History That Doesn't Suck - 32: Mormonism and the Mormon Trail

Episode Date: February 4, 2019

“Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon.” This is the story of our last major pioneer migration out west; it’s also the story of America’s largest homegrown faith: Mormonism. Growing up in the “burned-over district” of America’s Second Great Awakening, it’s not too surprising that upstate New York farmer Joseph Smith has his mind on God. But with a new book of scripture (The Book of Mormon), a restorationist gospel, the power of the Mormon vote, and polygamy, members of the church founded by Joseph--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons”--find themselves at odds with their fellow nineteenth-century Americans in several different states. In these peak years of American vigilantism, this means vandalism. Violence. Murder. And massacre at a Missouri mill. Mormons become religious refugees as they head west by the thousands along the newly dubbed “Mormon Trail.” But all is not well far away in the west. The US army is coming. War hysteria now peaks as an unsuspecting California-bound wagon train makes its way through southern Utah. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The French Revolution set Europe ablaze. It was an age of enlightenment and progress, but also of tyranny and oppression. It was an age of glory and an age of tragedy. One man stood above it all. This was an age of glory and an age of tragedy. One man stood above it all. This was the age of Napoleon. I'm Everett Rummage, host of the Age of Napoleon podcast. Join me as I examine the life and times of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters in modern history. Look for the Age of Napoleon wherever you find your podcasts. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, Age of Napoleon, wherever you find your podcasts. bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for a 7-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership,

or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. It's a beautiful, idyllic afternoon in Hans Mill, Missouri. Situated at the edge of Shoal Creek in Caldwell County and named for the mill owned by one of the area's first settlers, Jacob Hahn, the small village consists of 15 or so families. They're members of America's new homegrown faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If that name doesn't ring a bell, you might know them by a more familiar nickname, the Mormons. Anyhow, the adults are working, gathering crops,

or otherwise going about their day. Numerous carefree children are playing along both sides of the creek. What can I say? So far, October 30th, 1838 is a pleasant, tranquil day in this little Mormon community. But that changes at 4pm. Suddenly, over 200 men on horseback come into view. They've approached so carefully, the Mormons hadn't noticed until now, when it's too late for all of them to escape. One Mormon, Joseph Young, will later describe this moment. Quote, Close quote.

Hopelessly outnumbered, the people of Hans Mill raise a white flag. As the hostile militia draws nearer and dismounts their horses, one of the Mormon community leaders, David Evans, swings his hat in the air, crying, Peace! It's no use. They continue to advance. Militia leader Nehemiah Comstock now discharges his arm in the air. It's a signal.

A signal to begin the assault. With their attackers coming from the north, west, and east, roughly 50 women and children flee south across Shoal Creek, which they cross via a plank. Mary Steadwell pays for trying to signal peace toward the mob with a shot through the hand. She faints after making it into the woods, but thankfully falls behind a log. This gives Mary much needed protection as her assailants unload so much shot at her, 20 balls will later be found in the log. She'll live. Wish I could say as much for some of

the others. As the women and children escape to the safety of the woods, 32 men and three boys run into the blacksmith shop. There's a cache of arms stored here, but they're greatly outnumbered. Joined by fellow Mormon leader Nathan Knight, David Evans once again puts himself between his friends and the over 200 armed attackers. It's a brave but pointless endeavor. The duo end up running away as the militia opens fire, hitting Nathan three times. Now you need to know that the blacksmith shop doesn't have solid walls. There are sizable gaps between the logs, meaning the structure's 35 occupants are semi-exposed.

Their assailants make use of this. Joseph Young reports that, quote, all at once they discharged about 100 rifles aiming at a blacksmith shop, close quote. Some even managed to get close enough to the shop to place their rifles in the cracks and fire. At this point, many of the men make a run for it. Thirteen are shot in the process. The injured Thomas McBride ducks into a cabin but is soon found. Militiaman Jacob Roberts lets Thomas surrender, only to turn around and execute him with his own gun. Jacob then mutilates this Mormon and War of 1812 vet with a curved corn cutter. Militiamen now enter the blacksmith shop. Eight Mormon men lay

dead. Four are injured. They torture and kill some of the latter. Militia member William Mann even steals the boots off of dying Warren Smith and will later brag, quote, here's a pair of boots that I pulled off before the damned Mormon was done kicking, close quote. But here's the most difficult part to hear. I'll remind you that three boys fled into the blacksmith shop. Charles Merrick and brothers Alma and Sardius Smith, whose dying father just got robbed of his boots. The three

terrified children have been hiding under the bellows. The men shoot six-year-old Alma in the hip. Incredibly, he'll fully recover. They shoot nine-year-old Charles as he tries to run. The mortal wound will kill him in four weeks. But as for 10-year-old Sardius, he begs for his life. He pleads.

I can only imagine the hot tears pouring from his eyes amid his sobs and broken speech. In response, one of the men, quote, presented a rifle near the head of Sardius and literally blew off the upper part of it, leaving the skull empty and dry while the brains and hair of the boy were scattered around and on the walls. Close quote. Accounts disagree as to who did it. Perhaps William Reynolds. Maybe Ira Glaze.

