark, William Wall, William Pickett, Elizabeth Kane, James Buchanan, Brigham Young, Ebenezer Hanks, Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Mississippi River, Mormon Pioneers, Plural Marriage, Polygamy, Secret Identity, Vigilance Committee, Lynch Mobs, Old West, Colonel Alden Jackson,         

At the crisis of the Utah War -- Arguably the most dangerous moment in the history of the Latter-day Saints -- Colonel Thomas Kane set out on a bold plan: He would travel to Utah and Wyoming, in the dead of winter, throw himself between the U.S. Army and the Latter-day Saints, and hammer out a peace agreement. Nobody -- including President James Buchanan and his own father, Judge John Kane -- believed he would succeed. Yet Thomas Kane declared to Buchanan, "I am determined to go, with or without your approbation."  On this episode (Part I of III), we remember Colonel Thomas Kane, the greatest hero of the Utah War.  Thomas Kane was born to wealthy and influential parents. His father, John Kane, was a federal judge and a leading Jacksonian Democrat. The Kane family was driven by a deep need for adventure, exploration, and humanitarian causes. Elisha would become a Navy Officer and an explorer.  When the British expedition of Sir John Franklin disappeared into the Arctic in 1845, Elisha would answer the pleas of Lady Jane Franklin for a rescue mission. He would make two grueling expeditions to the frozen Arctic wastes in an effort to find and rescue the unfortunate crew of the Terror. Thomas was, in some ways, different from his brother Elisha. At 5 and a half feet and 130 pounds, Thomas was frequently laid low with illness. But he shared his brother's deep need for hardship and rugged adventure, which seemed to bring him to life.  His brother John would later write, “Tom is never so well as when exposed to that which would kill most men of his build, and that a hard life in open air—not matter how hard—always agrees with him better than the most tranquil sedentary existence." On this episode, we recount:- Thomas's efforts to follow in his brother's tracks, and lead his own expedition to the frozen Arctic to rescue the unfortunate crews of the H.M.S. Terror and the H.M.S. Erebus.  - Thomas Kane's grief at the death of his friend, LDS Apostle Jedediah M. Grant.- Thomas Kane's need for rugged adventure and open-handed philanthropy- Thomas Kane's hair-trigger sensitivity for anything he viewed as a slight to his honor, and even after suffering a gunshot wound to the face during the 1861 Battle of Dranesville (near present-day Arlington, Virginia), he was determined to move forward and fight a duel against a fellow Union Officer.  - His wife Elizabeth's desperate effort to stop her husband from dueling To learn more about the stories in this episode, please check out these (excellent!) sources: o   Matthew J. Grow, “I have Given Myself to the Devil: Thomas L. Kane and the Culture of Honor,” 73 Utah Hist. Q. 4 (2005).  NOTE: In this episode, I state as a fact that Elisha Kent Kane married Margaret Fox.  Matthew Grow's article describes the history of their romance and their love letters.  Margaret Fox claimed they were married; the surviving Kane family strenuously disputed her claim.  o   Richard D. Poll, “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War,” 61 Utah Hist. Q. 2 (1993) o   Elder Lance B. Wickman, “Thomas L. Kane: Outrider for Zion,” Ensign (September 2003) o For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War.     

Before Lot Smith's raid on the Wagon Supplies, conventional wisdom in the Government and the Nation seemed to be that talk of the Latter-day Saints actually resisting the Army was just that – Talk.   But when news of the raid finally reached the states, it was shocking. Overnight, Johnston's Army lost roughly half its supplies for the campaign. Johnston and his troops would spend a hungry, freezing winter on half-rations in the ashes of what had once been Fort Bridger – which also had been burned by the Nauvoo Legion to deny shelter to Johnston's troops.        But Lot Smith's raid sparked a dangerous escalation of the conflict.  A Grand Jury hastily handed down indictments for treason against Church Leaders, raising the grim prospect of death by hanging.  Army leaders -- Johnston, McClellan, William T. Sherman, Harney -- all longed for a pitched battle against the Mormons.  Latter-day Saints faced danger and new threats from the north (with native tribes turning against them), from the south (with the intrepid Captain Randolph Marcy on the verge of finding a way through Utah's arid red rock desert), and from the west (as California's clamored to raise a force to attack Utah and avenge the murders of the Baker-Francher Wagon Company at Mountain Meadows).    On this episode, we explore what easily could have been the most precarious and dangerous moment the Latter-day Saints have ever faced. For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War.    Search Terms: Utah War, William McClellan, "Little Mac", William Tecumseh Sherman, Albert Sidney Johnston, William Selby "Squaw Killer" Harney, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Poerter Rockwell, Civil War, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, Utah Territory, Polygamy, Plural Marriage, U.S. Army,  Fort Bridger, Lot Smith, Salt Lake City, 2LT James Henry Martineau, George Watts, Echo Canyon, Albert Sidney Johnston, Brigham Young, Charlie Becker, James Ferguson,  Wild Bill Hickman, Nauvoo Legion, International Latter-day Saints, Immigration, Prisoners, Law of War, Law of Armed Conflict, Russia, British Empire, Alaska, British Colombia.

In the 1920s, an elderly and well-respected Oregon Rancher, Charlie Becker, prepared a sketch of his adventurous life, the places he had seen, the adventures he had lived, and the hardships he had overcome. He also disclosed that, as a young man, he had served as a Civilian Teamster accompanying Johnston's Army during the Utah War.  In an unguarded moment, he allowed himself to be captured by a Latter-day Saint Raiding party. He would spend the next months a prisoner in the Utah Territory, where he would be one of the few outsiders to see up close the lives of the Latter-day Saints in their mountain home.  On this episode, we will explore the story of Charlie Becker, a prisoner of the Utah War. This episode covers:- How Charlie Becker was captured by a Mormon raiding party; - His interrogation by Lieutenant General Daniel H. Wells and the General Staff, including the hot-tempered Irishman, Adjutant General James Ferguson;- How Daniel Wells quickly stomped out James Ferguson's suggestion that they find ways of "forcing" Becker to disclose more intelligence ("Tut! Tut! None of that, Mr. Ferguson!");- How Charles Decker brought Charlie Becker to his house, where he met two of Decker's Wives: Lena Young Decker (the daughter of Brigham Young) and  Margaret Jane Maxfield Decker and how, to his shock, the two women "[got] along splendidly, like an older and younger sister."   - How he was confined, with other prisoners, in Salt Lake City during a Christmas celebration, and how the prisoners and the good-natured Danish guard decided to celebrate  with a rousing game of "Blind Man's Bluff" -- and made so much racket they inadvertently summoned the notorious killer, Wild Bill Hickman, who promptly arrested the guards and replaced them with "a monstrous, surely Swede."  - How he was released and returned to COL Albert Sidney Johnston, where he reported how the Mormon people had treated him with great kindness (especially the Decker family, whom he describes as "a most lovable Mormon family").  For the materials and sources in this story, we owe a special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War.    See also Rebecca  Bartholomew & Leonard J. Arrington, Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies (1992).Search Terms: Utah War, Mormon History, Latter-day Saints, Utah Territory, Polygamy, Plural Marriage, U.S. Army,  Fort Bridger, Lot Smith, Salt Lake City, Echo Canyon, Albert Sidney Johnston, Brigham Young, Charlie Becker, James Ferguson, Charles Decker, Lena Young Decker, Wild Bill Hickman, Nauvoo Legion, Court-Martial,  Margaret Jane Maxfield Decker, International Latter-day Saints, Immigration, Prisoners, Law of War, Law of Armed Conflict   

In August of 1857, Brigham Young delivered a speech to the saints assembled in the Tabernacle.  As he contemplated the Army force marching closer to the home of the Saints, he bitterly remembered how, over the last he and the Latter-day Saints, over the last 20 years, had been brutally victimized by armed bands, from Ohio to Missouri to Illinois.  He saw the approach of federal troops as simply the latest armed force to set out to destroy them.  But he decided that this time would be different.  He roared from the pulpit: "Let it be treason or not treason . . . .  The Lord God Almighty and the Elders of Israel being our helpers, they shall not come into this territory.  I will fight them and I will fight all hell rather than tamely submit to such outrageous wrong and oppression."  This episode covers: The strategy the Latter-day Saints adopted to resist Johnston's ArmyDaniel H. Well's Council of War on 3 October 1857The, uh, friendship between Captain Porter Rockwell and Major Lot SmithLot Smith's daring raid on the Army's supply wagon trainThe single most memorable line of the Utah War - "For His sake, I'm going to burn them." Special thanks to Utah War historian William "Bill" MacKinnon - His two-volume set, "At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858" is an extraordinary resource for anyone interested in learning more about the Utah War.   Key Words: Brigham Young, Daniel H. Wells, Porter Rockwell, Lot Smith, N.V. Jones, James Parshall Terry, John Dawson, Utah War, Burning Supply Wagons, Raiders, Nauvoo Legion, Scorched Earth, Fort Supply, Fort Bridger.

In 1857, the Buchanan Administration sent an Army Expedition to Utah.  It was sure to be an arduous, difficulty journey, with many ways to suffer and few to win glory.  But who were the Soldiers marching against the Latter-day Saints?  On today's episode, we explore the Soldiers and Teamsters, which included both selfless heroes and hopeless drunks, public servants and fugitive criminals, that made up Johnston's Army.  Discussions include:  A letter from Robert E. Lee warning Albert Sidney Johnston not to take his wife to Utah, as the many wives of Brigham Young would look upon her as a "poor, imposed on sinner."The medical journal of Dr. Robert Bartholomew, Regimental Surgeon to the 10th Infantry Division.  He noted two classes of Soldiers - those who grew stronger through exercise and moderate living, and "worthless recruits" whose only abstained from whiskey when they could procure it.  The lone, dogged Marine, LT Robert Browning, who joined the Army expedition as an observer.  Three years later, the dashing young Marine would be lost in the Pacific Ocean, having gone down with his ship, USS Levant.  The "Thieves, Thugs, and Worthless Characters" that made up the Teamsters and Contractors joining the expedition.  The memoirs of Private Robert Morris Peck, including a description of how the card sharks and sharpers among the Teamsters would have nearly all the Soldiers' money within a few days of pay day, and a colorful description of Charlie Hart, one of the most reckless gamblers to join the expedition.  The desertion of Private Charles Wilcken, his defection to the Latter-day Saints, and his long and fruitful life as a baptized member of the Church.  Wilcken would have three descendants run for the U.S. Presidency - George Romney, Mitt Romney, and Jon Huntsman, Jr.   To learn more about the start of the Utah War, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  William MacKinnon, At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War (Vol. I and II) (2016).  MacKinnon's work on the Utah War is nothing short of phenomenal.  They are available on Google Books to anyone interested.   Also, I drew on the Forward to Volume I written by Will Bagley.  

