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 1857 Utah map.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, upwards of one hundred men were involved in some fashion 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. Here is a Basic Account of the massacre. As word of the approach of the United States expeditionary army reached Utah, it touched off fears of invasion and dispossession. This was due to the experiences of many Mormons in the Midwest. 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. These fears of being driven from their homes was particularly strong in southern Utah because of its isolation and perceived exposure. Map southern utah 1.jpg The misunderstanding over the intentions of the approaching army touched off the conflict known as the Utah War. 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 the involved 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 What's New in 2012 The Mountain Meadows Massacre Site Is Now a National Historic Landmark National Historic Landmark Plaque In September 2011, a ceremony at Mountain Meadows marked the official recognition of the Mountain Meadows Massacre site as a National Historic Landmark. The events of the weekend of September 10-11 commemorated this significant change in status amid the unveiling of a new memorial at the Northern Gravesite. We are adding coverage and photographs of this event. The most important recent change to our site has been wiki software upgrades to improve its appearance, features and functionality. Internal and external links are now easier and more reliable while thumbnail photographs are now enlarged with a click. The new wiki software has allowed us to make a series of improvements to the form and content of our site. We have also revised every militia biography with expanded treatment and sources and a new Bibliography. We'll continue to expand and improve the biographies for the militiamen as we receive input from you or locate new sources of information. We also updated the news items on the Front Page. Also, some visitors have suggested that we include information on such figures as George A. Smith, Jacob Hamblin, etc. Great suggestion! We will add that over time. What's Planned Our hope is to continually 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, we would be interested in hearing from you. To add 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: We have photographs of the dedications and programs at Mountain Meadows from 1999, 2007, 2009 and 2011. They help convey some of the "reconciliation" efforts among various communities and peoples. Progress is always slow, but in the last dozen years significant progress has been made. Since 2007, officials of the Mormon Church have made important statements, acknowledgements and expressions of regret. Some know of these statements, but many still are unaware. Another idea is to add a news section summarizing these statements and events. Let Us Hear From You We hope you enjoy the site and find it profitable. Some of you may have historical photographs, family histories, genealogical information 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. We're interested in seeing what you have, exchanging information, and comparing notes! Best regards to all, Robert Briggs