But regardless of who, all accounts agree that, when asked why he did it, the Stone Cold Killer offered an explanation along these lines. Quote, Nitz will make lice, and if he had lived, he would have become a Mormon. Close quote. God, the story of Hans Mill gets me every time. Today we continue west as we hit the Mormon Trail. But as you might have gathered from this

opening, this trail differs from the ones in the last two episodes. This isn't the story of missionaries, fur traders, miners, and settlers. This is the story of religious refugees. To understand it, you actually need more than the story of the trail. You need the story of Mormonism. So that's what we'll do. We'll start in New York, where an American religious movement called the Second Great Awakening gives us context for Mormonism's farming founder, Joseph Smith. From there, we'll follow his congregation as they're violently chased from New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, losing even when they fight back. With that context, the Mormon trail

will make sense, as will the final clash between the U.S. government and Mormon leaders that produced the Utah War and another gut-wrenching massacre at a place called Mountain Meadows. A quick note before we get going. Recounting religious history can be a sensitive thing, especially as the empirical approach intersects with foundational miracles and supernatural narratives. This is only further complicated when this history is that of your own faith tradition. Being in that position today, I want to express my gratitude to colleagues and friends, near and far, who've read this script and helped me thread this needle.

To all of them, thank you. So, ready to meet my ancestors? I mean, how else do you think History That Doesn't Suck came to exist in Utah? Basically, without this episode, there's no History That Doesn't Suck, so thank you, Brigham Young. Don't worry, if you didn't get that joke, you'll meet him by the time you're done listening today. Alright then, let's head back to the 1790s and hear about the second great awakening's role in the birth of Mormonism. Here we go. Rewind. Americans of the 1790s aren't big churchgoers, but we aren't really surprised, right? I mean, we've seen in past episodes that some founding fathers aren't huge on organized religion. Like Thomas Jefferson, this rational age of enlightenment thinker is a deist, meaning he believes God doesn't intervene

in our lives. Case in point, Tommy Jay makes his own Jefferson Bible, which keeps the teachings, but excludes miracles like Jesus feeding the 5,000 and being resurrected. Tom also advises his nephew Peter Carr in a letter to, quote, question with boldness even the existence of a God because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear. Close quote. I know, the dude's a textbook enlightenment thinker. Meanwhile, George Washington goes to church out of a sense of duty and to please Martha, and Alexander Hamilton's infrequent attendance almost cost him his last rites, as you may recall from episode 22. Now, don't be one of those who overdoes it by calling Tom

an atheist or thinking these guys don't have a spiritual side. After all, we've all seen them make their fair share of godly comments in past episodes. Simply put, they reflect the times. The fact is that as many as 90% of white Americans don't regularly attend church in the 1790s. But freaked out church leaders are going to change that as we enter the second great awakening. Starting in the early 1800s and running through the next few decades, evangelical preachers, think Methodists and Baptists, they'll be the big winners in this, travel the country warning Americans of hell and beseeching them to accept the grace of Christ. Camp meeting revivals last

for days as preachers regale crowds with stories, saving souls not with logical sermons reminiscent of last century's Age of Enlightenment, but with emotional, spiritual experiences. In fact, Americans are less interested in preachers who have degrees in theology and more interested in preachers who've experienced the divine. This is the new religious credential. And if there's a chronological and geographical epicenter to the religious quake that is the second great awakening, it's probably the 1820s burned over district, so named for its excessive revivals, located in upstate New York. It also happens to be the home of a teenage farm boy named Joseph Smith Jr. Joseph can't avoid the question of religion. In the winter of 1816-1817, the blue-eyed, sandy-blonde 10-year-old moves with his financially strapped family from Vermont to upstate New York.

Come 1819, they get a farm near the Finger Lakes, just two miles south of Palmyra, New York. This puts Joseph in the thick of the burned-over district, where Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist preachers are evangelizing. Joseph likes the Methodists. I felt some desire to be united with them, he'll later write. But with so many options on how to access the grace of Jesus, Joseph isn't sure which denomination to go with. In this mindset, the young farmer reads James 1.5. To quote, if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

Close quote. He acts on this New Testament advice in the spring of 1820. The now 14-year-old Joseph slips away from the crowded little farmhouse he shares with his parents and several siblings to pray privately in the woods. And when he does, God appears. He'll describe this visitation, called the first vision, with different details in 1832, 35, 38, and 42, but the long and short is that Joseph's sins are forgiven and he shouldn't join any denominations. I know the idea of Jesus visiting a 19th century American farmer throws a

lot of 21st century Americans. But remember, we're in the second great awakenings burned over district. It's more like who isn't Jesus visiting in 1820s upstate New York. In Adams, New York, lawyer turned revivalist preacher Charles G. Finney sees Jesus in his law office in 1821. He'll later say he only saw Jesus in his mind, but at the time he, quote, saw him as I would see any other man, close quote. In 1823 and 1826, two other upstate New Yorkers report visits from Jesus. So as you can see, Joseph's experience isn't that abnormal. But there's more to digest about the second great awakening and the burned over district if we're going to understand Joseph.

This is also a time where restorationism is popular. These are Christians like Alexander Campbell's disciples of Christ who believe Christianity has become corrupted and needs to be restored to the way it worked in Jesus' day. The second great awakening also sees an uptick in something called millenarianism. That is, the belief that Jesus Christ's triumphant return, often called the second coming, is imminent. Finally, you need to know that the northeastern U.S. is kind of down with folk magic. European folk tales of spirits guarding buried treasure and magical divining rods and seer stones that enable their owner to find hidden water, precious metals, or receive divine knowledge cross the Atlantic and survive the Enlightenment. Some Yankees, like Methodist

minister Willard Chase, and yes, Joseph Smith, rely on such magic while treasure hunting with the gusto of a teenager who's just discovered the Pokemon Go app. So in review, I just introduced Restorationism, Millenarianism, and Folk Magic. Got it? Good. Because as Joseph establishes a church in the 1820s and 1830s, we'll see all three of these elements come into play. He has more heavenly visitations, which include biblical figures who help him restore God's original primitive church. For example, Peter, James, and John appear to Joseph and his colleague, Oliver Cowdery, and give them authority to establish God's church. For example, Peter, James, and John appear to Joseph and his colleague, Oliver Cowdery,

and give them authority to establish God's church. Looking to mimic Christianity's organization in the New Testament, Joseph also calls 12 men to be apostles to support him as church president. Okay, there's our restorationism. What about millenarianism? Well, Joseph doesn't play the Jesus is coming next week card, but he loosely runs with the idea that these are the last days before Jesus's second coming. Hence the church's name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day meaning the last days. So there's our Millenarianism. And last but definitely not least, we have folk magic. From 1823 to 1827, Joseph reports annual visitations from an angel named Moroni who informs him of golden leaflets or plates which are buried near Joseph's home.

