EXHIBITS
Dinosaurs
Fossils
Prehistoric People
Native Americans
Mountain Men
Oregon-California
Trail
Mormon Trail
Pony Express
Cherokee &
Overland Trail
Stagecoaches
Union Pacific
Railroad
John Wesley Powell
Coal & Trona Mining
Oil & Gas Booms
Mormon War of
1857
Chinese
Massacre
U.S. Army in Wyoming
Outlaws & Lawmen
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid
Big Nose George
Cattle Ranching
Sheep Herding
Riverboats
Lincoln Highway
Aviation
Amelia
Earhart
Women's History
Wyoming General Hospital
Nursing
Firemen
Rialto Theater
Home
Entertainment
Wild Horses
Offsite Exhibits
Chinese Dragon
Parade
MORMON WAR OF 1857
In 1857, U.S.
President James
Buchanan replaced
Brigham Young
(president of the
Church of Jesus
Christ ofLatter-Day
Saints) with
Alfred Cumming,
the former Mayor
of Atlanta, as
territorial
governor.
Fearing that the
Mormons
would violently
object to the
change, US Army
Colonel Albert
Sydney Johnston
was ordered to
lead 2,500
soldiers to quell
the expected
rebellion.
Brigham Young mobilized the Mormon militia (the Nauvoo Legion) and made plans to evacuate and burn Salt Lake City if federal troops arrived. Food and grain were stored, fortifications built, raiding parties selected to harass the army and supply trains, and exploring parties sent out to locate sites the Saints could withdraw to if they were forced to abandon their homes.
In September 1857, the Mormon Legion rode eastward, intending to delay the US Army’s approach with a series of guerrilla raids in southwest Wyoming. Led by Lot Smith the Mormon militia attacked three wagon trains (about 40 miles northeast of Green River), destroying 75 wagons, 300,000 pounds of Army supplies, and driving off 1,200 animals and the wagon masters (one of whom was Buffalo Bill Cody). In addition, the militia burned Fort Bridger as they withdrew. Deciding he should suspend his campaign until he could procure more supplies, Colonel Johnston built Fort Scott and rebuilt Fort Bridger for his winter quarters.
In the spring of 1858, a compromise was reached between the government and Young: Utah would peacefully accept Cumming as governor if the federal government would agree not to station troops in Salt Lake City.
With the election of Lincoln, tensions subsided as the nation’s attention shifted away from the Mormons to the impending Civil War.