Recently, the miniseries American Primeval has brought renewed attention to an episode in American history that is often overlooked: the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The event must be understood within the broader and better-known context of the Utah War of 1857–1858, which involved Native American tribes, the federal government, settlers, and Mormon colonists. It is why it is also referred to as the Mormon Rebellion.

The Utah Territory was settled by the Mormons in 1857 under the leadership of Brigham Young, who held the role of spiritual leader and local governor. Amid these developments, and against the backdrop of the disorder typical of a lawless frontier like the American West, reprisals & guerrilla warfare erupted among the various groups inhabiting the region, Native Americans, Mormons, and federal forces. The situation deteriorated to such an extent that martial law was imposed and the intervention of the US Army became necessary. While Washington sent troops to restore order, the Mormons, following Young’s directives, defied federal laws and prevented anyone from crossing Utah without authorization. As a result, citizens found themselves unable to travel freely, while Mormons, Native Americans, & soldiers slaughtered one another in one of the most hostile regions of the United States.

Within this setting, a wagon train of aout 150 people, men, women, and children, set out from Arkansas for California in 1857. Led by John T. Baker & Alexander Fancher, the caravan crossed the lands of Utah, passing through Salt Lake City. On September 8, near Mountain Meadows, they were attacked by Native Americans and by Mormons disguised as Native warriors (the 2 groups had an active commercial alliance, which helped conceal the perpetrators’ identities). After 4 days of desperate resistance, during which the settlers were left without water or food, a Mormon bishop named D. Lee persuaded the travelers to come out in exchange for supplies. The moment the pioneers lowered their guard, they were attacked on Lee’s command: “Do your duty!”

What followed was a massacre. Native Americans and Mormons burned what they did not take for themselves and slaughtered men, women, and even children, sparing only 18, whom they took with them, to eliminate witnesses. One survivor of the massacre, a woman named Nancy, later pressured the U.S. government to seek justice for the victims of Mountain Meadows. Two years after the slaughter, the bodies were finally buried, and 20 years later, following renewed investigations, Lee was hanged, bringing long-delayed justice for the massacre.