Inscribed on the plates is a history of a Christian indigenous American people put together by a prophet slash historian named Mormon. I'm sure you see the resemblance to those folk tales of spirits guarding buried gold. The angel also reveals the location of the gold plates to Joseph so he can translate them into English. Even Joseph's translation process relies on folk magic, including a seer stone. In a nod to that prophet historian said to have compiled the record inscribed on the gold plates, Mormon, it's published in 1830 under the title, The Book of Mormon. This new restorationist scripture soon wins over some restorationist Christians. For example, this is how my producer, Josh's fifth great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt, describes reading the Book of Mormon in 1830.

Quote, I read all day. Eating was a burden. I had no desire for food. Sleep was a burden when the night came, for I preferred reading to sleep. Close quote. On April 6, 1830, Joseph officially founds the church that will come to be known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Soon, he's bouncing between small groups of believers in the areas of Colesville, Fayette, and Palmyra, upstate New York, all of which are located in, you guessed it,

the burned over district. But not everyone's a fan. I mean, folk magic's popular enough in the era and region, but let's not overstate its acceptance. Much like listening to Nickelback in the 21st century, you'll still get judged for being a fan. Furthermore, while other denominations, like the Methodists, are actively downplaying their supernatural side, Joseph's ramping it up. Beyond producing the Book of Mormon, he keeps talking about more heavenly visitations and revelations. It's just too much. Vigilantes begin to disrupt baptisms and threaten violence against these restorationist Christians, soon dubbed Mormons because of their Book of Mormon scripture. Meanwhile, Joseph's arrested for disorderly conduct, though it's clear in court that the real issue is his previous

folk magic efforts to find gold and this new Book of Mormon. The second the trial ends, he's arrested by another court under the same charges. He's acquitted, but the constable has to sneak Joseph out of the court's back to avoid a mob intending to tar and feather him. Man, New York's not feeling so safe these days. So it's not too surprising then that in December 1830, Joseph reports God has the following message for him and New York's 200 or so Mormons. Quote, ye shall go to the Ohio. Close quote. Want to learn how you can make smarter decisions with your money? Well, I've got the podcast for you.

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Joseph sets up two geographical centers for the growing church. One, Ohio, obviously, and two, Missouri. As for Ohio, it just makes sense. It has its own local Mormon population. Mormon missionaries, including the restorationist Ohioan I quoted earlier, Parley P. Pratt, pass through his old haunts and convert Parley's friend and fellow Restorationist, a Reformed Baptist Society preacher, Sidney Rigdon. Aided by Sidney's influence, 127 residents in the Kirtland, Ohio area, think Cleveland, convert as well. So beyond his revelation, I can see where threatened with tar and feathers Joseph would be like, New York's getting scary. Let's go to Ohio. Kirtland will serve as Joseph's headquarters for most of the 1830s. As for Missouri, Joseph wants to establish

a new Zion here, which will be a city for the righteous to gather in before Jesus' second coming. Ah, once again, we're seeing Joseph's restorationist and millenarianist ways, and Mormons soon settle in western Missouri. But now we have a problem. See, old settlers don't like the Mormons for a number of reasons. First, these unorthodox restorationists believe the Indians once had the gospel of Jesus Christ and have lost it. That's basically the story of the Book of Mormon. So building off of that, Mormons believe Jesus will redeem the Indians and then the Indians and Mormons will live on the American continent together. Understandably, this idea doesn't jive with the old settlers who are pro-Indian removal. Beyond that, Mormons are a tight-knit group that trade among themselves.

They form their own voting bloc, and the old settlers don't like the idea of the Mormons having significant political power. This is especially the case because old settlers tend to be Southerners, while Mormons tend to be Yankees. And as you'll recall from episode 27's 1820 Missouri Compromise, Missouri is a slave state. Well, this couldn't be a recipe for disaster, now could it? It's in this environment that W. W. Phelps, whose editor of the Mormon newspaper, Evening and Morning Star, publishes the following about slaves in July 1833.

Quote, In connection with the wonderful events of this age, much is doing toward abolishing slavery and colonizing the blacks in Africa. Close quote. Whoa! Now, Mormons aren't abolitionists any more so than any other random sampling of Yankees. Slave-owning Southerners who convert won't be compelled to emancipate their slaves. But right here, in this moment, Phelps has inadvertently convinced

Missouri's old settlers that Mormons are abolitionists. He tries to dial it back, claiming falsely that free blacks won't be permitted to become Mormons, but it's no use. The old settlers are convinced, the Mormons have to go. Vigilante Missourians have harassed Mormons since last year, but now they up the ante. Mormon businesses and homes are vandalized or destroyed. Mormon Bishop Edward Partridge is tarred and feathered. Mormon men are beaten with whips. By November 1833, roughly a thousand Mormons have been forced from their homes in Jackson County. Things calm down for a bit as the state legislature establishes a county just for Mormons in 1836 called Caldwell County, but it's only a temporary stay. As Mormons continue migrating to

Missouri by the thousands, their settlements soon spill into other counties. This is how we end up with old settlers trying to stop Mormons in Davis County from exercising their right to vote in August 1838. And when they do, a fight breaks out. This starts three months of terrible violence, known as the Missouri Mormon War. By this point, many Mormons have lost faith in the state and federal governments, neither of which have made restitution to the thousands of Mormons who lost their homes in 1833. Further, the official militias that are supposed to maintain the peace frequently include men who participate in the vigilante attacks against the Mormons. So in 1838, some Mormons form a vigilante group of their own, the Danites. They fight back and this leads to skirmishes. There's even a legit

battle, the Battle of Crooked River, between the Mormons and the state militia led by known vigilante anti-Mormon Samuel Bogart. It results in four deaths, three Mormon and one militia man. Now we can see where the Mormons are coming from as they fight back, but they just threw down with the state militia. In response, Governor Lilburn Boggs issues Missouri Executive Order 44 on October 27th. In it, he declares, quote, the Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary, for the public peace. Their outrages are beyond all description. Close quote.

