Reader comments
Mountain Meadows landmark plan aims to heal, unite

It's about time!

I'm impressed that the Mrmn church has decided to embark on the arduous process of taking open responsibility for healing these wounds in the only way these types of wounds can be healed... by not hiding behind white-wash or ignoring the issue, but by stepping forward and calling it, and allowing it to be called for what it was.

Organizations are a peculiar entity. They have no soul and are accountable to none but themselves, particularly religious ones - especially those who take a literalist view that their history is 'divinely guided.'

Only when things locked in a dark closet finally come out to be aired and laundered can they be made clean. This is a universal metaphor that has been ignored and/or skirted for too long by a church and its people who have too long prided themselves on truth and integrity, but been slow in showing their resolve to 'walk their talk.'

Mr. Turley and Mr. Jensen, you've done a great job. Thank you General Authorities of the LDS church, you've shown that honor and truth still mean something. And thank you for bringing an important piece of honor back to my family tree.

To the decendent: Don't forget decendent, that there are always two sides to the story. The saints had every right to protect themselves from people threatening them, they had just moved away from people burning them out of their homes and killing them; running them out of the country that was supposed to protect their rights to worship.

History also showed that members of this wagon train provoked and threatened the mormons, and while it was terrible misjudgement on the part of Lee, church history shows us that the mormons fought back only in self defense on most cases. Sometimes they didn't even do that. It's a trajedy, everyone agrees on this, but when are the fancher families going to take accountability for their wrongs? Along with every other person who has wronged the Mormons? When they do...I'll say "It's about time."

What would these same descendants reaction be if the current-day blacks from Arkansas wanted some kind of "recognition" for their family members who were lynched in Arkansas?? Many Baptists and persons of other religions in the South were told from the pulpit that anything a Negro got at the hands of a white, was coming to him--as all blacks had been cursed by God.
Congratulations to the Mormons for taking the high road. They walk the talk.

Will this stop the whining? No way. It should, but, whiners keep whining. Hateful people keep hating. Will the haters leave it alone? Nope. They'll just find some other nit to pick and something else to witch about. Another example of Taliban mentality.

What happened to the 70+ other posts on this story?

I would like to know if any one knows the names of the three surviving children, who stayed in Utah,any help would be appriciated. I think this is a great thing happening with this gathering.

"Locked in a dark closet?" I am not aware of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints restricting access to documents (other than normal document preservation practices).
"Ignored and/or skirted for too long" seems harsh. Perhaps consensus among the descendants groups is important to heal wounds without making "losers" and "winners" from people divergent goals or perspectives.
"Walk their talk" can be perceived as arrogant if there is a lack of consensus as to which way to go. Perhaps there are valid reasons other than a lack of resolve.
While organizations could be said to have no soul, the people that participate do. The word "nation" refers to a people with a common birth. In this sense the descendants of the victims are a nation, and the descendants of the perpetrators are another. I find hope in the promise found in Isaiah 2:4 "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

I always wondered why Mormons would attack a group of settlers moving through Utah. This seemed out of character.

While reading BH Roberts History of the LDS Church, I came across an account that told of their motivations.

Settlers from back east (Arkansas) were making their way through Utah. In their travels they poisoned several watering holes which killed several Indians. They also boasted to Mormons along the way that they participated in killing, raping and torturing Mormons back in Missouri, many of these Mormons lost loved ones and close friends in these incidents.

As a result, Mormons and Indians got together and committed the killings.

This was wrong for the Mormons to do this. These people should have been arrested and tried. It was not wrong for the Indians to do this, for this was their law that people who do this type of thing should be attacked and killed.

It has been suggested in one post that these settlers were too young to have participated in the attrosities in Missouri. Is so, then these settlers are innocent of what they claimed, or perhaps most of them were too young and some weren't. A trial should have happened.

Will anyone ever hold Brigham Young accountable? Will you guys ever quit coving for him?