On July 24, 1857, the Latter-day Saints learned – in the middle of the 10th Anniversary Celebration – that President Buchanan had ordered an Army to the Utah Territory.  Though they did not know what the Army's mission or the intent behind the expedition, they learned that the expedition was to be led by William Selby Harney – and the choice of Harney portended the very worst.  In his council, Brigham Young called for a vote on a rather shocking proposal.  He wrote in his journal, “It was carried unanimously that if Harney crossed the south pass the buzzards should pick his bones.” But who was General Harney?  Why was his appointment as commander so significant?  Why did it provoke such outrage and desperation from Brigham Young and other Church leaders?  We explore that and more on this episode of Adventures in Mormon History.     This episode discusses Harney's history in the Mexican American War, and his heroism during the Battle of Cerro Gordo, the eagerness with which he hanged the deserters and traitors of the Saint Patrick Battalion (or San Patricios), the ruthlessness he showed in the Ash Hollow Massacre, and the depravity with which he murdered the enslaved young woman, Hannah, in Saint Louis in 1835.  By 1857, "Squaw Killer Harney" had become infamous.  The Latter-day Saints reacted to word of his appointment with outrage and shock.  They assumed that, under Harney, they would fare no better than the Saint Patrick deserters in the Mexican War, or the Lakota Sioux at Ash Hollow.  They began making preparations for war.  This episode also includes a recorded rendition of the long-forgotten Latter-day Saint folk song, "Squaw Killer Harney is on the Way."  I realized that it would, in the long run, be less embarrassing to record the song myself than to get someone who could actually sing.  To learn more about the start of the Utah War, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  William MacKinnon, At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War (Vol. I and II) (2016).  MacKinnon's work on the Utah War is nothing short of phenomenal.  They are available on Google Books to anyone interested.   Also, I drew on the Forward to Volume I written by Will Bagley.  Wilford Hill Lecheminant, A Crisis Averted?  General Harney and the Change in Command of the Utah Expedition, 51 Utah Hist. Quarterly 1 (1983).Thomas E. Cheney, Mormon Songs From the Rocky Mountains: A Compilation of Mormon Folksong (1968).David L. Bigler, A Lion in the Path: Genesis of the Utah War, 1857-1858, 76 Utah Hist. Q. 1, 5 (Winter 2008), available at https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume76_2008_number1.In this episode: Brigham Young, George A. Smith, William Selby Harney, Asa Calkin, Jefferson Davis, P. T. G. Beauregard, Mexican American War, Bloody Kansas, Ash Hollow Massacre, Logan Reives, Saint Patrick Battalion, San Patricio Battalion, Battle of Cerro Gordo, Utah Expedition,  the Pig War of 1859.

The Utah War is one of the strangest footnotes in American History, and almost entirely forgotten.  But it was the largest military campaign the United States undertook between the Mexican War and the Civil War.  It took a third of the entire Army (and one lone, dogged Marine) and pitted them against the Latter-day Saint Nauvoo Legion, a force that, according to Historian Bill MacKinnon, was arguably the nation's largest and most experienced militia.  Ultimately, the conflict would destroy Buchanan's reputation and push the United States towards disunion and civil war.  On the other hand, it would forever change the Latter-day Saints, beginning a long and painful process to bring them and the Utah Territory under civil, secular authority.     But what caused the Utah War?  If you had to choose one single reason, it would be “misunderstanding.” This happened most spectacularly in January 1857, when the Utah Territorial Legislature (made up overwhelmingly of Latter-day Saints), began the new year by writing a Petition and Memorial to Congress in Washington D.C.  The request was for Utah to be admitted to the Union as a State.   This petition, however, read in the Capital like a series of wild-eyed threats.   Buchanan, two months later, would send the Army to Utah.Yet, nobody knew what the Army's mission was to be.  A crusade to slaughter the Mormons, with blood and sword and fire?  Or maybe a mere show of force -- a face-saving demonstration of the Administration's willingness to enforce federal law throughout its newly-acquired territories?  Or something in between?  And was its real purpose to distract the Nation from the slavery conflict raging in Kansas, as Robert Tyler advocated?  Or to dole out  lucrative government contracts and kickbacks, as General Winfield Scott alleged?  On this episode, we explore the (somewhat inscrutable) reasons that James Buchanan launched the campaign.  To learn more about the start of the Utah War, please check out these (excellent!) sources:  William MacKinnon, At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War (Vol. I and II) (2016).  MacKinnon's work on the Utah War is nothing short of phenomenal.  They are available on Google Books to anyone interested.   Also, I drew on the Forward to Volume I written by Will Bagley.  David L. Bigler, A Lion in the Path: Genesis of the Utah War, 1857-1858, 76 Utah Hist. Q. 1, 5 (Winter 2008), available at https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume76_2008_number1.   

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-west

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

In Frontier Religion: The Mormon-American Contest for the Meaning of America, 1857-1907 (U Utah Press, 2019) Konden Smith Hansen examines the dramatic influence these perceptions of the frontier had on Mormonism and other religions in America. Endeavoring to better understand the sway of the frontier on religion in the United States, this book follows several Mormon-American conflicts, from the Utah War and the antipolygamy crusades to the Reed Smoot hearings. The story of Mormonism's move toward American acceptability represents a larger story of the nation's transition to modernity and the meaning of religious pluralism. This book challenges old assumptions and provokes further study of the ever changing dialectic between society and faith. Brady McCartney is an interdisciplinary environmental studies scholar at the University of Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel's biggest headlines quickly dispensed.  The perfect OTC for people on the go! For the subscription-strength version, sign up for Your Daily Dose newsletter.   For more on these and other stories, visit our official website. TODAY'S TOP NEWS STORIES: MOTHER NATURE'S SUN REPEAT DEFENSE CITIZEN KANE MOMENTARY LAPS OF REASON

In February 1858, the United States Senate was debating a new bill from the House.  They knew that the Army, under the command of Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston, was on its way to Utah to put down the reported Mormon rebellion.  Now, James Buchanan was asking Congress to approve a second Army of regular troops to Utah.  While the Republic was quickly unraveling between the North and South, everyone seemed to agree that an Army – maybe two – would teach a salutary lesson to the Mormons, a lesson they would not soon forget. While the speeches proceeded, a lone Senator sat quickly whittling at his desk. He was dressed in a Cherokee Blanket and a Jaguar Pelt, and one observer described him as a “Magnificent Barbarian.”  The Senator was Sam Houston of Texas, the former governor of the Lone Star State and the victor of the Texas War of Independence.  And in February 1858, Sam Houston would take another brave and lonely stand, urging caution, restraint, and a respect for the rights of the nations' Latter-day Saints.  On today's episode, we remember Sam Houston in the Utah War.  We explore his unusual upbringing (as a runaway, he was adopted into the Cherokee Nation), his experience in the Texas War of Independence commanding the Army that defeated the much-larger Mexican Force, and his friendship with both Apostle George A. Smith and Seth M. Blair, who had fought alongside Houston as a Major in the Texas Rangers.  We discuss the different ways Houston tried to derail the Army Bill, and end with the jaw-dropping speech he gave on February 15, 1857--possibly inspired by the bloody aftermath of the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836 --  in which he warned his fellow Senators of what an all-out war against the Latter-day Saints would really look like.  For more on Sam Houston in the Utah War, please see this (excellent!) article by Michael Scott Van Wagenen, "Sam Houston and the Utah War," 76 Utah Historical Quarterly 1 (2008), available at https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume76_2008_number1/s/10214875.        

Of all the people to go down as villains in the history of the Latter-day Saints, perhaps none were as colorful as the infamous W. W. Drummond, Federal Judge of the Utah Territory in 1855.  Arriving with a flamboyant woman whom he introduced as Mrs. Ada Drummond, the Judge immediately set out to cut away at the legal foundations of the Latter-day Saint settlements up and down the Utah territory - their probate courts, their water claims, timber claims, grazing claims, and their right to incorporate cities at all.  In this episode, we will explore how Judge Drummond abandoned his post and made his way  to New Orleans, where he launched an all-out assault against the Latter-day Saints in the press, in lobbying Government officials, and angling to replace Brigham Young as Utah's Governor.  Church Agents George A. Smith, Thomas Kane, John Taylor and William Appleby - noted with alarm that Drummond was fast becoming one of the most popular men in the country, and public opinion was quickly turning against the Mormon People.  Thomas Kane then decided to conduct a gum-shoe investigation into Drummond's past.  Who was the flamboyant woman that accompanied the Judge everywhere he went?  Where did they meet?  Was she really his wife?  This investigation would take LDS Leaders into the seedy streets of Baltimore, where they would make contacts with the Madams of the city's numerous bordellos.  But it was one thing to find the truth, another thing to convince the public it was true, and yet another thing to get the public to care.  On today's episode, we conclude the colorful story of W.W. Drummond -- the Runaway Husband, Runaway Father, and Runaway Judge.  To learn more about the stories in and material in this podcast, please see these (excellent!) sources:Ronald W. Walker, "Proud as a Peacock and Ignorant as a Jackass: William W. Drummond's Unusual Career with the Mormons," 42 J. of Mormon Hist. 3, 1 (July 2016).  At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858, Vol I and II (ed. William MacKinnon), 2008.  *  On a personal note, William ("Bill") MacKinnon was kind enough to correspond with me while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2019.  An Air Force Veteran himself, he very generously sent me copies of hitherto-unknown primary sources, topics of future interest, and thoughts on a wide array on early aspects and figures in Utah History.  His enormous body of scholarly work on the Utah War is simply incredible.   Key Terms:  William Drummond, Ada Carroll, "Skinny Ada," Brigham Young, John Taylor, John Burnhisel, Federal Judges, Utah Territory, Deseret, William "Wild Bill" Hickman, Levi Abrams, Cato, Posse, Native Tribes, Indian Wars, Jail, Writ, Habeas Corpus, 