This is known as the Mormon extermination order. The massacre at Hans Mill that you heard about in the opening of today's episode happens on October 30th. While this is three days after the governor's order, it's likely unrelated. I don't know if that makes it better or worse, but there you go. 17 men and boys die while other men, women, and children are injured as a result of it. But I want to be fair to the great state of Missouri by pointing out that plenty of Missourians disapprove of what the old settlers on the state's western edge have been doing.

All the way back in 1833, the Missouri Intelligencer said, Although we have always viewed these Mormons with abhorrence, we are not prepared to justify such outrageous proceedings on the part of the county citizens. That's fair. You don't have to agree with or even like the Mormons, or any religious minority for that matter, but you don't get to torment, rob, whip, rape, and murder them. The St. Louis Free Press describes the old settlers' actions as, quote, persecution in the most odious sense of the word and a disregard of the provisions of our constitution, close quote. This is the end of the Mormon-Missouri War, and as a result of the extermination order, 10,000 Mormons flee the state. But before I continue with them, you need to know that things

aren't great for the Mormons in Ohio either. Back in 1832, a mob dragged Joseph Smith and his new right-hand Ohioan man, Sidney Rigdon, out of their homes in the middle of the night. The mob beat Joseph senseless, then tarred and feathered him. Sidney took several knocks to the head, and historians have speculated brain trauma contributed to his symptoms of manic depression. By 1837, Kirtland, Ohio is majority Mormon, and they hold all major elected offices other than constable. This doesn't feel democratic to push to the sidelines non-Mormons, and once again, we have mob violence.

If you've gotten lost in any of the details, here's all you really need to know. As we head into the winter of 1839, Mormons have seen their constitutional rights abused and fled three states, New York, Missouri, and Ohio. Their leader, whom they consider a prophet of God, Joseph Smith, has surrendered himself to the state of Missouri in hopes of stifling the violence and will spend the winter in Liberty Jail. I know, the name is ironic. And while Joseph's incarcerated, his people make yet another new home on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. This is the city of Nauvoo. Their little town soon swells to 12,000. It rivals Chicago. Seriously, the place is impressive.

But the Mormons bring baggage with them. See, Mormons have been chased out of so many states at this point, they're on guard. So they set up their own private military, the Nauvoo Legion, with Joseph as lieutenant general. In fact, Joseph's wearing a number of hats. In addition to being general, he's also mayor, business owner, a U.S. presidential candidate, church president, and prophet. The dude has his hands in a lot of pots and this creates conflicts of interest, including a conflict over polygamy. You were wondering when I was going to bring this up. Just admit it. I know you were. Okay, here's the deal. By way of explanation, all I can offer you is that Joseph fits polygamy, which is the practice

of a man having more than one wife, within his restorationist teachings. He says that, like Abraham, Isaac, and other Old Testament figures, God has commanded him to practice polygamy. If he doesn't, well, the revelation says, quote, keeps this teaching and his being a polygamist very much on the down low, but word starts to get around and that's when things really unravel. Some of Joseph's followers find this new doctrine more than a little upsetting. They set up a newspaper, the Nauvoo Expositor, and in their inaugural issue of June 7, 1844, they call out the prophet Joseph as a polygamist. The city council declares the newspaper a public nuisance, which leads Mayor Joseph

to send a Nauvoo legion to remove the newspaper's press and burn it in the street. From the perspective of the faithful, Joseph is removing an anti-Mormon publication that could bring mob violence down on them once again. For others, this is a clear violation of the First Amendment. Joseph's enemies see a chance to stick it to him, and he, in turn, makes things even worse by declaring martial law. Ultimately, a warrant is issued. Fearful that Nauvoo will be massacred, I mean, there are newspapers openly calling for the extermination of Mormons, Joseph surrenders himself to Carthage jail on June 24th. He only lasts for three days. Illinois Governor Ford tries to ensure that Joseph gets a fair trial, but an angry Illinois mob storms the jail where Joseph and three other Mormon leaders,

including Joseph's brother Hiram, are awaiting trial. A hundred plus armed men surround the jail in the late afternoon of June 27, 1844. Joseph hears a few shots at the bottom of the stairs. He then immediately grabs a pistol smuggled to him by a friend while his fellow prisoners close the wooden unbarred door of their room. Hiram takes four balls and falls dead while Joseph shoots all six rounds of his gun and runs for the window. He takes a ball to the hip and another to the chest. Oh Lord, my God.

Joseph cries as he falls from the second story window. He gets hit two more times as his body plummets, where he dies within seconds. Joseph Smith's legacy will forever be divided. To his detractors, he was a charlatan and womanizer who hid behind religion for his own aggrandizement. To Mormons, he was a prophet of God who restored the full gospel of Jesus Christ, was harassed by evil conspirators, and falsely imprisoned until his martyrdom. But now we have a new question. Without Joseph, who are the Mormons? Joseph's death creates a succession crisis. Remember, Mormons are restorationists, so the question now stands.

