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Mountain Meadows Massacre

In September 1857, Mormon militiamen from the Utah Territorial Militia, aided by some Southern Paiutes, killed at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher wagon train at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah, sparing only seventeen young children.

SOLVED1857

Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory

3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

The Mountain Meadows Massacre took place between September 7 and 11, 1857, in southern Utah Territory during the Utah War. At least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher wagon train, mostly immigrant families from Arkansas traveling to California on the Old Spanish Trail, were killed. The perpetrators were settlers belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who were part of the Utah Territorial Militia, known officially as the Nauvoo Legion, and they recruited and were aided by some Southern Paiute Native Americans.

After the Baker–Fancher party was refused provisions in Salt Lake City, it traveled south and stopped to rest at Mountain Meadows. Amid war hysteria over a feared federal military invasion of Utah and rumors of hostile behavior by the travelers, local militia leaders including Isaac C. Haight and John D. Lee planned an attack disguised to appear as the work of Native Americans. On September 7, militiamen dressed as Native Americans, along with some Paiutes, attacked the wagon train. The immigrants defended themselves by circling and fortifying their wagons, and a five-day siege followed. Fearing that some emigrants had recognized white attackers, militia commander William H. Dame ordered that the travelers be killed. On September 11, militiamen approached under a flag of truce, offered the emigrants safe escort to Cedar City in exchange for their weapons and livestock, then killed the men, women, and older children as they were being led away from their fortification. Only seventeen children age six and under were spared.

Following the massacre, most bodies were left exposed, and the survivors' property was distributed or auctioned among local Mormon settlers. The surviving children were later retrieved by federal officials, including Superintendent of Indian Affairs Jacob Forney, and returned to relatives in Arkansas. Federal investigations by Judge John Cradlebaugh, Major James Henry Carleton, and Forney found evidence of Mormon involvement, but prosecutions were delayed by the American Civil War. In 1874, nine men were indicted; only John D. Lee was tried. After a first trial ended in a hung jury in 1875, a second trial in 1876 before an all-Mormon jury convicted him. Lee was executed by firing squad at Mountain Meadows on March 23, 1877.

Historians attribute the massacre to a combination of factors, including Mormon teachings during the Mormon Reformation, war hysteria tied to the Utah War, and the contested role of LDS Church president Brigham Young, who is generally regarded by historians as having contributed to the atmosphere that provoked the massacre and to concealing evidence afterward, though scholars debate whether he had advance knowledge of the plan. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011, and multiple memorials have been erected at Mountain Meadows and in Arkansas.

Key facts

Victims
Nancy Huff
Date
1857
Location
Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1857-08-25

    The Baker–Fancher party camped near Mormon apostle George A. Smith at Corn Creek while traveling south from Salt Lake City.

  2. 1857-09-06

    Isaac Haight held a Stake High Council meeting in Cedar City where a planned attack on the wagon train was discussed.

  3. 1857-09-07

    Militiamen disguised as Native Americans, joined by some Paiutes, launched the first attack on the Baker–Fancher wagon train at Mountain Meadows, beginning a five-day siege.

  4. 1857-09-11

    Militia commander William H. Dame's order to kill the emigrants was carried out; militiamen and auxiliary forces killed the adults and older children of the wagon train, sparing seventeen young children.

  5. 1857-09-13

    A letter from Brigham Young instructing that the emigrants not be harmed arrived two days after the killings.

  6. 1859

    Major James Henry Carleton and Jacob Forney conducted federal investigations into the massacre; Carleton's findings were published.

  7. 1874-11-07

    John D. Lee was arrested.

  8. 1875-07-23

    Lee's first trial began in Beaver, Utah Territory, ending in a hung jury on August 5, 1875.

  9. 1876-09-13

    Lee's second trial began before an all-Mormon jury, resulting in his conviction.

  10. 1877-03-23

    John D. Lee was executed by firing squad at Mountain Meadows.

  11. 2011

    The Mountain Meadows site was designated a National Historic Landmark.

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People

  • Nancy Huff

    VICTIM

    One of the seventeen child survivors of the massacre, roughly four years old at the time; later gave an 1875 statement describing the killings.

  • Philip Klingensmith

    CHARGED

    Militia participant and former LDS bishop who was indicted but escaped prosecution by agreeing to testify.

  • John D. Lee

    CONVICTED

    Militia officer and Indian Agent; convicted of the killings after a second trial and executed by firing squad on March 23, 1877.

  • Ellott Willden

    CHARGED

    Indicted and arrested in connection with the massacre.

  • George Adair Jr.

    CHARGED

    Indicted and arrested in connection with the massacre.

  • William H. Dame

    CHARGED

    Militia commander who ordered the killing of the emigrants; indicted in the 1870s but not tried.

  • John Cradlebaugh

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Federal judge who convened a grand jury regarding the massacre and attempted to arrest several suspects.

  • Jacob Forney

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Utah who investigated the massacre and retrieved surviving children for return to Arkansas.

  • James Henry Carleton

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    US Army Brevet Major who led a federal investigation into the massacre, published in 1859.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory

37.4755, -113.6437

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In September 1857, Mormon militiamen from the Utah Territorial Militia, aided by some Southern Paiutes, killed at least 120 members of the Baker–Fancher wagon train at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah, sparing only seventeen young children.
Where did the massacre happen?
Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory.
Who was convicted?
John D. Lee (Militia officer and Indian Agent; convicted of the killings after a second trial and executed by firing squad on March 23, 1877.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Utah

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMountain Meadows MassacreWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The Washington PostThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — lccn.loc.govlccn.loc.gov · 2026-07-10

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