1857 Iron County Militia Project

In fall 1857 in southern Utah about 100 men in the Iron County Militia were involved in the disastrous Mountain Meadows Massacre.

• Who were the members of the 450-man militia?
• Who were those involved in the massacre?

This site is designed to facilitate exchanging information about the 1857 Iron County Militia and its members, to answer questions as accurately as the historical record will allow and to increase understanding.

Introduction Map utah 2.jpg In 1857, there were approximately 450 men in the Iron County militia. At the outbreak of the Utah War of 1857-58, rumors of invasion by the United States Army set the militia in motion. Militiamen were organizing, drilling, patrolling, scouting and carrying expresses. Infamously, about a hundred militiamen were involved in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Who were the members of the 450-man militia? Who were those involved in the massacre? This site explores the events in southern Utah at the outset of the Utah War. The Iron County militia was the Tenth Regiment of the territorial militia and was also known as the Iron Military District. It was the local militia unit in southern Utah. As word of the approach of the United States expeditionary army reached Utah, particularly southern Utah, it touched off fears of invasion and dispossession. This was due to the experiences of many Mormons in the Mid-West. Because of conflicts with the original settlers in these locales they were driven from their homes and lands, first in western Missouri, then in western Illinois. The misunderstanding over the intentions of the approaching army touched off a conflict known as the Utah War of 1857-58. By August 1857, the southern Utah militia had been reorganized and was on heightened alert. They undertook what seemed vital at the time: harvesting grain, caching foodstuffs, guarding the approaches to southern Utah, sending scouting parties in search of the approaching army and surveilling passing emigrant trains. As this crisis broke, disaster befell the first passing train, the Fancher-Baker party, at Mountain Meadows. This site discusses the unfolding crisis and ensuing massacre. It also provides biographical sketches of many of the militiamen. Our desire is to provide the most accurate information possible. We solicit feedback and corrections from our visitors. We will update the site with corrected information. We appreciate your comments and feedback. Thank you for visiting! Send comments or corrections to editor@1857ironcountymilitia.com

Updates in 2011 We've done some recent updating to the news items on the Front Page. But the main thing is some revisions, both major and minor, in the biographical sketches of individual militiamen. The bios have been substantially revised for Alexander Loveridge, Augustus Allen, Benjamin Arthur, Columbus Freeman, Charles Hopkins, Dudley Leavitt, Daniel Macfarlane, Don Carlos (Carl) Shirts and David Tullis. I'll keep working through the other militiamen as I find the time. Also, some have suggested we include information on such figures as George A. Smith, Jacob Hamblin, etc. Great suggestion! I will add that over time. We'll continue to add to these bios over time. We hope to locate additional photographs of the militiamen and historical photos or woodcuts depicting other details relevant to our subject matter. It's an ongoing process. If you have any, I'd be interested in hearing from you. To add additional information about the background of an important group of militiamen, coming soon is an article on the British ironworkers, their activities on the Cedar City ironworks and how the repeated failures at the ironworks may have contributed to the overall sense of frustration and failure in Cedar City. It treats both the British immigrants drawn into the massacre and those who, for whatever reason, were not. Here are some other plans for the site: I have photographs of the dedications and programs at Mountain Meadows from 1999, 2007 and 2009. Some are quite good and help show some of the "reconciliation" efforts among various communities and peoples. Progress is always slow, but real progress has been made. During 2011, the Mountain Meadows Massacre site has become a National Historic Landmark. There will be events commemorating this important change in status during 2011. I hope to add coverage and photographs of these events. Since 2007, officials of the Mormon Church have made important statements, acknowledgements and expressions of regret. Some know of these important statements, but many still are unaware. Another idea is to add a news section summarizing these statements and events. I hope to add some software upgrades so as to improve the appearance, features and functionality of the site. We hope you enjoy the site and find it profitable. Some of you may have historical photographs, family histories, genealogical info or just interesting family lore about some of the subjects of our site. Please leave a comment or contact me via email at editor@1857ironcountymilitia.com. I'm interested in seeing what you have, exchanging info and comparing notes! Best regards to all, Rob