Black Hawk War (Utah)

Utah's Black Hawk War (1865–72) is the name of the estimated 150 battles between Mormon settlers in Sanpete County, Sevier County and much of central Utah, and members of the Ute, Paiute and Navajo tribes, led by a local Ute chief, Antonga Black Hawk. [ [http://www.blackhawkwarutah.com/Indian%20Depredations%20In%20Utah2.html The Black Hawk War in Utah, by Phillip B. Gottfredson] ] The conflict resulted in the abandonment of some settlements and homes, and postponed Mormon expansion in the region.

The years 1865 to 1867 were by far the most intense of the conflict. Latter-day Saints considered themselves in a state of open warfare. They built scores of forts and deserted dozens of settlements while hundreds of Mormon militiamen chased their illusive [sic] adversaries through the wilderness with little success. Requests for federal troops went unheeded for eight years. Unable to distinguish "guilty" from "friendly" tribesmen, frustrated Mormons at times indiscriminately killed Indians, including women and children. [cite web|url=http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/blackhawkwar.html|publisher=Official Web Site for the State of Utah|title=Utah History of the Black Hawk War|accessdate=2008-03-20]

On April 21, 1866, Mormon settlers at the chapel of Circleville, Utah executed 16 Paiute men, women and children by cutting their throats. The heads of the victims were then mounted on poles for public display. Paul Reeve described the execution as the worst of the Black Hawk War. [ [http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/circlevillemassacre.html Utah History entry on the Circleville Massacre] ] The incident occurred after members of the local Piede band of Paiutes held as prisoners by the Mormons tried to escape, and the militia panicked.

One of the turning points in ending the conflict came when Bishop Joseph Stacy Murdock, who was friendly with the Indians, invited Chief Tabby, a Ute Indian Chief, to his home in Heber City to negotiate. On August 20, 1867, Chief Tabby and his tribe came to Heber City and signed a peace treaty with Joseph Murdock. This ended Indian hostilities in Wasatch County. [ [http://history.utah.gov/apps/markers/detailed_results.php?markerid=1624 Utah State History Marker describing Indian Peace Treaty] ]

References

External links

[http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/american_indians/blackhawkwar.html History of Utah's Black Hawk War]