The Mountain Meadows Massacre, Sept. 7-11, 1857

Not only were the elements of survival there for settlers to deal with as they traveled by wagon trains across the vast western spaces, there were political and religious and cultural conflicts between the different peoples.

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 On September 7, 1857 the Mountain Meadows Massacre began when Mormon settlers slaughtered most members of a peaceful, emigrant wagon train. The massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker-Fancher emigrant wagon train in southern Utah. The massacre culminated September 11, 1857 resulting in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by members of the Utah Territorial Militia from the Iron County district and purportedly aided by Native American allies, though this is widely disputed.

The militia was composed of southern Utah’s Mormon settlers who intended to leave no witnesses and thus prevent reprisals – thus they killed all the adults and older children – some 120 men, women and children in total sparing but 17 children – all younger than seven. The wagon train was mostly families from Arkansas bound for California. (In 2007 the 150th anniversary of the massacre was commemorated at the meadows with some 400 people, including many descendants of the slain, in attendance. In 2011 the site of the slaughter was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Posted by Erika Quesenbery Sturgill on FaceBook Sept. 7, 2026

 

Commentor Jon Tanner said:

 "There were hard feelings for the way people of Missouri-Arkansas had treated the Mormons when they lived in Missouri. Gov Bogs of Missouri had issued an Extermination Order. Mobs had killed members; homes and Farms were taken. The Mormons had been chased out of the area."
Slaughter by members of the Utah Territorial Militia from the Iron County district.

Commenter Ken Russell said:

 sA

"That is John Lee on the left, the only attacker held responsible for the massacre, sitting on his coffin waiting to be executed by firing squad."

Commenter Skip Myers said:

 
"John D. Lee's execution and the only one caught and brought to court. The other 8 were never caught and they changed their names and were gone into oblivion."

The monument to the victims in southwest Utah.

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A lot more information can be found on Wikipedia. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Meadows_Massacre

Survivor Nancy Saphrona Huff (4) was taken away along with her family's possessions by John Willis to reside at his house until she was returned to relatives in Arkansas two years later.

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Sharing with Sepia Saturday. 

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I'll be back tomorrow with more stories that are a bit less gruesome!

On aging

 I've been enjoying Lloyd Kahn's substack writing for about a year now.

And he's definitely a character! A builder, archietct, publisher, adventurer, and good voice for many of the things I value...aging well for one. He's 91.

On his substack he said:

Holy cow!

I get a lot of requests to do videos, podcasts, interviews, etc. these days, And I turn most of them down. But I decided to do this one because Sierra Clarke, who does videos on older people, said she’d skateboard with me and also take a mud bath.

So I spent the day with Sierra, a film crew who flew in from Denver, and her assistant.

But I wasn’t prepared for this. Over 2 million views, 3000 comments, 40,000 ”likes…”

I hope you enjoy watching them...and fast forward through any parts that are boring to you...I did.

Incidentally his substack is called: 

Live From California with Lloyd Kahn

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At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.

JEAN HOUSTON

Precariousness of our lives

 This week has moved toward the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the USA by terrorists.

Of course it can happen again, even with all the safeguards Homeland Security has put in place.

Of course with a mad man in the White House, he is asking for something extreme to happen.

But each day I wake up and am grateful for the life I have. Clean air.

Oh you don't know how important that is...just take a deep breath and think about how hard it might be if you coughed with each intake.

And clean water. 

From the internet

Gratitude list continues...

And homes. And food. And neighbors who look out for each other.

And friendships across the miles.

And the internet which connects us to each other quickly, effortlessly.

Phones. Cars. Planes.

OK, so much I am grateful for.

Boom, 9/11 happened.

Here's short documentary about the people who escaped Manhattan Island on 9/11 by water, narrated by Tom Hanks.

More people were transported by water that day than in the evacuation of Dunkirk.

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And if it’s true we are alone, we are alone together, the way blades of grass are alone, but exist as a field.

ROSEMERRY WAHTOLA TROMMER

Get your cape and imagination going!

 

Today's art

Hope Memorial Bridge guardians of traffic by Henry Hering and architect Frank Walker , Cleveland OH

by Michael Ryno in Hanksville, UT, using a puddle

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Positive thinking dramatically increases your chances of success in any endeavor.

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Dr. Amy Acton, a Democrat running for governor of Ohio, was attacked on Sept 6 by Patrick Havas (who was later found to be armed) at a state fair on Sunday. She wasn't hurt, but several elders were pushed to the ground as he was apprehended.

The Incident: An individual armed with multiple weapons lunged toward Dr. Acton while she was speaking, knocking volunteers to the ground before being subdued and taken into custody on-site.

Police say Havas was carrying two handguns, a Taser and brass knuckles, although he never drew the weapons.

Havas, who is a registered Republican, was arrested on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct. He was released with $5000 bond.

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Acton was not harmed. She wasn't even touched and it would seem that Havas didn't even come close to her.

Acton was a consummate professional as she remained at the Canfield Fair to treat one of the injured after 38-year-old Patrick Havas forced his way through the Democratic Party tent toward her on Sunday.

Havas is a resident of Canfield (where the fair was being held.) He's also the brother of Andrew Havas, someone who Acton publicly named as donating $10,000 to the Ramaswamy campaign, Acton's political rival.

(also...Elon Musk has also chipped in $5 million for Ramaswamy. Don’t think for a moment these people give a hoot about lowering your gasoline prices and grocery bills.)

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The attack on Dr. Amy Acton was perpetrated by the brother of Andrew Havas, a former Franklin County chairman for GOP Senator Jon Husted, who resigned for pedophilia earlier this year.

According to court records reviewed by NBC News, Andrew Havas pleaded guilty in 2009 in a case involving a 15-year-old in Ohio’s Mahoning County. He was originally charged with sexual misconduct with a minor, and the charge was later reduced to a single misdemeanor assault count, NBC reported. A 2008 criminal complaint accused him of “being reckless” as to the minor’s age. NBC reported that Havas, who was 22 at the time, was sentenced to 90 days in jail and served his sentence in the Mahoning County jail from May to August 2009.

And who is Senator John Husted? Husted is Ohio’s former lieutenant governor, appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in early 2025 to fill the Senate seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. 

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One of my sons and his wife are campaigning for Democrats running for various seats in Ohio politics.