Massacre at Mountain Meadows
Encyclopedia
Massacre at Mountain Meadows is a book by Latter-day Saint historian Richard E. Turley, Jr.
and two Brigham Young University
professors of history, Ronald W. Walker
and Glen M. Leonard
. Leonard was also the director of the Museum of Church History and Art
in Salt Lake City
, Utah
. The book concerns the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre
in southern Utah, and is the latest study of the subject.
To this end, "[LDS] Church leaders supported [the] book by providing full and open disclosure." Although he wrote in his unofficial capacity, one of the authors, Turley, had been serving as an administrator over the church's historical programs since 1986.
Beginning their work in 2001, the authors did not intend to respond to earlier treatments on the massacre, but to instead take a "fresh approach" and amass all possible primary sources. Aside from available academic and scholarly sources, they were also granted access to the LDS First Presidency
's archives. There they discovered the collection of past Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson
, including the papers from his interviews with insiders in southern Utah during 1892. This was the first modern examination of the massacre that had access to these sources.
The authors avoided portraying the perpetrators and victims as good or evil, which would overlook their human complexity and the groups' diversities. Instead, they examined the massacre as a case of American frontier violence and vigilantism.
The authors were interviewed about their research in an August 2008 airing of KUER's public forum program, Radio West. On September 17, 2008 BYU Television
produced a special report entitled, Massacre at the Meadows: A BYU Broadcasting Special Report, in which they conducted a wide-ranging, hour-long interview with the authors of the book. The special report originally aired on September 24, 2008 and has been occasionally rebroadcast on BYU Television and other BYU media outlets such as KBYU-TV
.
. The first printing sold out before the release date, and it has since gone through several more printings. It was Oxford's top sale through Amazon.com
for two months and Oxford's fastest-selling book over the last few years, selling 44,000 copies in the first two months. It received positive critical reaction and picked up by the History Book Club and the Military Book Club, though most sales were limited to Utah. Oxford considered it "a big best-seller" for its "smaller press" with conservative print runs.
Pulitzer Prize
-winning author, Daniel Walker Howe
, said the book was:
In September 2009 the Journal of American History
wrote:
In June 2009 Reviews in American History
wrote:
, media reaction
, coverup
, or punishment
. The authors concluded "that too much information existed for a single book", and that the second half of the story would be written in a future volume. Richard E. Turley Jr. has signed a contract with Oxford University Press to publish the second volume; as of April 2010 this sequel is tentatively titled After the Massacre.
published a special edition of their journal in fall 2008. This special edition, BYU Studies Volume 47:3, contained selections from the Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris collections, along with histories, essays, and book reviews; all dealing with the Mountain Meadows massacre.
In September 2009 BYU Studies and Brigham Young University Press published the complete collections in a 352 page book, entitled Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections.
Richard E. Turley, Jr.
Richard Eyring "Rick" Turley, Jr. is an American historian and genealogist, and the Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .-Biography:...
and two Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
professors of history, Ronald W. Walker
Ronald W. Walker
Ronald Warren Walker is a historian of the Latter Day Saint movement who was formerly a professor at Brigham Young University and president of the Mormon History Association.-Biography:...
and Glen M. Leonard
Glen M. Leonard
Glen Milton Leonard is an American historian specializing in Mormon history.- Background :Leonard is a native of Farmington, Utah. He received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Utah. For a time he was managing editor of Utah Historical Quarterly. He has taught at both Brigham Young...
. Leonard was also the director of the Museum of Church History and Art
Museum of Church History and Art
The Church History Museum is the premier museum operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is opposite the west gates of the church's Temple Square...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The book concerns the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
in southern Utah, and is the latest study of the subject.
History
Though the massacre had already been the topic of numerous books, the authors observed there was a modern feeling that the LDS Church should invite "true reconciliation" by showing "more candor about what its historians actually know about the event". The authors agreed, writing:To this end, "[LDS] Church leaders supported [the] book by providing full and open disclosure." Although he wrote in his unofficial capacity, one of the authors, Turley, had been serving as an administrator over the church's historical programs since 1986.
Beginning their work in 2001, the authors did not intend to respond to earlier treatments on the massacre, but to instead take a "fresh approach" and amass all possible primary sources. Aside from available academic and scholarly sources, they were also granted access to the LDS First Presidency
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
's archives. There they discovered the collection of past Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson
Andrew Jenson
Andrew Jenson, born Anders Jensen, was a Danish immigrant to the United States who acted as an Assistant Church Historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for much of the early-twentieth century...
, including the papers from his interviews with insiders in southern Utah during 1892. This was the first modern examination of the massacre that had access to these sources.