Of all the people to go down as villains in the history of the Latter-day Saints, perhaps none were as colorful as the infamous W. W. Drummond, Federal Judge of the Utah Territory in 1855.  Arriving with a flamboyant woman whom he introduced as Mrs. Ada Drummond, the Judge immediately set out to cut away at the legal foundations of the Latter-day Saint settlements up and down the Utah territory - their probate courts, their water claims, timber claims, grazing claims, and their right to incorporate cities at all.  In this episode, we will explore how Judge Drummond earned the contempt of the Latter-day Saints in a number of ways, from his barely-veiled desperation to hang someone--anyone--to his flirting with and mutual teasing with Ada, who sat next to him on the bench (even during death penalty cases), to becoming the first judge to be himself arrested and thrown into jail for assault with intent to commit murder, and finally how--in his bumbling efforts to flex the power of the federal courts, he unintentionally sparked a war with the Native Tribes of Utah, resulting in 8 Latter-day Saints killed and the loss of 150 head of cattle.  To learn more about the stories in and material in this podcast, please see these (excellent!) sources:Ronald W. Walker, "Proud as a Peacock and Ignorant as a Jackass: William W. Drummond's Unusual Career with the Mormons," 42 J. of Mormon Hist. 3, 1 (July 2016).  At Sword's Point: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858, Vol I and II (ed. William MacKinnon), 2008.  *  On a personal note, William ("Bill") MacKinnon was kind enough to correspond with me while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2019.  An Air Force Veteran himself, he very generously sent me copies of hitherto-unknown primary sources, topics of future interest, and thoughts on a wide array on early aspects and figures in Utah History.  His enormous body of scholarly work on the Utah War is simply incredible.   Key Terms:  William Drummond, Ada Carroll, "Skinny Ada," Brigham Young, John Taylor, John Burnhisel, Federal Judges, Utah Territory, Deseret, William "Wild Bill" Hickman, Levi Abrams, Cato, Posse, Native Tribes, Indian Wars, Jail, Writ, Habeas Corpus, 

Welcome to The Past, The Promise, The Presidency Season II, Episode IV: Ulysses S. Grant and the Ku Klux Klan Act. In our previous episode on Bleeding Kansas and the Utah War, we discussed the intense violence and bloodshed that led up to the cataclysmic wrenching of the Union in half during the Civil War. But what happened after the Union shattered? It's not easy to put the pieces of national unity back together after a civil war, nor was it a simple task to change the hearts and minds of people who were willing to die to defend slavery and white supremacy. After the passage of the 15th amendment in 1870, African-American men in the South eagerly made the most of their new right to vote and elected many Black representatives to state and local governments.In response, white supremacists organized into local chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, which waged vicious campaigns of violence, murder, and destruction to intimidate Black Americans and other Republicans that supported their right to vote. After investigators discovered the extent of the KKK's reign of terror, President Grant asked Congress to pass legislation that gave him additional powers to address the threat on the ground.Congress complied in 1871 and passed the Ku Klux Klan Act. Grant then issued a warning to Southern states, but especially to specific counties in South Carolina, that if they didn't stop their campaign of terror, he would declare martial law. Five days later, he fulfilled that promise and suspended Habeas Corpus in nine South Carolina counties. Grant sent in troops to arrest KKK members and deployed US Attorneys to try cases against the Klan. These efforts were remarkably effective, but just a year later, Grant backed away from his efforts to protect civil liberties. Why did Grant take such decisive action? And then why did he stop? What were the motivations behind his handling of this crisis?How did the public respond to the Ku Klux Klan Act?How does this crisis inform our current moment? To learn the answers to these questions, we spoke with two fantastic guests. First, we spoke with Dr. Yohuru Williams who is the Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas and the author of numerous books about African American history.We then talked to Dr. Megan Kate Nelson, a writer, historian, and expert on the Civil War and the United States west. Her most recent book, The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.

This week on The Past, The Promise, The Presidency: Presidential Crises we examine two presidential crises from the 1850s: Bleeding Kansas and the Utah War.So far this season, we've seen the nation solidify under George Washington's leadership. Then, we saw the city named for our first president nearly burned to the ground by British forces little more than a generation later. The United States survived each of those crises, but by the 1850s, the new nation was starting to come apart.    This week, we took a look at two crises from the 1850s: the violent struggle between pro and anti-slavery factions over the political fortunes of future states, known as "Bleeding Kansas," and the less well-known fight between federal authorities, president James Buchanan in particular, and Mormon leaders over governance of Utah. To put the coming Civil War into context and better understand these intertwined crises of federal expansion in the 1850s, we spoke with professor Sarah Barringer Gordon--Sally, to her friends--the Arlin M. Adams Professor of Constitutional Law and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Barringer Gordon is one of the nation's experts on questions of constitutional religious freedoms. We then turned to professor Kellie Carter Jackson, who teaches in the department of Africana studies at Wellesley college. Dr. Carter Jackson's work focuses on Black abolitionists and the role of violence in the ongoing battle for slavery's abolition. Explore all this and more in Season II, Episode III: Bleeding Kansas and the Utah War. To learn more, visit pastpromisepresidency.com.

Join us for bi-weekly episodes of Haunt & Cold Podcast hosted by sisters April Bennett and Katie Wareing.  Each episode Katie takes us to a haunted location in Utah and along the way, April shares Utah's most cold-hearted cases! In this episode... Katie takes us to Camp Floyd in Frogtown aka: Fairfield, Utah where we learn about Buchanan's Blunder and the Utah War. April tells us about the scariest Christmas season in the state. In 1966, two men Myron Lance and Walter Kelbach went on a killing spree terrifying small business owners until their capture. Do you have a paranormal story you want to share? Please do!! Email us at stories@hauntandcold.com and you may be selected to be featured in a monthly Bring Your Own Boos episode!!  Become a Patron!  Episode 5 airs October 31st! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/haunt-cold/support

Today we're at Camp Floyd, Utah! This is where 1/3 of the United States army came for the Utah War (which has A LOT do with LDS History (otherwise known as Mormon History)) and we're in the full costumes to set the mood to share this true story with YOU! You might recognize Marc from a previous episode we filmed with him (see below) but what you might not have realized is that the Utah War is a passion for Marc so we eagerly jumped at the opportunity to film this episode with him! We talk polygamy, civil war, guns, artifacts from the war, etc.

This episode concludes the story of the cascade of bizarre, unintended consequences coming from Abraham Lincoln's decision to appoint John Dawson as Governor of the Utah Territory in 1861, culminating with the discovery of a massive grave robbing operation within the Salt Lake City Cemetery, and - reportedly – a French Ghost haunting the Great Salt Lake.   Key Words:  Jean Baptiste, Grave Robbery, Ghosts, Haunting, Henry Heath, Albert Dewey, Moses Clawson, Moroni Clawson, George Clawson, Brigham Young, Abraham Lincoln,  John W. Dawson, Utah Territory, #MeToo in Pioneer Utah, Lot Huntington, John P. Smith, Utah War, Deseret News, Orrin Porter Rockwell, Danites.   To learn more about the information in this episode, please check out Harold Schindler, "The Disappearance of John Baptiste: Grave-Robber's Case is a Lost Page of History", S. L. Trib. (Aug. 27, 1995) at J-1.

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln appointed John W. Dawson as the third Territorial Governor of Utah.  Lincoln's decision would lead to a cascade of bizarre, unintended consequences – from Utah's first #MeToo episode involving a governor, to yet another gunfight involving Porter Rockwell, to the discovery of a massive grave robbing operation within Salt Lake City, and - reportedly – a French Ghost haunting the Great Salt Lake.  On today's episode, we will explore the Governor, the Gunfight, and the Ghost of the Great Salt Lake [Part 1].Key Words:  Brigham Young, Abraham Lincoln, Albina Williams, Thomas S. Williams, John W. Dawson, Utah Territory, John M. Bernheisal, #MeToo in Pioneer Utah, Wood Reynolds, Moroni Clawson, Jason Luce, Lot Huntington, John P. Smith, Utah War, Deseret News, Orrin Porter Rockwell, Danites.   To learn more about the information in this episode, please check out Special thanks to the History Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for making the primary sources available!  You can find the letter of John M. Bernheisal describing his conversation with Abraham Lincoln here:  Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Utah Delegate Files, 1849-1872 > John M. Bernhisel to Brigham Young, 1849- 1866 > 1862 January-March; Call Number CR 1234 1 .You can find the affidavit of Albina Williams here: Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Federal and Local Government Files, 1844-1876; Call Number CR 1234 1 .See also the Deseret News , "Departure of the Governor," Deseret News (Jan. 1, 1861).  For more information on the beating of Governor Dawson, check out Salt Lake City Archives, "I Found it in the Archives - 1861 Criminal Case" (Oct. 3, 2012), available at https://slcoarchives.wordpress.com/tag/john-w-dawson/. Harold Schindler, In Another Time: Sketches of Utah History 81-82 (1998).