I am of Piute descent, know my tribal stories, have lived in the area, seen it, felt it. Wondered ...we are the third side effected by this historical misgiving and once again..the native is downplayed and given little quater on who else was wronged. Then I understand because Utah tried very hard to terminate my tribe and was the last to recognize us Indians as citizens until well after I had served in the armed forces..1954. Hopefully this will be an historicll traidition also which will be handed down in a good way...so that history and those involved with the modern day power struggles that be learn from it because that attitude ..wheter paranoid , superior or unrighteous dominion migth not hinder the progress other people make for their own people. I wouldn't say I'm yet ready to lay down my sword in righteousness but this is a good start. It is a way to raise a people and then hopefully they too can take a good look around and see how they might better the treatment of the many "nations" that are dealt with rigth here in Utah--not deseret as we do watch who walks the walk!

This and other similar problems will persist for years to come until utah graduates from a mormon state to a total intergrated union state.

Shameful -

If you can produce proof that Brigham Young knew of or ordered this, rather than speculation on your part, then perhaps there will be a reason to hold him accountable.

And Ralph, Utah is only considered a Mormon state by non-Mormons who live in Utah. Everywhere else it is considered a "total intergrated" state - whatever that is.

Perhaps descendants of the perpetrators need to have a foundation of some kind so they can all come together, so they can heal too from this tragedy. They have been left out in the cold and scorned for there ancestors misdeeds. After all they must hurt in ways none of can comprehend and need some reassurances as well. I never here anything about these people. Who are these members of the church in the thousands, and where are they? Does anyone know. I cannot believe how one sided you people are. I have a daughter who joined the Mormons, but she hasn't convinced me to join as of yet. I think there are too many cover-ups in the church...And I think Brigham Young if he were here would hopefully apologize for his people and for himself and his involvement if he were 1/2 the hero you people say he is.

Hey Garth! Is there any absolute proof on anyone of those pioneers who some have claim to have been participating perpetrators? Are there pictures diaries etc? Does anyone visually know what all these pioneers were doing out there that day? Did you see it? Does anyone know if the group of Ark's took the first shot with a hidden gun? Who knows? You don't know and either do I. My guess is that there was more going on than what has been revealed to history. Perhaps Brigham Young was afraid the church would fall apart so he had no choice but to cover his tracts as someone else has said on here. People still cover for him. I agree that is shamefully sad.

Is good! The Shadow knows..just follow your nose! It stinks!

Brigham Young doesn't need "coving"-for (I assume you mean covering). There is not one shred of evidence that he had anything to do with it!

I know people who have spent their whole lives hunting for one scrap of evidence to support the template they want history to fit: that it's all Brigham's fault. It may make for an interesting narrative for some, but it's not history.

If you want to spend your life on the same snipe-hunt, go right ahead.

During the time of the MMM there was nothing that went on in Deseret by the mormons that did not have the over sight or consent of Brigham Young, he was king of his day. No bishop or other mormon leader would dare take such a bold action as MMM with out notice to Brigham Young.

Re Shameful!
You must be one of Brigham Young's descendants. All Brigmanites cover for him. Also, there is no shred of evidence that anyone who was accused actually did the shootings. However, this large group of religious men didn't just decide one day to go out and kill people. Someone needs to come clean. My guess is that the Arkansas party played a little bit in getting themselves killed as well. Why does everyone want to shove the blame on some and leave the others out?

I agree SHADOW...something stinks!

Think how members of the LDS Church were being persecuted again at the time of the MMM, by the Federal Government. Members had again built wonderful communities after being driven to settle in the Rocky Mountains. To have people boasting they had killed Joseph Smith panicked members of the Church.
When Brigham Young heard of what happened he was horrified. There were several trials that took place, plus a number of excommunications from the LDS Church (Excommunication is worse than a government trial.)
One of my parents lines are descendants of the early members and early pioneers. I have ancestors that were killed in Illinois. I don't keep bad feelings towards the descendants of those who persecuted my ancestors. Studying history more you will find there are non-members who helped the early pioneers as they were driven from their homes.
The LDS Church is building a nice memorial for something that had been done wrong. We all need to get along.
The MMM isn't the only wrong thing done in the past, there have been many other actions in the world. Does everyone need to keep apologizing for wars, etc.?
Let's learn, get along. Be kind to one another.

The Church is doing the right thing with the MMM site. Now perhaps Arkansas can do the same thing for the site where Parley P. Pratt was murdered.