Who has the authority to continue leading Christ's restored church? They splinter. Some follow Joseph's former counselor, Sidney Rigdon. They'll set up in Pennsylvania as the Church of Jesus Christ. Others will look to Joseph's oldest son, Joseph Smith III. They'll call themselves the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before changing their name to the Community of Christ in the 21st century. Still other, smaller groups form, and while each church will have roots in Joseph Smith's Restoration movement,

each will also evolve in its own direction. The vast majority, though, the ones who would generally continue to be thought of as Mormons and carry the name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, look to the most senior member of the Twelve Apostles for leadership, Brigham Young between Muslims and the West. What are the Houthis' objectives in the Red Sea? It's a lesson to the rest of the Muslim world and the Arab world. Do not trust the Islamists. Hosted by me, Thomas Small, an author and filmmaker, and my good friend, Ayman Deen,

an ex-Al-Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy, Conflicted tells stories of the Islamic past and present to help you make sense of the world today. And now Conflicted Season 5 is being cooked up, tells stories of the Islamic past and present to help you make sense of the world today. And now Conflicted Season 5 is being cooked up, coming to you very soon. And in the meantime, you can sign up to our Conflicted community to give you bonus episodes and access to our community hub on Discord. Subscribe to Conflicted wherever you get your podcasts. Brigham is a redheaded, bearded, 40-something Vermonter with a powerful personality. Some will characterize him as overbearing and authoritarian. Others will see him as the strong leader a distressed church desperately needs. Over a year after Joseph's

death, tensions are still high and tempers run hot. It's obvious to Brigham that he and his beleaguered followers can't stay in Nauvoo. It's not safe. Mormons will now flee for the fourth damn time a U.S. state. In the fall of 1845, Brigham meets with reps from the Illinois governor's office and asks for a stay of violence. He promises to move his people west at the first sign of spring in 1846. After all, it's not like he can lead his people to safety with winter just around the corner. While these power players agree to Brigham's request, local Illinoisans living around Nauvoo, well, don't. Small skirmishes and even house burnings become

more common in the last part of 1845. Then there's a federal warrant issued for Brigham, charging him with unsubstantiated claims of counterfeiting. With Joseph's death fresh in their minds, Brigham and a few other church leaders, called apostles, get out of Dodge. Well, Nauvoo. They and their families ferry across the Mississippi on February 4th, 1846. Many other church members, who fear for their own safety, follow their lead. Instead of waiting until spring, most Nauvoo residents find themselves hastily packing whatever they can lay their hands on and ferrying across the mile-wide river as a harsh winter sets in on the banks of the mighty

Mississippi. In February 1846, it gets so cold that the river actually freezes over entirely and many of the expelled Nauvoo residents walk across the Mississippi into Iowa. Mormons head into Iowa territory and establish a few temporary settlements at Mount Pisgah, Council Bluffs, and the aptly named Winter Quarters. Basically, Brigham ends up with thousands of poorly equipped, impoverished followers strung out in small groups across 300 miles of Indian territory from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River in the dead of winter. Good God. So much for his plan to head west at the first sign of spring. The bearded Vermonter had hoped to send an advanced scouting party to find a safe place to settle in the west this spring.

Instead, organization genius Brigham looks around and sees that he's going to have to delay his plan for a year. This really frustrates him, but Brigham is made of stern stuff. Some people might buckle under the weight of such a messy situation, but capable and forceful Brigham formally organizes the scattered settlements. After taking care of church members, Brigham, burning the candle at both ends, also tries to figure out where in the hell they are going to go in the spring. The graying redhead and his fellow church leaders read western guidebooks and study John Fremont's maps of the Great Basin. They also have a few guys on the road scouting out promising places to set up yet another settlement. One of those guys, Sam Brannon, who's the brilliant gold rush entrepreneur from episode 31, thinks that California is the perfect place. He points

out the good climate, fertile lands, and plentiful resources. While Brigham sees Sam's point, he also sees the problem with such a desirable place. Remember, these people have been chased out of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and now Illinois. Brigham wants a place where his people can be left alone. Frankly, a place where they can live, but kind of sucks. Don't get me wrong. Between the off-snow-capped Wasatch Mountains, the salt flats, and gorgeous Red Rock, you might have seen on that vacation to Bryce Canyon or Zion National Park. Utah's awesome. Now, but carving farms out of this desert?

That sucks. So Brigham knows he can count on basically any settlers who aren't Mormon taking a hard pass on the Great Basin. He writes in the fall of 1846, quote, Our present design is to at the earliest moment in the ensuing spring, start for the Bear River Valley, find a location, plant our seeds, build out our houses, and the next season be ready to So with the Bear River Valley or the nearby Salt Lake Valley as their tentative endpoint, Brigham's scouting party, calling themselves the Pioneer Camp, gets on the trail in April 1847. Finally, we've arrived. We're starting the Mormon Trail. The company has 143 men, three of whom are slaves, three women, and only two children. They get an early start in order

to stay ahead of other Oregon and California-bound wagon trains. The last thing they need is to get stuck for a week at a river-crossing ferry station or to tingle with unfriendly Missourians out on the trail. Their plan works, and the wagon train gets to Fort Bridger by July 7th. From there, the party turns southwest, heading for the Great Basin and following the same trail the luckless Donner party used only the year before. In fact, when they get to the rugged and intimidating Wasatch mountain range, they follow the still visible path scouted out and cut by James Reed and the other men in the Donner Party. Well, the Mormon men make a few improvements to the trail and find

an easier road down into the Salt Lake Valley for the last several miles through the mountains. Even with part of the trail having been cut by that ill-fated wagon train last year, there's still a near-fatal accident as the men guide their wagons and teams through the treacherous mountain canyons. In a particularly steep descent, Lorenzo Young's wagon is being guided down the narrow wagon road by men with ropes. But they lose control of the heavy load and the wagon crashes down the mountainside with Lorenzo's two youngest boys,