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln appointed John W. Dawson as the third Territorial Governor of Utah.  Lincoln's decision would lead to a cascade of bizarre, unintended consequences – from Utah's first #MeToo episode involving a governor, to yet another gunfight involving Porter Rockwell, to the discovery of a massive grave robbing operation within Salt Lake City, and - reportedly – a French Ghost haunting the Great Salt Lake.  On today's episode, we will explore the Governor, the Gunfight, and the Ghost of the Great Salt Lake [Part 1].Key Words:  Brigham Young, Abraham Lincoln, Albina Williams, Thomas S. Williams, John W. Dawson, Utah Territory, John M. Bernheisal, #MeToo in Pioneer Utah, Wood Reynolds, Moroni Clawson, Jason Luce, Lot Huntington, John P. Smith, Utah War, Deseret News, Orrin Porter Rockwell, Danites.   To learn more about the information in this episode, please check out Special thanks to the History Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for making the primary sources available!  You can find the letter of John M. Bernheisal describing his conversation with Abraham Lincoln here:  Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Utah Delegate Files, 1849-1872 > John M. Bernhisel to Brigham Young, 1849- 1866 > 1862 January-March; Call Number CR 1234 1 .You can find the affidavit of Albina Williams here: Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Federal and Local Government Files, 1844-1876; Call Number CR 1234 1 .See also the Deseret News , "Departure of the Governor," Deseret News (Jan. 1, 1861).  For more information on the beating of Governor Dawson, check out Salt Lake City Archives, "I Found it in the Archives - 1861 Criminal Case" (Oct. 3, 2012), available at https://slcoarchives.wordpress.com/tag/john-w-dawson/. Harold Schindler, In Another Time: Sketches of Utah History 81-82 (1998).  

This week we wrap up a very brief introductory history of Mormonism in America. We continue the story from the previous episode with the church's reaction to the murder of Joseph Smith. We trace the rise of Brigham Young and the infamous Utah War. We end with the twentieth century church and its transition from fringe group to conservative religion.

This week we wrap up a very brief introductory history of Mormonism in America. We continue the story from the previous episode with the church's reaction to the murder of Joseph Smith. We trace the rise of Brigham Young and the infamous Utah War. We end with the twentieth century church and its transition from fringe group to conservative religion.

This week on Historia Obscura: how a small religious movement grew into the third-largest religious denomination in the United States, even after going to war with the US. Special thanks to Patreon subscribers SoDakZak and Tom! Subscribe to my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/historiaobscura! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/historiaobscura/message

SALT LAKE CITY, UT: THE GREAT AMERICA OF 1847-1857 Salt Lake City was great from 1847-1857, its founding decade. Though the city, which serves as a financial, political and spiritual center of the Inland West, has long been prosperous and known for its livability as a community, it was in those earliest years that the utopian dreams of its founders came closest to being fully realized. Left more or less alone, adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS or “Mormons”) were allowed to build a new society in the Great Basin, and this period of relative autonomy would continue to shape the sect's relationship with its neighbors. Fleeing bigotry and mob violence in Missouri, LDS President Brigham Young led a band of followers across the Great Plains, eventually arriving, on July 24, 1847, at the shores of the Great Salt Lake in what was nominally Mexican territory, where Young famously declared “this is the right place” (or “this is the place” in some accounts). The surrounding valley reminded Young of accounts of the geography of the Holy Land, with the brackish water of the lake evoking the Dead Sea. An adjacent river was dubbed the Jordan to complete the biblical analogy. Like many religious groups that emerged out of the “Great Awakening” of the early 19th Century, the Mormons practiced what we would now call “intentional community.” The new settlement, initially called “Great Salt Lake City” would be laid out in keeping with previous neatly planned Mormon communities in Illinois and Missouri, with some modifications by Young. At the center of the city a square was set aside for a temple. Though the actual building would not be completed for decades, this prominent location symbolized the church's central role in the life of the community This utopian dream, however, was meant to include only church adherents. Upon arrival, the Mormons saw what they believed to be an unpopulated valley, but this was because a smallpox epidemic had devastated the native Shoshone months before. Future interactions with native tribes were largely friendly, church leadership recognizing that these were potential allies, but they were marginalized and even converts could not hope for more than second-class status at best. Non-Mormon settlers, who became more plentiful as Salt Lake City became a key stop on an important route to California, also found themselves regarded as outsiders, and were regarded with indifference or hostility by church members. Their grievances would bring unwelcome attention to the Mormon experiment in Salt Lake City. This era of relative autonomy would come to an end in the summer of 1857. A year before, the platform of the new Republican Party opposed the “twin evils of polygamy and slavery,” reflecting a growing national distrust of the Mormons, with particular suspicion focused on the unusual practice of plural marriage, though their communitarianism were also a source of mistrust as well. Responding to public pressure, newly elected Democratic President James Buchanan sent a new slate of appointed officials with an escort of some 2500 soldiers, about a sixth of the regular army. The subsequent “Utah War,” which consisted mostly of Mormon guerrillas harassing federal troops by destroying supplies and blocking roads, would finally be settled in April, 1858, when the Mormon leadership agreed to accept the authority of non-Mormon federal appointees. The historical memory of the early years of hostility and oppression from the American mainstream has contributed to a sense of common cause among Mormons. This solidarity has assured their continued prominence as a political and cultural force in the western states. Likewise the legacy of what they accomplished in the Salt Lake Valley during the decade when they had a degree of self-determination, remains an inspiration as well and a reminder of what they could achieve as a community. -Tom Prezelski, Resident Historian

Resolution of the Utah War and Pre Civil War era.

