Nephi massacre

In 1853, during Wakara's War (also called Walker's War), a group of Goshute people approached Salt Creek Fort near present-day Nephi, Utah. Historical accounts cited in the case record state that Latter-day Saint settlers detained the group and killed at least seven Goshute men and boys. Some accounts also say that a woman and children from the group were held captive.

The killings have been described as retaliation for the recent deaths of four Mormon settlers in the Fountain Green massacre. Those earlier deaths were attributed to Ute people, not to the Goshute group killed near Nephi, and the cited settler accounts indicate that no determination of individual responsibility was made before the killings.

Two contemporary settler accounts cited by later histories condemned the incident and described the people who approached the fort as seeking food or protection. Both accounts indicate that the settlers did not first establish that the victims had participated in the earlier attack.

In 2006, contractors excavating for a house in Nephi's Old Hallow area uncovered the remains of seven males, estimated to have been about 13 to 35 years old. Archaeologists quoted in Associated Press reporting published by the Deseret News said they believed the remains were Goshute and connected to the 1853 killings.