seven-year-old Isaac and six-year-old Lorenzo, inside. The quick-thinking boys pull a total MacGyver. They grab a knife, cut a hole in the canvas cover, and scramble out the side of the wagon before it tips and plummets down the ravine. In the midst of the mountain crossing, Brigham and several other men in the pioneer camp get sick. Fellow traveler Erastus Snow describes the symptoms of the nasty Rocky Mountain fever. Quote, its first appearance is like that of a severe cold, producing soreness in the flesh and pains in the head and all parts of the body. And as the fever increases, the pains in the head and back become almost insufferable. Close quote. Add to the aches and fever a painful rash on his hands and feet

and Brigham is in for a miserable few weeks. They stop for a few days to care for the sick but the party can't afford any delays. It's already mid-July and they still need to find a place to plant crops and throw up some decent cabins. So on Sunday, July 18th, Heber Kimball suggests that a majority of the company go on ahead to quote, find a good place, begin to plant potatoes, etc. as we have little time to spare. Close quote. Brigham might be sick, but he still knows a good idea when he hears one. So does everyone else. The party votes in favor of Heber's plan, and Brigham tells the planting party to, quote, halt at the first suitable spot after reaching the Lake Valley and put in our

seed, potatoes, buckwheat, turnips, etc., regardless of our final location. Close quote. With this mandate, 41 wagons, most of the men, and all the women and children set out for Salt Lake Valley while a few wagons and men stay behind with the sick. On July 21st, the planting party sees the Salt Lake Valley for the first time. Some can't wait to get out of the mountains and set up a new home. Others look at the desert landscape, which looks nothing like the verdant fields of the Midwest, nor the forested hills of New England from which they have come. William Clayton expresses his relief at reaching their destination mingled with his less than impressed view of the landscape by saying, quote,

for my own part, I am happily disappointed in the appearance of the valley, close quote. But disappointed or not, the planting party gets to work putting seeds in the appearance of the valley. Close quote. But disappointed or not, the planting party gets to work putting seeds in the ground and digging irrigation ditches while they wait for the six stragglers to join them. They don't have to wait long. Although Brigham is still weak from illness,

his party enters the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th, 1847. As they do so, another wagon train is hot on the pioneer camp's heels. The slow-moving, cumbersome, emigration camp wagon train with over 1,400 people and almost 600 wagons that stretches for nearly 10 miles follows the newly scouted Mormon Trail. Without Brigham's assertive leadership to keep people organized in manageable groups of no more than 100 people, church leaders back in Council Bluffs let just about anyone who was

even remotely ready for the trek join the party. Nonetheless, the forward lines of the group managed to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley on September 28th. While the members of these advanced groups build homes and settle in for the winter, there are still about 10,000 Mormons back in the Iowa Territory's temporary settlements. They begin to travel to Salt Lake in 1848, and the Mormon Trail is officially established. Leaving from Council Bluffs, Iowa and following the Oregon Trail until Fort Bridger, the Mormon Trail then turns southwest, goes over the Wasatch Mountains, and ends in the Salt Lake Valley. With captains assigned to every

wagon train by church leaders, Mormons soon have traversing 1,000 miles of trail down to a science. But here's the thing. These pioneers are heading west with different motives than Oregon or California-bound immigrants. They're religious refugees seeking asylum, and many of them do not have money for the journey. Further, some Mormon pioneers first sail from Europe, then travel across the eastern U.S. to council bluffs. By the time they reach the trailhead, they're out of cash. So Brigham Institute's a new way to help poor families come west. Hand carts. This is exactly what it sounds like. Picture a two-wheeled cart with a U-shaped handle on the front. A person loads their goods into the small storage bed and walks inside the U,

pushing the cart along the trail. The first group of handcart pioneers heads out in 1856. Five handcart companies follow the Mormon Trail. The first three leave with plenty of time to spare and arrive safely in Salt Lake before winter. Fun fact, Siel, history that doesn't suck researcher extraordinaire, has a third great grandfather, James Mickle, who makes it to the city with the second handcart company on September 26th. But some of my ancestors travel with the later and tragic Willie Handcart Company. This group leaves late. Like, really late. It's mid-August before the Willie Company heads west and the Martin Company lags a few days behind them. To put that in context, most Oregon-bound wagon trains are already well past Independence Rock

by now. Furthermore, these full-of-children and older adult handcart parties are already tired from crossing the Atlantic and the eastern U.S., and they travel slowly. They barely make 10 miles a day. With a winter as cruel as the one the Donners faced back in 1846 on the way, these two handcart companies, with 980 people between them, are in serious trouble. First, their hastily built handcarts need constant repair. Then they can't restock supplies at Fort Laramie because they are so late in the season, the fort's shelves are bare. With dwindling supplies and their rickety carts,

they set out across modern day Wyoming. But on October 19th, a blizzard halts the two groups in their tracks. There's nothing to do but wait for help. The Willie Company is stranded near the Sweetwater River, well over 300 miles from Salt Lake City, and the Martin Company crosses the ice-cold Platte River near modern-day Casper, Wyoming, just in time for inches of snow to fall. Of course, people in Salt Lake know that there are nearly a thousand people still on the trail,

so they get wagon loads of food, clothes, and blankets and head east in October. But the first relief party gets caught in the same blizzard that halts the hand carts. When they reach the Willie Company, half of the rescuers stay with them and the other half keep heading east in the snow to reach the Martin Company.