The last place the Title of Liberty belongs is above the angry voices of an insurrectionist mob.Welcome to the fifth episode of Self-Evident, a podcast about first principles, hosted on Substack along with the Self-Evident Newsletter.Self-Evident is currently available on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.You can also subscribe and get future episodes as well as the newsletter in your inbox:Episode TranscriptHello folks, welcome to the Self-Evident podcast. This is the first episode on this side of January 6th. There's just so much to say about what happened, what led to it happening, and what comes next. I have a lot to say and a lot to write, but with school started up again I have very little time. So, I thought I'd start out with my biggest issue first, here in podcast form, and then move on to other issues in article form in the near future. Last October, I wrote an open letter to Senator Mike Lee about Captain Moroni, a Book of Mormon military leader he had compared Donald Trump to at a rally in Arizona. In light of what appears to be Latter-day Saints involved in the insurrection at the US Capitol, who took Mike Lee at his word by hoisting what we Latter-day Saints call a Title of Liberty over the heads of the mob, I thought I'd address a few points of Latter-day Saint culture, imagery, scripture, and history to put that terrible image in context and offer my view of how just how backwards all of this is. Before I begin though, let me just say that I am not speaking on behalf of my church but simply offering my view and understanding of history and scripture. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is officially politically neutral, rarely speaks out on matters of political concern, and encourages its members to be involved in their government as their consciences dictate.Captain Moroni  Now, for those unfamiliar with Latter-day Saint scripture, Captain Moroni is one the most beloved figures from a book of scripture we believe tells the story of a Christian nation in ancient America. He was a strong and passionate leader who stoically defended the Nephite nation from enemies both within and without. He is often compared to Gideon and Joshua from the Old Testament.  Of Captain Moroni, Mormon (who we believe to be the author of the record, and therefore its namesake) said, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.” Needless to say, Captain Moroni holds a special place in the hearts of Latter-day Saints, especially those of us who have served in the military or in law enforcement. Captain Moroni, along with another group of righteous warriors found in our scriptures known as the Sons of Helaman or Stripling Warriors, provide a spiritual and philosophical groundwork for being Warrior Saints within the Latter-day Saint tradition.  Because we operate with a lay clergy, many of our leaders, especially those of the greatest generation, have served in the military, including those we consider prophets and apostles. I was often met with surprise but respect during my own military service that my piety was accompanied by a strong commitment to the mission of a soldier. The idea of a Christian soldier is not unique to the Latter-day Saint tradition, but it is uniquely intense for those of us who step forward to serve and peculiarly specific in what values and ideals we step forward to protect: liberty, justice, and free society. The Title of LibertyAccording to the Book of Mormon, the Nephites were not only an ancient American society of Christians, they also formed a republican form of government. Several times during the lifetime of Captain Moroni, the Nephite nation faced internal rebellion from groups who wanted to replace the republic with a monarchy and raise up a king. During one such rebellion, Captain Moroni rent his coat and made it into a flag, writing a message that he called the Title of Liberty. He went forth with this title and rallied his countrymen to the defense of their republic and the uprising was defeated. The words of the Title of Liberty are sacred to Latter-day Saints, especially those of us who have served in uniform, and are carried on pieces of cloth in the pockets of our uniforms, hung on barrack walls, and have even been flown from flag poles in Utah in times of strife for the American Republic, such as after the 9/11 attacks. The Title of Liberty reads as follows: “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” These are simple words, but they fill Latter-day Saint hearts with fire and a burning passion to preserve freedom for ourselves and our posterity at whatever cost. There are three major instances in Church history that typify this tradition and the sacrifices members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are willing to make in the name of liberty and a government that preserves it.Zions Camp The first occurred in 1834, and is known as Zions Camp. The previous year, Latter-day Saint settlers had been driven forcibly out of Jackson Country, Missouri by the “old settlers” who opposed the new religion in their midst as well as the abolitionist-oriented views of its members (who were largely from the New England region). The first leader of our church, Joseph Smith, sought redress for the violation of constitutional rights through the Missouri judicial system. It was intimated to Joseph Smith and other church leaders that state officials might be willing to assist in returning displaced Latter-day Saints to their property if the Church was able to provide an armed militia that could be deputized to protect the returning settlers.  After declaring he had received a revelation to do so, Joseph Smith agreed to the proposal, organized a group of 200 volunteers, and embarked on an expedition from Kirtland, Ohio, marching South to Missouri. But by the time they reached Missouri, the judicial system had bogged down and authorities refused to support the Latter-day Saint claims to the property that had been seized by the anti-Mormon mobs. Absent the official sanction to protect the Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith disbanded Zions Camp and returned to Kirtland. The Missouri legislature, however, did set aside Caldwell County for the resettlement of the Latter-day Saints that had been driven from Jackson County. Zions Camp may seem like a failure on its face, but the leadership of the Church would largely comprise of men who made the march for the next half-century. It is remembered in the Latter-day Saint tradition as a kind of pilgrimage, a holy march of godly men who were prepared to fight and die for their faith and their freedom. But it is also remembered as a cautionary tale about understanding the difference between a righteous cause and an unrighteous desire for conflict.  Before Zions Camp had been disbanded, a mob composing of armed local Missouri militia had moved to confront this armed group of Latter-day Saints. Instead of preparing them for battle, Joseph Smith told his men that the Lord would fight their battles for them. As they took shelter, a storm moved in that flooded the nearby river and kept the Missourians from crossing. However, when Joseph Smith announced that the camp was disbanded and they would be returning to Kirtland, many of the men were angry. They wanted to fight, whether the local authorities would sanction them or not. Joseph Smith warned them that there would be consequences for their pride. Indeed, the camp was struck with cholera and several members died.  The Mormon BattalionThe second story from Latter-day Saint history relevant to our tradition of stepping forward to preserve and protect freedom begins in 1846. By this time, the Latter-day Saints had not only been set upon by mobs once more in Missouri and driven from the state entirely, they had also been driven from Illinois and Joseph Smith, along with his brother Hyrum, had been murdered in Carthage, Illinois. The President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham Young, had become the new leader of the church and led an American Exodus out of Illinois and into Iowa, where preparations were being made to trek westward and find a new home.  While the exiled saints gathered in tent cities spread around Council Bluffs, Iowa, a US Army officer arrived from Washington D.C. with a request from President James K. Polk to organize a volunteer unit for service in the Mexican-American War. In what is remembered with reverence as the “Mormon Battalion,” around 550 men volunteered for service, even though they'd be leaving their families alone on the trail and uncertain of even what their final destination would be. (I personally have several ancestors who served in the Mormon Battalion and my father, as a descendant, was able to march in a reenactment as part of the 1996 centennial parade celebrating Utah's statehood in 1896). The Mormon Battalion is the only religious military unit ever organized in American military history, and their 2080-mile march from Iowa to Southern California is among the longest military marches in history. Members of the battalion were present in California for the beginning of the gold rush, but chose to leave and reunite with their families in Utah rather than seek their fortunes in gold. A small detachment of the battalion was part of the detail that discovered the remnants of the Donner Party and helped bury those who had perished. The Modern Stripling WarriorsThe final story is less well-known as it is a more modern story and not quite as well known among everyday Latter-day Saints. But to church members in the uniformed services, it is remembered as the modern stripling warriors.  The stripling warriors were a group of young men in the Book of Mormon who volunteered to defend the Nephite nation in a terrible and costly war. They were raised by their mothers to be firm in their faith in Christ and were promised, as they marched into battle, that if they held to their faith, none would perish. In one vicious fight, every single warrior was wounded but not a single one died. In a similar circumstance, a Utah National Guard artillery unit from Southern Utah became surrounded during the Korean War and had to fight off a direct assault from Chinese PLA forces. They fought, essentially surrounded, and were able to hold off the assault until the US line was reformed. After the battle, not a single Utah man had been killed, a feat considered a miracle.Twisted Doctrine Given our history, it is no surprise that we Latter-day Saints consider patriotism and service in the cause of liberty and justice as an integral part of our faith. Indeed, the Book of Mormon makes this connection clear by stating that the Spirit of Freedom is the Spirit of God. Unfortunately, for a small but increasingly more visible few, this passion has been twisted towards the opposite of what it's meant to stand for. Like any religious movement, our history has had unfortunate and ugly moments where zealots have twisted our doctrines and arbitrarily sought to use them to justify violence.  In the late 1830s “Mormon War” in Missouri, some members of the church organized themselves into vigilante groups referred to as the Danites and engaged in illegal activities against anti-Mormon Missourians. Joseph Smith condemned them as “secret combinations” (a reference to another group from the Book of Mormon, the Gadianton Robbers, who plotted murder to gain power) and held them responsible for the later calamities that befell the Saints as part of Governor Lilburn. W. Boggs' extermination order, when Latter-day Saints were ordered to leave Missouri or be killed. In 1857, during a period known as the “Utah War,” a group of men from Latter-day Saint congregations in Parowan and Cedar City attacked a wagon train in what became known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre, a slaughter that left only young children alive. Brigham Young, the second leader of our church, saw to the conviction of his own adopted son, John D. Lee, who was sentenced to death. Church leaders from that time to the present-day have again denounced the massacre as a “secret combination.”  These terrible moments stand out as stains in what is otherwise a history of selfless service and true faith, found in a group of earnest Christ-loving pioneers who lived through an American Exodus that led to a desert region that would come to flower like a rose. But, disturbingly, there has been a growing echo of these past deviations in the last half-decade. In 2014, a seemingly mundane land dispute between the Bureau of Land Management and a rancher named Cliven Bundy drew the country's attention when the BLM brought in its law enforcement agencies to conduct a round-up of Bundy's cattle. Cliven Bundy, a Latter-day Saint, appealed for help from Right-wing activists to stop the round-up of his cattle, including several armed militias. The situation culminated with an armed standoff, with militia members taking positions on an overpass and aiming their weapons at BLM officers. The situation was defused when local law enforcement negotiated the release of the cattle. Pictures of the stand-off show the armed militia rallying under a banner that stated “Liberty Freedom For God We Stand” eerily reminiscent of the Title of Liberty. Two years later, in 2016, Ammon Bundy (Cliven's son) led an armed group to Oregon where it seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He was joined by members of various far-right groups and militias, among them radicalized Latter-day Saints (including Ammon, himself, and his brother, Ryan) who communicated their intent in scriptural terms, saying that God had called them to become “modern-day Captain Moroni's” and take a stand against the federal government. In both situations involving the Bundy family, Latter-day Saint leadership has been clear that it condemns violence and especially the use of Latter-day Saint imagery to evoke a sense of righteousness in unrighteous acts. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains a politically neutral stance, has a history of encouraging its members to be active in both major political parties, and has had prophets and apostles who have been both lifelong Republicans and lifelong Democrats. Despite this, a small but growing number of Latter-day Saints have become increasingly radicalized and have had a presence within the ranks and leadership of many far-right groups, many of whom continue to praise the Bundy family as patriots, glorify Lavoy Finicum (a Latter-day Saint who was killed by police as part of the Oregon standoff) as a martyr, and have become convinced that their faith and their patriotism compel them to support Donald Trump's presidency by any means, including armed protest and violence. Like the rest of the far-right movement in the Trump era, this fervent support for Donald Trump led to insurrection on January 6th, when Capitol Hill police were overwhelmed and the Capitol Building was assaulted and occupied. In the midst of the carnage, Latter-day Saints across the world were shocked and horrified to see a flag waving above the angry mob, the words of the Title of Liberty flapping in the wind. Needless to say, this small but increasingly more visible and active group of Latter-day Saints has lost their way. And, the presence of the Title of Liberty, dear to my heart, at an insurrection that sickens me to the core requires me to draw a distinction between two groups found in Latter-day Saint Scripture: Freemen and King-men. The story of these two groups is eerily similar to what has been going on in America these last few months. Freemen and King-menThe Book of Mormon tells of a time of great political disagreement within the Nephite nation, and a group of men began to speak against the republican form of government they currently had, desiring to establish a kingdom instead. The people were split over the argument, with one side of the debate calling themselves king-men and the other side, committed to their rights as established and protected by a free government, calling themselves freemen. The disagreement was put to a vote and the freemen carried the day. But the king-men were so angry at the result that, when a hostile army arrived on the borders of their capitol city, the king-men refused to take up arms to defend their own nation.  With the urgency of an impending invasion, Captain Moroni sent his armies to compel the king-men to step forward in service of their country. The king-men instead revolted and attacked their fellow countrymen. Captain Moroni was forced to put down an insurrection, fighting against a portion of his own people who had so lost their way that they sought to replace their republic with a king and, when they were defeated in a free election, turned against the republic with violence and hatred. It clearly isn't an apples-to-apples comparison with the present situation in our own republic, but the similarities are enough to suggest that whoever hoisted that Title of Liberty over the insurrection at our nation's capitol has put themselves in the opposite position from where they think they are. Freemen stand for a free nation that holds to principles above loyalty to any one person. Freemen know that the endurance of a free society is more dependent on the endurance of their values and beliefs than it is on lifting any one person to power or maintaining that person's power. Freemen believe in the sacred nature of an election, whereby a free people make their voice heard and establish legitimacy in their government. Freemen hold to the importance of a peaceful transition of power and honor the results of a free and fair election. Donald Trump has not conducted himself as a freeman. His enablers have echoed his deceitful machinations to maintain power, falling far short of being freemen. His supporters have lifted up the importance of a man over the importance of their principles, believing that the nation is dependent on him retaining power as opposed to them standing for their values above all else, and have been fooled into believing they're freemen while unwittingly standing for something far different. And, the insurrectionists who rejected the results of a free and fair election and assaulted the seat of power of our free government, who beat a cop to death, who forced our representatives to flee for their lives, and who occupied a building that had not fallen to an enemy force since the War of 1812 proved themselves to be king-men in both word and deed. Hanging By a ThreadI call on all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to look to the scriptures that have been given to us as harbingers of the times we find ourselves in, and seek the discernment of the holy spirit to be certain we are not deceived by those who would wrest our beliefs and our convictions towards causes and actions contrary to our core beliefs.  We have only one king, and we have no use for any other. It is fear and pride, not bravery and conviction, that leads to the belief that a free nation rises or falls on the shoulders of a single man. Our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children are served by each one of us trusting in the strength of the truths we believe in and holding to the rod of our core principles, especially in the face of adversity.  We know the words of our own prophets. They tell us that our republic will not be saved in Washington. It will not be saved by leaders to whom we sacrifice all integrity, decency, and honor to promote and defend. It will not be saved in the halls of government through the crafting of any legislation, or the marginalization of any political opponent. It will most especially not be saved by rising against it as part of an armed mob participating in a political abomination of desolation. Our republic will be saved by those who are enlightened and uplifted by the principles of free society and holding true to them above all other considerations. Our birthright is to be freemen, and freemen do not believe a republic lives or dies in any one election, they do not believe it rises and falls on the shoulders of a single man, and they do not believe in taking up arms against their own country. Freemen have faith in God, faith in each other, and hope that tomorrow can always be a better day so long as we can face it with our principles and values intact. Get full access to Self-Evident at selfevident.substack.com/subscribe

Sure, give the Mormon's Utah.....what's the worst that could happen....oh...they're doing what now.....multiple wives.....well, we can't let them do that now can we.....

In this episode, we sit down with historian Benson Moss as we discuss why the largest Pre-Civil War Military Fort was located in Utah. This is the story of Johnston's Army and the Utah War.    Don't forget to Subscribe, Comment & leave us a Rating and review. We also have a YouTube Channel "Chasing History" where we take you into the field with the men & women who discover history!