The authors avoided portraying the perpetrators and victims as good or evil, which would overlook their human complexity and the groups' diversities. Instead, they examined the massacre as a case of American frontier violence and vigilantism.
The authors were interviewed about their research in an August 2008 airing of KUER's public forum program, Radio West. On September 17, 2008 BYU Television
BYU Television
__NOEDITSECTION__Brigham Young University Television is a cable/satellite television channel operated by Brigham Young University...
produced a special report entitled, Massacre at the Meadows: A BYU Broadcasting Special Report, in which they conducted a wide-ranging, hour-long interview with the authors of the book. The special report originally aired on September 24, 2008 and has been occasionally rebroadcast on BYU Television and other BYU media outlets such as KBYU-TV
KBYU-TV
KBYU-TV is a Public Broadcasting Service member public television station serving the U.S. state of Utah. The station broadcasts locally in digital-only on UHF channel 44, which redirects to its former analog channel 11 via PSIP. It is rebroadcast statewide through a network of translators...
.
Reception
Demand for the book exceeded the anticipations of its publisher, Oxford University PressOxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. The first printing sold out before the release date, and it has since gone through several more printings. It was Oxford's top sale through Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
for two months and Oxford's fastest-selling book over the last few years, selling 44,000 copies in the first two months. It received positive critical reaction and picked up by the History Book Club and the Military Book Club, though most sales were limited to Utah. Oxford considered it "a big best-seller" for its "smaller press" with conservative print runs.
Awards and Praise
- Best Non-Fiction Book of 2008, Westerners International
- Best Book Award, Mormon History AssociationMormon History AssociationThe Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...
, May 2009 - Booklist Editors Choice: Adult Books for 2008, BooklistBooklistBooklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning author, Daniel Walker Howe
Daniel Walker Howe
Daniel Walker Howe is a historian of the early national period of American history and specializes in the intellectual and religious history of the United States. He is Rhodes Professor of American History Emeritus at Oxford University in England and Professor of History Emeritus at the University...
, said the book was:
In September 2009 the Journal of American History
Journal of American History
The Journal of American History is the official academic journal of the Organization of American Historians. It covers the field of American history and was established in 1914 as the Mississippi Valley Historical Review, the official journal of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association...
wrote:
In June 2009 Reviews in American History
Reviews in American History
Reviews in American History is an academic journal founded in 1973. Each issue presents substantive reviews of more than two-dozen new books on the topic of American history. It also features retrospectives on influential titles of the past...
wrote:
Sequel
Massacre at Mountain Meadows tells the story of the massacre, but not its aftermath, impactRemembrances of the Mountain Meadows massacre
There have been several remembrances of the Mountain Meadows massacre including: commemorative observances, the building of monuments and markers, and the creation of associations and other groups to help promote the massacre's history and ensure protection of the massacre site and grave sites.-In...
, media reaction
Mountain Meadows massacre and the media
Although the Mountain Meadows massacre was covered to some extent in the media during the 1850s, its first period of intense nation-wide publicity began around 1872. This was after investigators obtained the confession of Philip Klingensmith, a Mormon bishop at the time of the massacre and a...
, coverup
Mountain Meadows massacre and Mormon public relations
Mormon public relations have evolved with respect to the Mountain Meadows massacre since it occurred on September 11, 1857. After a period of official public silence concerning the massacre, and denials of any Mormon involvement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints took action in 1872...
, or punishment
Investigations and prosecutions relating to the Mountain Meadows massacre
The pursuit of the perpetrators of the Mountain Meadows massacre, which atrocity occurred September 11, 1857, had to await the conclusion of the American Civil War to begin in earnest.-Brigham Young's Involvement:...
. The authors concluded "that too much information existed for a single book", and that the second half of the story would be written in a future volume. Richard E. Turley Jr. has signed a contract with Oxford University Press to publish the second volume; as of April 2010 this sequel is tentatively titled After the Massacre.
Related Media
Upon completion of Massacre at Mountain Meadows the authors expressed a desire to publish some of the materials used in their research. As a result BYU StudiesBYU Studies
BYU Studies is a multidisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing articles on a broad array of topics related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
published a special edition of their journal in fall 2008. This special edition, BYU Studies Volume 47:3, contained selections from the Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris collections, along with histories, essays, and book reviews; all dealing with the Mountain Meadows massacre.
In September 2009 BYU Studies and Brigham Young University Press published the complete collections in a 352 page book, entitled Mountain Meadows Massacre: The Andrew Jenson and David H. Morris Collections.
External links
- Official website for Massacre at Mountain Meadows - includes appendices, errata sheet, and information on the sequel.
- Book review from the MormonTimes
- Deseret News story about the book