The designation of the
Mountain Meadows Massacre Site, as a National Historic Landmark, is "a dream of a
lifetime, that started with some of our fathers and grandfathers, going
back to the 1950s," Terry Fancher, President of the Mountain Meadows
Association, said. "That’s how long people
have wanted to do something at that site to improve it." (Mr.
Fancher's grandfather,
J.K.
Fancher, Sr., had been instrumental in the planning of the
1955 Mountain Meadows
Massacre Monument in Boone County, Arkansas. His father
J.K. Fancher, Jr.
worked to bring about
a reconciliation between all parties that were involved in the
Massacre, and was integral in the planning of the
1990 Mountain
Meadows Monument in Utah.)
"The drive to make the
Site a
national historic landmark began earnestly in 2007, when LDS leaders gathered at
Mountain Meadows with the three descendant groups, (including the Mountain
Meadows Association), Paiutes and others for a
150th anniversary memorial service to honor the victims of the massacre." "The site already was on the National
Register of Historic Places, but descendant groups pushed the LDS Church to join
the effort to make the site a national landmark, a designation with more
stringent requirements that would guarantee public access to the land and bring
more visibility to the massacre." The
LDS Church then began working on National Historic Landmark
status for the Mountain Meadows Massacre Site. Paula S. Reed and
Associates, Inc., was hired by the LDS Church to prepare the
necessary documentation for the Landmark application.
The
Application for Landmark status was presented to the Landmark
Committee of the National Park Service Advisory Board by
representatives of the Church and descendant groups in
Washington, D.C. on November 3, 2010.
Photo
The Landmark Committee
reviewed the application and took public comment on the issue,
and then recommended to the National Park Service Advisory Board
approval of the nomination. The Advisory Board met on April 13,
2011 to review the application and submitted their
recommendation to the Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar.
On
June 30, 2011, it was announced by Salazar that the site had
been designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints will continue to manage the part of the site it owns, while
the U.S. Forest Service will oversee its portion of the property.
A ceremony to
present the National Historic Landmark plaque was held on
September 11, 2011 at the Mountain Meadows Massacre site.
September 11, 2011 Program for the
National Historic Landmark Plaque Ceremony
Article:
Mountain Meadows Group Walks
Path of Victims for First Time
Article:
Mountain Meadows Now A National Historic
Landmark
Mountain Meadows Historic Site
Master Plan Proposal 2008