DECLINE OF THE KINGDOM, Chapter 16 of Kingdom Of God volume 3 http://ogdenkraut.com/?page_id=141 Pages 187-197 The decline of millennialism in Mormon history thus coincided with the decline of the belief in the political kingdom of God. (Quest for Empire, Klaus Hansen, p. 23)   Mormonism’s opponents thought they could destroy the Saints with mobs, martyrdoms, Mormon Battalion, Utah War and government-appointed lawyers and judges. But all these tactics failed. The new plan was to attack the Mormons for polygamy, which would create more support for their anti-Mormon legislation. This was a subject that resulted in media headlines, lies and false propaganda from the pulpits, and the wrath of politicians. The Mormons tried to defend themselves by writing and preaching in favor of the principle of plural marriage. 

THE UTAH WAR OF 1857, Chapter 12 of Kingdom of God volume 3  Pages 147-161 John Taylor to Captain Marcy: Excuse me, sir, when I say that you are merely the servants of a lamentably corrupt administration; that your primary law is obedience to orders, and that you came here with armed foreigners, with cannon, rifles, bayonets and broadswords, expressly, and for the openly avowed purpose of “cutting out the loathsome ulcer from the body politic.” (Contributor 3:339)  No sooner had the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, than a petition was sent to the Committee on Territories of the Unitqed States against the Mormon territory becoming a State. It was from the Beaver Island apostate group led by James Strang and William Smith, brother to Joseph. They were establishing their kingdom of God and didn’t want Brigham Young to establish another.  When a false story about the Mormons starting a “rebellion” reached Washington, D.C., Pres. Buchanan over-reacted and ordered an army to go west to stop this uprising. The government administration was incited to defend their authority in the territory; on the other hand, the Mormons felt they had to defend themselves for survival against a federal army.  Polygamy had already been publicly announced in 1852 as a doctrine of Mormonism, and ten years later Lincoln signed a law against it. 

We discuss the conditions leading up to the so-called Utah War, the political climate of the day, and the aftermath.

We discuss the conditions leading up to the so-called Utah War, the political climate of the day, and the aftermath.

Every generation will see war. Every mom and dad since 1776 wonders if their child will go to war or be killed by an enemy. History doesn’t lie nor do smart people forget this fact. Maybe the idea of memorial day is the remember. We tend to only look at the grave and recall the dead. And I agree we must never forget the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters. Yet there is a deeper forgetting that is happening that scares me. I walked up and down the streets of your country and the average person has forgotten our collective past. The books in school have no factual reflection on the past of the Unites States. Opinion and politics have rewritten the part of history that needs to be ingrained in every American. There is and always will be darkness and an enemy. There hasn’t been a gap more than 3 years since 1775 that we have not been in a conflict or battle. Right or wrong, believe it or not, war happens. So prepare yourself and your family and stop listening to the media or people who deny the realities. Here is what you have forgotten and like most history it is factual and boring. Facts are boring, fantasy is exciting. Facts repeat themselves, fantasy never happens.  American Revolution (1775-83) against Britain, France, Spain and the American natives. Cherokee wars were from (1775-1795) against the Cherokee. Northwest Indian wars (1785-93) against the Brits. Shay’s Rebellion (1786-87) against government protestors. Whiskey rebellion (1791-94) against frontier tax protestors. Quasi war (1798-1800) against French pirates. First Barbary War (1801-05) against Islamic pirates in the Mediterranean. 1811 German Coast of Haiti against a slave uprising. Tecumseh’s war 1811 for land. War of 1812 against the Brits, spain and natives for land. Creek War (1813-14) against the natives for land. Second Barbary war in the med (1815) against Islamic pirates. First Seminole War (1817-18) against Spain and the Seminoles for land. Texas Indian wars (1820-75) against the commache for land. Arikara War (1823) in Missouri against the natives for land). Aegean Sea pirate War (1825-28) against greek pirates. Winnebago war in Illinois (1827) against the natives for mineral and land rites. First Sumatran war (1832) against pirates). Black hawk war (1832) against the brits and natives over land. Second Seminole (1835-42) over land. Second sumartan (1838) against pirates and for shipping lanes). Aroostook War (1838) against the brits for the maine land. Ivory coast (1842) to prevent slave trading in Africa. Mexican war (1846-48) for texas and California. Cayuse indian war (1847-55) in Oregon for land. Appache Wars (1851-1900) for texas land. Puget Sound war (1855-56) against natives for land. First Fiji war (1855) for shipping and land. Rogue river war (1855-56) against natives for land. Third Seminole war (1855-58) against natives for land. Yakima war (1855-58) in Washington state for peace and land. Second opium war (1856-59) in china for trade and shipping and opium, and you forget the drug wars are not a new thing. Utah War (1857-58) against the mormones. Navajo wars (1858-66) in new mexico for land. Second Fiji war (1859) to put down the Fiji rebellion. Now all this was a part of the day to day life of us here in the new Americas. And we all have completely forgotten not only the life styles we led than but also the massive conflicts we were in. John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry ( 1859) the beginnings of the American civil war which was initially a taxation issue for food and produce and cotton and then devolved into a human trafficking issue. First and second Cortina war (1859-61) in texas against bandits killing and steeling along the border. Paiute war (1860) in Nevada against the natives for land. Then begins the American civil war (1861-1865) primary for who was in charge the govt or the states. The south made all the food and clothing and the north began to tax it and regulate the south. The native indian wars in the Arizona (1861-1875)against the apache and yumas in the southwest, against the Sioux in the Dakota against the Cheyenne in Colorado for land and control. The Shimonoseki war in 1863 in japan for control of trade routes through the Konmon straights. Then back to indian wars with the snake river war against the bannock and the Shoshone in Oregon from (1864 -68), and the powder river wars from 1865-68 against the Sioux and red cloud and we actually lost and gave the land back. 1867 -1875 we fought the Comanche too. 1872 we defeated the moddoc tribe in California and finally beat the Cheyenne and Comanche and kiowa in texas and Colorado. From 1873 – 1923 we had native Americans and US soldiers in a battle every year. In 1867 we had a little conflict with Formosa or Thailand due to piracy. And in 1871 we had our first battle with korea In 1889 we pushed the germans our of Samoa and the Spanish our of cuba in the Spanish America war. 1900 we had a conflict and deployed troops to the Philippines. And at the turn of the century we deployed to china and the boxer rebellion insued. Our southern boarder we a combat zone with four major military interventions from 1900 through 1914 from mexico, cuba, Haiti, Dominican republic and Nicaragua In 1914-1918 the world went to war seemingly with itself in Europe. In 1918 russian civil war pushes all outsiders out. In 1923 the Utes led the last indian uprising in the united states 1939-1945 we all took sides and fought for power and land and our men and women deployed into hell. 1953 we went to war with korea as china and Russia joined and wanted access and power along that region. Also in 1953 we went into Loas and stayed until 1975. 1958 we fought in Lebanon. In 1961 the bay of pigs in cuba. In 1964 the simba rebellion in the congo.   1955-1975 we fought and died in Vietnam. 1965-1983 we fought against communism in Thailand. And against the Khmer in Cambodia.   1965-75 we fought in Bolivia, cuba, and the Dominican.   1978-1989 we fought zaire, libya, Lebanon, and against iran.   1989 we deployed to Panama.   Then begins my military career for fighting where ever you send me campaign. In 1990 we invade Iraq. In 1992 we fight in Somalia. In 1992-95 we fight in bosnia. In 94-95 we fight in Haiti. 98-99 we fight in the Kosovo war. In 1998 we engage Afghanistan. In 2001 we invade Afghanistan and are still there. 2003 we fight in Iraq and are still there. From 2003 until now we have pushed in somilia, Libya, Syria, Uganda, and Yemen.   Don’t just weep for the dead today. Weep for the people who have forgotten and never want to serve. For the darkness is coming whether you want it to or not. So prepare yourself by celebrating the dead by recalling the facts that lead us into each conflict.

While it seems likely that Brigham Young was initially lied to about the Mountain Meadows Massacre, at what point did he learn that Mormons were involved? https://youtu.be/xpuPLChFDEw Turley: Well, basically Brigham Young knew that he had received a letter from Isaac Haight. Again, this is a story that you'll see in our book. He knew he had a letter from Isaac Haight midweek in the massacre, basically saying that the immigrants were under attack at the Mountain Meadows. He sent a letter back saying, "Let them go." Then he got word that they had been attacked and massacred. So, the natural question he would have on his mind when he gets his first visitor from the south is what happened? What happened here?  The story that he got, which we detail in the book, is a story of an all-Indian massacre. GT: And that was from John D. Lee, correct? Turley: It was from John D. Lee.  That's right. GT: John blamed it all on the Indians. Turley  Yep. And he does it in such a way that he attempts to foist a burden of guilt on Brigham Young for his Indian policy, which was: get Indians to align with us in the Utah War, to be enemies against the Mericats,[1] the Americans. So, the way John D. Lee told the story led Brigham Young to believe:  "My policy has contributed to spilling the blood of innocent people on Utah soil." GT: So you're saying that when John D. Lee came up to tell Brigham about the massacre, he's essentially saying, "Brigham, this is your fault, because you're trying to align with the Indians?" Turley: Yeah. GT: That's interesting. Turley: It wouldn't have been that crass, but that's essentially what he was trying to do. [1] Mericats was the word Indians used for Americans. What did he try to do about it? Turley: By the middle of 1859, he was very convinced that there was disturbing information about members of the church being involved. He was telling them at the time, "Look, if you had something to do with this, you're not going to be protected. Get yourselves ready to go to trial."  I think he was very much in hopes that trials would occur. People said that he wanted to have those trials in probate courts that were operated by local bishops. Ultimately, he comes to the conclusion that the best way to resolve this is have it be done in the territorial courts, the federal courts, if you want to call them that. Unfortunately, for the reasons that we described in the book, it didn't happen, and those are political reasons. This is available only to newsletter subscribers, so please sign up for our newsletter to get a secret link.  Go to www.gospeltangents.com/newsletter to sign up! Richard Turley describes how Brigham Young learned about the massacre. Don't miss out other conversations with Richard Turley. 268: Federal Investigation into MMM (Turley) 267: Was John D. Lee Most Guilty? (Turley) 266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners (Turley)

