Mountain Meadows is a National Historic
Landmark
This site is
also on the National Historic Register
The Men and Boys Memorial was
dedicated on September 10, 2011. The following day, which marked the 154th
anniversary of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, the entire Mountain Meadows
Site was dedicated as a National Historic Landmark.
On September 11, 1857, the
Arkansas Emigrants were persuaded to leave their beseiged camp, by Mormon
militiamen, who were bearing a white flag of truce. Falsely promised protection
by the militiamen, the Arkansas Emigrants were instructed to lay down their
arms. Under the direction of the Mormon militiamen, the women and children, and
the wounded, departed from the emigrant camp first. The men, and older boys,
followed, and were each escorted by an armed member of the militia. When the men
and boys neared the site where this memorial now stands, a signal was given. The
militiamen turned and fired upon the unarmed Arkansas Emigrant males, and within
only a few minutes, all of them were dead. Further ahead, all of the women,
wounded, and every child over the age of 6, were murdered at the same
time. 17 children,
all under the age of 6, survived.
Members of the Mormon militia
hastily buried the victims on the next day, in shallow graves located near to
the area where the they had fallen. Not too long afterwards, wild animals
disinterred the bodies, and over the next two years, local farmers and soldiers
from the U.S. Army reburied the bones. The area where the Memorial stands has
traditionally been associated with the men and boys who were killed. This area
laid untilled, and was protected from desecration, by the private land owners,
out of respect for the victims who are buried in the area. Small rock cairns
marked the burial places of some of the victims, but with the passage of time,
most of the stones were scattered. One of these stones, with a cross etched onto
its face, was incorporated into the Men and Boys Memorial.
The Men and Boys Memorial is
located approximately one mile from the siege site (1999
Monument).
The Men and Boys Memorial Site is
located on Utah Route 18 at
milepost 31, on the left. The monument is clearly signed and is
approximately 1/2 mile further North of the turnoff for the other Mountain
Meadows Monuments.
1990 Monument
1999
Monument
Mountain
Meadows Group Walks Path of Victims for First Time
