Documents:

Secondary Source #1: “Extending one way of life meant destroying another. In 1846, before the pioneers came, there were about 20,000 Indians and almost no whites. By 1900, there were only 2,500 Indians and 300,000 whites.”

-John McCormick, Utah Historian

Primary Source #4: "In February 1850 the Utah Indians commited some depredations Stole Some cattle in Utah Valley and be came so troublesome that it was thought lest to Chastise them. accordinly a * company of one Hundred men was Selected to go to Utah for that purpose . . . The Indians perceived our purpose and geatherd them Selves to geathr in a conspickuous place on the Provo and resisted our people they fought desperate for two days keeping up a constant fire which was sent back as warm by our people. . . . 7 of our horses ware killed 11 of our men wounded some severly and others but slight and one killed . . . the indians sufferd the loss of about 13 Kild several wounded and the rest drove in to holes that they had excavated in the deep Snow drifts . . . The next day. our men being Joind by the reenforce ment from the City repaird early to the field of Battle but on ariveing at the Spot found it vacated by our ene- -mies who had from one of the Horses killed the day before taken 2 quar- ters of Beef

and taken their flight to the mountains. they ware followed to whare they assended Rockey Canion. . . . they seeing all prospects of escape guarded. they gave them selves up as priseners. during this time other bands ware chastised. in all a bout 40 of them killed who would not enter in to a treaty of peace. and agree to Seace taking our Cattle and Horses."

-Esaias Edwards. 1850

“It is not good to fight. Makes women and children cry. Let our children play together.”

- Chief Walkara

Start with the struggle. When Brigham Young allegedly said "This is the place" as he looked upon Great Salt Lake on July 24, 1847, it was technically part of Mexico, although a war was underway that would put it in the United States. Continued Mormon settlement resulted in the extensive proposed state of Deseret -- stretching from the Great Divide in present Colorado to San Diego, Calif.That got whittled down to Utah Territory in the Compromise of 1850, but Brigham Young remained territorial governor, and federal courts held little power because Utahns took their litigation to their own probate courts. Meanwhile back East, the new Republican Party adopted its first platform in 1856. It called on "Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin relics of barbarism -- Polygamy, and Slavery."Republican presidential candidate John C. Fremont lost but got 39 percent of the electoral vote -- impressive for a brand-new party. The winner, Democrat James Buchanan, had solid Southern support, so he wasn't about to oppose slavery. But Buchanan figured he could deprive the Republicans of a campaign issue by acting against polygamy.The President ordered the U.S. Army west from Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., on July 18, 1857 to install a new territorial governor to replace Brigham Young and turn a "theodemocracy" into a secular polity.Young ordered the abandonment of Salt Lake City as he mobilized the territorial militia. No shots were fired at the approaching army, but Mormon raiders burnt grass to deprive it of forage, and ran off livestock. The U.S. Army stalled for the winter in southwestern Wyoming. During that delay, the two sides came to terms and Young was replaced as governor. The Mormons returned to their capital, and the Army built its fort more than 50 miles away, too far to be a factor in daily life.

-Ed Quillen “Utah Vs. the United States of American” June, 2010.

Primary Source #2: “This is the first rebellion which has existed in our territories, and… we should put it down in such a manner that it shall be the last… We ought to go there with such an imposing force as to convince these… people that resistance would be in vain.”

- U.S. President James Buchanan, 1857

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Primary Source #3: “A community is seldom seen more marked by quiet and peaceable diligence, than that of the Mormons.”

- Territorial Governor Alfred Cumming

“Although the struggle for survival was difficult in the first years of settlement, the Mormons were better equipped by experience than many other groups to tame the harsh land. They had pioneered other settlements in the Midwest, and their communal religious faith underscored the necessity of cooperative effort. Basic industries developed rapidly, the city was laid out, and building began. Natural resources, including timber and water, were regarded as community property; and the church organization served as the first government.

Settlement of outlying areas began as soon as possible. Bountiful, Farmington, Ogden, Tooele, Provo, and Manti were settled by 1850. Immigration had swelled the population to 11,380, half of whom were farm families. The typical family of 1850 consisted of two parents in their 20s or early 30s and three children. A leader was generally chosen by church authorities to head each settlement, and others were selected to provide basic skills for the new community. Small settlements were frequently forts with log cabins arranged in a protective square.”

- “Brief History of Utah” Ron Rood and Linda Thatcher

“We are going to propose to the sisters to make clothes for the Indians… clothing for those little children and women.”

-Brigham Young