When the Fancher-Baker Party did not make it to California, news traveled fast.  Congress asked federal investigators to find out what happened in Mountain Meadows.  Was it an all-Indian attack, or were Mormons involved? https://youtu.be/0joVDJU9A30 Turley: But the word made it quickly to California and then quickly to the eastern United States. So, people knew that their loved ones were killed or missing in late 1857 and early 1858, so it didn't take long at all. At that point people in Arkansas, whose relatives were killed began to write to their congressional representatives saying, "We need to do something about this."  It wasn't long before officials in Washington were demanding that something occur as well. So, they were sending orders with their people who were headed west with the Utah expedition telling them that they needed to do something about the massacre. GT:  Okay. So, because, if I remember right, didn't it take about 10 years before they brought anybody up for trial? Or what was the time frame before they actually brought legal action? Turley: So the Utah War ended in 1858, and before it ended, there was not anything done. In 1858, when the federal judges arrived, one of the federal judges, John Cradlebaugh, became responsible for that portion of the territory of Utah that included the South.  So in 1859, in March, he convened a court and as part of that court had a grand jury, and he wanted the grand jury at that point to indict those who he felt were responsible for the massacre. Without spilling a lot of the details of what's going to be in our second volume, I'll tell you that that was a complicated event. We explained in there exactly what happens during this trial. By the time you get to the middle of 1859, Church leaders are also concerned about what they're hearing, and so they want to have some type of judicial proceeding as well. But for reasons, again, that we explain in our book, based on evidence no one's ever seen before, that doesn't work out. Then we get to the Civil War. After the Civil War, we get judges back in Utah, who are turning their attention to this crime again. So then in 1874, you finally have your first indictments, and then two trials of John D. Lee: one in 1875, and in 1876. Check out our conversation…. News of the massacre traveled fast, but the first trial of John D. Lee happened in 1875, following the 1857 massacre. Don't forget to see our previous conversations with Richard Turley. 267: Was John D. Lee Most Guilty? (Turley) 266: Richard Turley on Saints… & Sinners (Turley)

Richard Turley is not only an amazing historian but is Director of Public Affairs for the LDS Church.  In our next conversation, we'll get acquainted with him and learn about a few of the books he has written, including the recent release of Saints: The Standard of Truth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkYkh3SSjHY Turley:  So Saints, the story of The Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter-days, is the first multi-volume history of the church produced officially since B.H. Roberts' comprehensive history, which was compiled from a series of journal articles that he wrote and published as a set in 1930 as part of the church's centennial. Saints is a four-volume work that breaks the history of the church up into four time periods: 1815 to 1846, and then from there until 1893, and then from there until the mid-1950s. Then from that point to the present day. It is a history that is written in narrative style. So, unlike a lot of histories which was just somewhat expository, this one is narrative, which means it's deliberately intended to be engaging to the reader. The content is extraordinarily accurate history that's been source checked repeatedly. You can find the sources in the back of the book. But it's also written in a very engaging style. So, it has already become, by perhaps an order of magnitude, the single most read history in the history of the church. GT : Well, it's sold out too. Do you know that? Turley: We give it away electronically, and we've had a vast number of downloads. We've also had a vast number of chapter views. So, we know that we have over a million people reading it right now. GT : Well, I tried to get it for my mom for Christmas, and it was sold out, and I was like, "Are you kidding me?" Turley: Well, it's remarkable. Volume 1 is remarkable, and the other volumes will appear in succession. I encourage everyone to read it. We also talk about his past and future books on the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Turley: So when my co-authors and I were writing Massacre at Mountain Meadows, we gathered a lot of information. In fact, we ended up with more than 50 linear feet of files that we had collected from 31 states in the United States and the District of Columbia. I include in that the National Archives on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, the National Archives in Maryland, what we sometimes call Archives Two and the Denver facility for the National Archives. So, we had a lot of information. The information that we gathered included historical documents, legal documents. The legal documents were particularly important, because no one had ever really examined the case from that perspective before and I, having a legal background, was particularly interested in doing that. So, working with the Janiece Johnson and LaJean Purcell Carruth, who is a shorthand transcriber, we put together these two volumes, and then an associated website that has on it thousands of additional pages of information. These volumes gave you the perspective from a legal standpoint of the Mountain Meadows case, including information related to the nine people who were formally indicted for the massacre. Check out our conversation... Richard Turley is not only an amazing historian but is Director of Public Affairs for the LDS Church. Check out our other conversations about the Mountain Meadows Massacre with Rick's co-author, Barbara Jones Brown. 261: Who Bears Responsibility for MMM? (Jones Brown) 260: After the Killing (Jones Brown) 259: Cattle Rustling Turns Deadly (Jones Brown) 258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown) 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

In our final conversation with Barbara Jones Brown, we'll talk about who was most culpable for the massacre.  Was it John D. Lee, Brigham Young, or militia leaders in Iron County? https://youtu.be/D3tCgrl_Jes Barbara:  [Brigham Young] starts to come to believe that John D Lee and Isaac Haight we're involved. Now at this time, he doesn't have civil authority. He just has church authority, right? Because he's not the governor anymore. And so, he excommunicates John D. Lee and Isaac Haight, eventually. GT: Would it be safe to say that those were the two most responsible people for the massacre? Barbara:  I think William Dame is also responsible because he gave the final okay to go ahead and carry it out as Iron County militia commander. Phillip Klingensmith was clearly very much involved and clearly received much of the spoils. We know from a clerk of Phillip Klingensmith that he was pilfering tithing funds and stealing from the people long before the massacre. But is Brigham Young completely blameless? Barbara:  I agree with Juanita Brooks' conclusion that his rhetoric before the massacre was very dangerous. You know, privately he was writing and saying, "I don't want any bloodshed in this conflict." But he was definitely whipping people up into a state of hysteria. ... GT:  Would Brigham Young be an accessory to that with his rhetoric? Barbara: I don't think he's an accessory to the crime. I look at President Donald Trump today and some of his rhetoric that he uses. Did he tell people to do what happened at Charlottesville? No. But did his rhetoric make people think it was okay to do what they did? Did some people think it was okay to do what they did at Charlottesville? Probably. So, would you call Trump an accessory to any crime? Would you call Trump an accessory to the crime that occurred at Charlottesville when you had one of these people drive a car into protesters? No. I wouldn't call Trump an accessory to that crime. No. But did his rhetoric encourage some people to think that was okay? Possibly. Check out our conversation…. Are there others responsible for the deaths at Mountain Meadows? Check out our other episodes with Barbara! 260: After the Killing (Jones Brown) 259: Cattle Rustling Turns Deadly (Jones Brown) 258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown) 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

The day after approximately 100 immigrants from Arkansas were killed, Mormon leaders in Iron County got together to discuss how to explain the deaths.  Barbara Jones Brown tells how leaders dealt with Brigham Young's message to leave the immigrants alone, and how they decided to blame the Indians for the atrocity. https://youtu.be/k6qs7z-vZxg Barbara:  On the day after the massacre Haight and Dame arrive at the Mountain Meadows to see what's happened, what's been done. Lee and Klingensmith are already there because they were major participants in the killings, in the atrocity. They come and then Lee talks about watching Haight and Dame argue over who's to blame for this as they see the horrible, butchering, just the horrible, butchered bodies lying all across the meadows, including all of the women and children. Dame says, "We have to report this." And Haight says, "How? As an Indian massacre?" And Dame says, " I'm not sure I would report it just as that, because Dame knows he's ordered out the Iron County militiamen to do this. Isaac [Haight] says, "You have to report it as an Indian massacre or you'll implicate yourself." Dame says, "Isaac, I didn't think there were so many of them. You told me that most of them were already dead, that there were just a few more witnesses that had to be killed." Haight yells at him and says, "If you blame this whole thing on me, I will follow you to hell to make sure you pay for it," basically. So there's just this horrible argument going on the day after. So, Lee gets back to Fort Harmony and starts bragging to his congregation about what he's done. He's proud of it. A letter from Brigham Young arrives on September 13th, two days later. It arrives in Cedar City telling Isaac Haight, "The Indians will do as they please, but you must not meddle with the immigrants. If those who are there will go, let them go in peace." Isaac Haight receives that letter and says, "Too late, too late." So he forwards that message to Harmony and also to Washington. The same thing happened in Washington. The militiamen returned to Washington and they're bragging about what they've done. They're proud of it, until that message arrives, that Brigham Young had said, "No. Let them go in peace." So Haight calls Lee to him in Cedar City and says, "We're in a muddle." He says, "You need to go report this to Brigham Young and take as much of the blame for it as you can." So Lee says, "Why don't you just tell him you're the [leader.]" He [Haight] says, "Well, you could tell him better than I." So he sends Lee north to report the massacre to Brigham Young. And so the blame game begins.  Check out our conversation…. What Happened after the Killing at Mountain Meadows? Don't miss our other conversations with Barbara! 259: Cattle Rustling Turns Deadly (Jones Brown) 258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown) 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

What precipitated the Mountain Meadows Massacre?  In my conversation with Barbara Jones Brown, I learned something very interesting. It turns out that Mormons were stealing cattle from California-bound immigrants!  Was this part of Brigham Young's strategy to send a message to Washington that immigration was unsafe?  It seems that Brigham Young was encouraging Mormons (and Indians) to steal immigrant cattle!  Barbara tells about another raid on immigrant cattle at the same time the Mountain Meadows Massacre happened. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbmO9UOf_PI Barbara:  We can't say for sure who did it. We don't know. That's all we have is this account from those immigrants on the northern route. But it takes place on September 8, 1857. They said, "It was clear they did not intend to kill anyone. It was clear they just intended to run off our cattle." That's exactly what happens with this other train. They have their cattle run off. They're strung out on the road and it's in the dark at night-time and they're in a ravine, a large wash. The Moapa Indians, led by five or six Mormon interpreters run off their cattle, and then the train goes on and makes it to California, to San Bernardino. That happens right after this other one. No one is killed. GT: Mormons have a history of cattle rustling it sounds like. Barbara: Well again, this was Brigham Young's strategy. His war strategy was to try and convince the federal government that if the government removed him as Indian Superintendent and Governor of Utah and ran the Mormons out, this is what would happen, that immigration would be no longer safe. GT: This is kind of his strategy, and so he's making it not safe, essentially. Barbara: Yeah. He's encouraging this cattle raiding. In all of the sources in which the cattle raiding is encouraged, you don't see any evidence of any killing to be encouraged at all, just to have the cattle raided. GT: So why do you think the killing happened in Mountain Meadows? Check out our conversation! Brigham Young encouraged Mormons (and Indians) to steal cattle from immigrants crossing through Utah. Don't miss our other episodes with Barbara! 258: Tackling Myths of Mountain Meadows (Jones Brown) 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