The rescuers meet a grisly sight. Leader of the rescue mission, George D. Grant, reports, quote, Men, women, and children, worn down by drawing hand carts through the snow and mud, fainting by the wayside, falling, chilled by the cold, crying children, their limbs stiffened by cold,

their feet bleeding, and some of them bare to snow and frost. The sight is almost too much for the stoutest of us, but we go on doing all we can, not doubting nor despairing. Close quote. While the relief parties provide food and blankets, they can't make the difficult terrain any easier. When the Martin Company comes to the icy, snow-bound Sweetwater

River, even some grown men cry at the thought of wading through the knee-deep, hundred feet across frigid water. But they suck it up like every other hardy pioneer on every trail before them. Elizabeth Jackson recounts that, quote, some of the men carried some of the women on their backs or in their arms But others of the women tied up their skirts and waded through Like the heroines that they were And as they had gone through many other rivers and creeks Damn straight Elizabeth Heroines, indeed.

Even with the fresh food, blankets, and wagons to carry the sick and frostbitten pioneers, many people in both parties die. Relief workers help the parties move along the trail toward their final destination, but the snow is knee-deep on the crazy steep rocky ridge portion of the trail. On October 23rd, after struggling through the harsh winter-like conditions, 13 people die in the Willie party alone. By the time the rescuers bring both parties into the Salt Lake Valley, over 200 of the 980 original party members are dead. And while there's blame enough to go around, the party leaders for allowing their charges to leave so late and Brigham Young for implementing the untested idea of handcart companies in the first place, Martin Handcart Company member John Jack explains, quote, I blame nobody. I am not anxious to blame anybody. I have no doubt that those who had to do with its management meant well and tried to do the best they could under the circumstances. Close quote.

Whoa. After what this guy went through, that's forgiveness. Other survivors aren't so kind-hearted, and Willie Hancock company member John Chislett bitterly chides church leaders who promised him that, quote, we should get to Zion in safety, close quote. Whether they blame anyone or not, the handcart pioneers find several thriving settlements in the Salt Lake Valley. By this point, the 1850s, the Mormons are really making a life of themselves in the Great Basin. But as tens of thousands of converts continue to arrive via the Oregon Trail's newest major branch, appropriately named the Mormon Trail,

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about one final conflict between Mormons and other Americans. This is the Utah War. During their first decade in the newly established U.S. territory of Utah, Mormons were mostly left alone. Alec Baldwin Doppelganger and U.S. President Millard Fillmore even appointed Brigham as the territory's governor. This makes sense in some ways. I mean, Mormons aren't the most trusting of outsiders by this point, but with Brigham serving as church president and governor, we have the same lack of division between church and state we saw in Nauvoo under Joseph. Federal agents are frustrated at this democratic theocracy.

This is especially the case for Indian agents who, like the Missouri old settlers, are unnerved by the Mormons' belief that Indians descend from indigenous Christians. The real point of conflict though is polygamy. Now, I do want to be clear that, like Mark Twain's death, the rumors of Mormon polygamy are exaggerated. Other branches of Joseph's restoration movement, like the Community of Christ, never do it. Ever. The practice only follows the Utah-bound Mormons, and at its peak, it's only one out of six Mormon men who have two or more wives. That said, leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly acknowledged polygamy in 1852. As word of polygamy, combined with false rumors of a Mormon

rebellion, reached Washington, D.C., U.S. President James Buchanan sends 2,500 federal troops to bring the supposed rebels back in line. Now, you know the Mormons' history by this point. Chase from New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, they don't trust the United States much. As Mormon Apostle John Taylor put it in 1845, quote, we owe the United States nothing. We go out by force as exiles from freedom. The government and people owes us millions for the destruction of life and property in Missouri and Illinois. The blood of our best men stains the land, close quote. And now the U.S. Army is coming? Given their baggage, it's little surprise that Mormon leadership tell the people to prepare for a possible U.S. Army siege, war hysteria peaks,

and that Mormon communities distrust non-Mormon wagon trains. This context is crucial for what happens next, but let's be perfectly clear, it doesn't excuse in the least the actions of a group of Southern Utah Mormons in early September 1857. This is known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. It's in this tense atmosphere that the California-bound Baker-Fancher wagon party passes through Utah. There are rumors that the party is poisoning wells, has one of the guns that killed Joseph Smith, and are boasting that the U.S. Army en route to Utah will destroy all the Mormons. But I want to be clear, not only are these rumors unsubstantiated, they conflict with

other reports that the upright citizens in this wagon train of loving families treat Mormons with respect. The worst thing we can prove they've done, if we're even going to call this a sin, is graze their cattle on Mormon lands. But some leaders in southern Utah latch onto the unconfirmed rumors and give in to their basest instincts. Under the leadership of John Lee, a former Danite militarized by attacks on Mormons in Missouri. Mormons and Paiute Indian allies attacked the California-bound pioneers at daylight on September 7, 1857. While suffering casualties, the Baker-Fancher party circled their wagons and returned

fire. This turns into a standoff with neither party prevailing for the next few days. Now, Mormon leader and mayor of Cedar City, Isaac Haight, had previously said he was in favor of attacking, but as he gets word of John's attack, he starts to freak. Things just got real, you know? He sends James Haslam as an express rider to Salt Lake City to get Brigham's opinion on what to do. James rides north within hours of the initial attack.

But here's the thing. You need to know that the 60 or so Mormon militiamen involved in this attack are disguised as Indians, and as the siege draws on, the Mormons start to fear the wagon train has realized their true identity. And what if the U.S. Army gets involved? Fearing retribution, they decide they must kill everyone except the children who are, as William Dane puts it, quote, too young to tell tales, close quote. It's now September 11th.

The Baker-Fancher party is running low on ammo and water, so I can imagine their relief when a Mormon approaches them with a white flag. It's that Danite leader, John Lee. He promises the distressed pioneers that he can save them from the Indians. If they'll give their livestock to the Paiutes, you know, to placate them and surrender their arms, he can get them safely to somewhat nearby Cedar City. Well, what choice do these people have? They agree. John and his men now separate the pioneers into groups, keeping the men at the back, and when the signal is given, they attack.

Posing the greatest threat, the men are mowed down at point-blank range. They nearly disappear from sight as the heavy smoke from discharged guns fill the air. John Higbee and Ira Allen are on horseback. They take care of those who live through this folly and try to escape. Meanwhile, the women and children are taken by surprise by Mormons and Paiutes and the scene is grotesque. One woman is shot in the back as she screams for her husband and children. One of the Paiutes bashes a teenage boy's face in with a rock. Six-year-old John Miller desperately pulls arrows from his mother's back as she dies, and another six-year-old, Rebecca Dunlap, looks on in horror as her sisters drop dead before her.

The brave child then rescues her one-year-old sister with a bullet-mangled arm from the embrace of her mother's corpse. I'd go on, but frankly I'm not sure I can, and I think you get the point. As the carnage comes to a close, the rider sent to Salt Lake by Cedar City Mayor Isaac Haight arrives. At Brigham's behest, he's taken the fastest, freshest horses at every stop on this multi-day ride. Isaac now reads Brigham's words. In regard to immigration trains passing through our settlements, you must not meddle with them. Let them go in peace. The mayor weeps like a child, choking out but two repeated words. Too late. Too late. A few days later, the massacre participants show up in Cedar City with the

orphaned, traumatized children and lie to the local women, saying that the Indians had let a few children live. Many Mormon families open their homes to the kids, including Eliza Haight, who offers to take in sleeping, sick four-year-old Mary Miller. Militiaman Philip Klingensmith carries the motherless child upstairs to a small bedroom in the Haight home. When Eliza wakes up the dirty, tired, and sick Mary, the young girl calls out, Mama! But she soon realizes her mama isn't there. The memories settle in, and Mary begins to wail. Likely unaware that the men in her own community have orphaned the child, Eliza assures the girl that she'll, quote, love her and take good care of her, close quote.

In the end, 17 children have survived and will eventually be reunited with relatives back east while the remains of their 120 mothers, fathers, and siblings rot under the hot Utah sun. Historians will also argue about Brigham's responsibility for the massacre. Did his incendiary speeches inspire the militia? And was his dispatched letter simply a cover-up? Neither point can ever be proven, but the debates will always rage on. Meanwhile, justice will find the Mormon who led the attack and lied with the white flag in hand, Danite John Lee. He'll be executed by firing squad in 1877.

Poetically, his death sentence is carried out at Mountain Meadows. Let's come full circle. This episode is bookended by massacres. The first, a cold-blooded massacre of Mormons in Missouri. The latter, a cold-blooded massacre by Mormons in southern Utah. It probably won't surprise you to hear that this is an era of extreme violence in the United States. An era where vigilantism and violence are rampant. This doesn't excuse the persecution, violence, robbery, rape, and murder that followed Mormons, nor the

Mormons attacking and murdering a California-bound wagon train, but it helps us make some sense out of these events surrounding the birth of America's largest homegrown religion. It takes a century and a half, but apologies will eventually follow. While Hans Mill isn't specifically mentioned, Missouri Governor Kit Bond apologized for and formally rescinded the 1838 Mormon extermination order in 1976. The Illinois State Legislature apologized for its state's previous persecution of Mormons in 2004. And leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly apologized for the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre in 2007. But enough analysis. Let's put this episode to bed. After the grisly massacre at Mountain Meadows, a U.S. Army does actually show up in Utah in the

summer of 1858. But Brigham has plenty of warning and moves most of the people to the settlements 50 miles south of the well-established Salt Lake City. When General Albert Johnston rolls into Salt Lake Valley on June 26th, he finds a ghost town waiting for him and a compliant Brigham Young, who willingly steps down as territorial governor and makes way for U.S. President James Buchanan's appointed replacement. Johnston's men are happy to end this conflict without firing a shot and peacefully build an out-of-the-way fort some 40 miles away from Salt Lake City. In the decades to come, most Utah Mormons, like their religious Midwest cousins who followed other leaders after Joseph Smith's death, mellow out. The real crucial change that

makes the rest of the United States breathe a sigh of relief will happen in 1890 when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounces polygamy. Though that said, a few polygamists who come to be known as fundamentalist Mormons will break with the larger church and continue the practice. Their numbers are small, but they exist even to this day. And that's how you end up with HBO's Big Love. And with that, we've hit the big western trails in the past three episodes. Americans will continue to flock to Oregon country and California. Mormon converts will continue to pour into Utah, and the future state will proudly celebrate its pioneer heritage

on the anniversary of Brigham Young's 1847 arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, known as Pioneer Day, with the same gusto it and the rest of the country celebrates the 4th of July. Americans will continue to pour into these regions until the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, but we won't be covering the pioneers anymore. Next time, we're going to war. History That Doesn't Suck is supported by fans at patreon.com forward slash history that doesn't suck. Josh, Ciel, and I are beyond grateful to you kind souls providing the funding to help us keep going. Thank you. And special thanks to our patrons, whose monthly gift puts them at producer status.

Will Caldwell, Jason Karstens, and Ru Conaway. History That Doesn't Suck is created and hosted by me, Greg Jackson. Research and writing, Greg Jackson and C.L. Salazar. Production and sound design, Josh Beatty of J.B. Audio Design. Musical Score, composed and performed by Greg Jackson and Diana Averill. For a bibliography of all primary and secondary sources consulted in writing this episode, visit HistoryThatDoesntSuck.com. Join me in two weeks, where I'd like to tell you a story.

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