There are still a lot of myths surrounding the Massacre at Mountain Meadows. How many were killed?  Historian Barbara Jones Brown says it could be a few dozen lower than original estimates. https://youtu.be/qCENNRBC2uE Barbara: You know what's really interesting about that number is that number comes from Jacob Hamblin who buries the bodies later....He tells federal army officials, federal officials, that it was 120, and then they go with that number. What's interesting is the earliest sources, the earliest body counts, put the number at 95, 96, which surprised me when started getting into those earliest primary sources because I said, "No, it's supposed to be 120." So then I just thought, "Well, where does this number come from?" I looked at all of the sources and they are what I just described to you. So the earliest body counts say about 95 or 96. The number of people who've been identified in the train is about the same. It's about that. GT: So, it might not be as bad as we thought. Barbara: It is as bad as we thought. Even if one person, a massacre [is bad.] GT: That's true. Barbara: Yeah. I mean 95, 120--either way. It still is as bad as we thought. GT: It's terrible. Were children under age 8 spared due to Mormon theology?  Barbara Jones Brown will give us some of the latest information surrounding the massacre, and it likely is different than you've heard. GT: The other question I wanted to ask, so you said that the oldest child that lived was six? I know that there's some Mormon theology. Why six years old? Barbara: So the non-Mormon attorneys that investigated and talk about it later. It says, "Because they were too young to give evidence in court." GT: Oh really? Oh, I always thought it was because children under eight are not capable of sin. Barbara: That theory came much later. GT: Oh, okay. Barbara: It's a modern theory. It doesn't hold up because babies were killed. Some babies were killed in the massacre and seven year-olds were killed. Again, the oldest survivor was six. So, what all of the perpetrators said was they were too young to tell tales. Again, there's a federal district judge named John Cradlebaugh, and he says they were spared because they were too young to give evidence in court. GT: Okay. So it was a legal issue. It wasn't a theological issue. Barbara: That's what the historical sources say. Yeah. I can't find a single historical source that says, "Oh, we're not going to kill them because they're not eight yet." There's not a single historical source that says that. Find out what other myths Barbara can dispel!  Check out our conversation…. Public Domain photo of painting from 1800s of Mountain Meadows. Here are our other conversations with Barbara: 257: Revenge for Haun's Mill & Pratt's Murder? (Jones Brown) 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones Brown)

20 years before the Mountain Meadows Massacre, 17 Mormons were killed in Haun's Mill, Missouri.  And just four months earlier, Parley P. Pratt, a beloved Mormon apostle was killed May 13, 1857 in Arkansas.  Just a few months after Pratt's death, around 100 immigrants from Arkansas were killed.  Is it true that Mormons sought revenge for the Haun's Mill and Pratt's murder?  Barbara Jones Brown will answer that question. https://youtu.be/rv0GJLgAU5I Barbara: So I looked at that theory and all I can find is proximate cause, meaning, so okay, this happened in Arkansas, therefore these people were from Arkansas, therefore that must be the reason. But when I looked at it, I don't think that was the motive. I think these other things that I've been talking about were the motive. Here are my reasons. Quite a lot of the perpetrators eventually come out and say why this happened as well as local people. They give a whole slew of motives and reasons for why this happened. Not one of them ever said that Parley P. Pratt's murder was a motive. GT: Hmm. That's among the principal people that were involved. Barbara: Yeah. Anyone. Anyone. You can't find a single Mormon that ever said that. GT: So, do you think that's overplayed then? Barbara: I do. Were you surprised to hear Brown downplay Pratt and Haun's Mill in the Mountain Meadows Massacre? Check out our conversation…. Barbara Jones Brown disputes the idea that Mountain Meadows was revenge for Haun's Mill or Parley Pratt's murder. Don't miss our other episodes about the massacre. 256: Utah War & Mountain Meadows Massacre (Jones-Brown) 194: What is the Dead Lee Scroll? (Mayfield) 193: John D. Lee's Role in Mountain Meadows Massacre (Mayfield) 074: CSI: Mountain Meadows – Using DNA to Solve 2 Mysteries (Perego)    

If you didn't grow up in Utah, you've probably never heard of the Utah War.  Federal troops came to Utah in 1857 creating great anxiety among the Mormons.  This war footing led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the lowest point in Mormon history.  Barbara Jones-Brown tells about these events that led to the greatest atrocity in American history up to that point in 1857. https://youtu.be/-yC2SZ1umL8 Barbara: A memorial from Utah's legislature [was sent to Washington] saying, "Look, if you keep sending us federal officials that we don't like, that we don't agree with, we're going to send them away. Please choose appointees that are from among us and represent our values." Basically one legislator said it was practically a declaration of independence. So there's these kinds of stories, these kind of rumors, some based in fact, some exaggerated that reach Washington. So the new president concludes that he needs to send a whole new set of territorial appointees to Utah, including one to replace Brigham Young as governor and that he's going to send federal troops with them to ensure that they are placed successfully and with no resistance from local Utahans. So Brigham Young and church leaders interpret this as a threat and they vowed that the army, the troops will never enter into their settlements. I'm really glossing over things quickly here, but you have what came to be called the Utah War erupt where the troops and the federal appointees, as they are nearing settlements of what was then Utah Territory. Young and other church leaders send out Mormon militia men to hamper their way. So they're running off their cattle, they're burning the grass in front of them. They are burning their supply wagons, doing everything they can to try and get the troops to be stopped on the plains that year. So that's the environment and you've got this war hysteria going, on if you will, in Utah Territory. These heightened tensions contributed to Mormons in Utah committing the worst war atrocity in U.S. history up to that time in 1857.  Approximately 100 settlers from Arkansas were killed.  Check out our conversation…. President James Buchanan sent federal troops to Utah to quell the "Mormon Rebellion." The Utah War indirectly led to the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Check out our other conversations about the Mountain Meadows Massacre. 194: What is the Dead Lee Scroll? (Mayfield) 193: John D. Lee's Role in Mountain Meadows Massacre (Mayfield) 074: CSI: Mountain Meadows – Using DNA to Solve 2 Mysteries (Perego)  

Details around the Utah War of 1857

Jacob makes Rachel real annoyed and sad. Maybe next episode will be more entertaining. I promise.

In this Dialogue podcast William MacKinnon and Richard E. Turley discuss insights from their research on the Utah War and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. From the Miller Eccles website: Rick Turley was formerly Assistant Church Historian and is currently managing director of the Public Affairs Department of the Church. Bill MacKinnon is an independent, award winning historian of the American West, who was recently president of the Mormon History Association.  THE TOPIC: Over the decades, Richard Turley and William MacKinnon have researched and written extensively about Utah’s long, contentious territorial period. They approach the subject from quite different  religious, educational, military, professional, geographical, and even generational backgrounds. Despite (or perhaps because of) such differences, these two historians are close personal friends and respectful colleagues, whose work has been enriched by the informal and stimulating exchange of discoveries and ideas over more than twenty years. Rick and Bill have often shared a platform to discuss their findings and to learn from audiences in such varied settings as the LDS stake center in Norman, Oklahoma  and  annual conferences of the Mormon History Association in many parts of the country.

This week's episode focuses on the Utah War, a roughly 10-ish week war where not a single shot was fired - and an American Army loss was the result

Learn what Presidential Pardon Power is and how it works. • Learn the purpose of granting pardon. The Recap On this week’s episode, Matt and Tony deep dive into some of the craziest and darkest parts of the legal history of the United States. Matt is a recovering Big Law attorney-turned-comedian with a passion for legal history, while Tony has no legal background whatsoever - except for a few minor brushes with the law. Ultimately, it’s Tony’s absurd and funny point of view on laws that will rub Matt the hilarious way. Expect tons of crazy antics from the duo as they bring their insights about the use and misuse of the Pardon Power. Check out these episode highlights 01:00 – History of Pardon Power 10:10 – How the President’s Pardon Power works 11:27 – The Whiskey Rebellion of 1974 19:30 – Brigham Young and the Utah War of 1858 20:20 – Socialist politician Eugene Debs’ sedition case in 1920 21:48 – Richard Nixon and the Watergate Scandal of 1974 25:48 –Patty Hearst and Symbionese Liberation Army in 2002 26:01 –Bill Clinton pardoned FBI’s top fugitive, Mark Rich 36:43 – Obama pardoned 5% of all the pardon requests during his term 46:28 – Matt and Sam take on the use and abuse of Pardon Power and clemency grants  

The Gaming Hut gets foundational as we discuss the meaning and implications of Gygaxian naturalism. Patreon backer Derrick McMullin meets us in the History Hut to ask for the hidden truth behind the Utah War. In Ask Ken and Robin, backer Steve K invites us to opine on what might have been lost in a […]

How do men and women shape history? Do human values have a role in the writing of history? At a time when the so-called New Mormon history appears to be running its course, it may be time to rethink our approaches. So says Ronald W. Walker, professional historian and BYU Professor of History, Emeritus.

Join Lindsay as she interviews historian Joseph Geisner about 1850’s Utah including stories about Bill Hickman and Porter Rockwell.  This episode contains strong themes of violence. This is part two of a two-part episode.   Links and text mentioned and read in this podcast:   Housewives, Hussies, and Heroines, or the Women of Johnston’s Army […]