Researching the Oregon Trail - The Missouri “Mormon War” of 1838

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #17

by Tonya Graham McQuade

Site of dedication of Independence Temple

As I mentioned in my previous post, Jane Kennedy Hale’s letter from the Oregon Trail left me with some questions. Jane wrote in her letter dated June 2, 1862, that while the Kennedy train was in Nebraska Territory “traveling on the north side of Big Platte … within twenty-five miles of Fort Laramie,” there were “nine hundred Mormons on the other side of the river." 

I knew many Mormons - including my great-great grandparents on my dad's paternal side - had moved west to escape religious persecution. In fact, about 70,000 Mormons crossed the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, passing through Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming as they traveled to the "Valley of the Great Salt Lake" between 1846 to 1869, departing from Illinois and other midwest starting points, with some even coming from other countries to join the church community. 

Map of Mormon Trail

So, why did they follow their own trail? According to “The Oregon Trail” on the Legends of America website, the Mormons often “seemed inclined to make use of different routes that would parallel or intercept the regular routes … [because] there existed a deep hatred, coupled with fear, between them and the Gentiles (non-Mormons).... All travelers of the trails were inclined to be just as watchful of the Mormons as they were of the Indians, and perhaps rightly too, for records show that many depredations were committed by them under the guise of Indians.”

Incidents such as the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857, which I will discuss more next time, contributed significantly to this perception.

As a result, while most non-Mormon travelers (such as Jane Kennedy Hale in the Kennedy Train) traveled on the northern side of the Platte River, the Mormons traveled along the southern side. At times their paths would converge, then they would diverge again. The “watchfulness” and wariness mentioned above also rings true with what I read in Everell Cummins’s Train of Innocents (see Post #16), where the diarists repeatedly mention fears and suspicions of Mormons working with Indians to steal their horses and other livestock and to attack their train.

 

Clearly, significant distrust existed between the two groups.

 

As I started to research more into the reasons for the animosity, I quickly realized that Missouri - especially the western portion that is the focus of much of my research for my books - played a much bigger role in Mormon history than I ever knew. For one, though I was aware of some of the troubles Mormons had faced in other places they lived, such as Illinois, I knew nothing about the "Mormon Wars" in Missouri that drove an estimated 10,000 out of the state. Without wanting to delve too deeply into Mormon history or theology, I decided to "review" my Mormon timeline so I could see where exactly they fit into what I was learning about the Oregon Trail. 

 

I quickly found myself going much deeper than anticipated - lost down another interesting rabbit hole. Ah, the lures and “time sucking abilities” of ancestry research! So, if you want to hear some interesting Mormon history, read on. If not, check back next time for more about the Mormon Trail.

 

According to Mormon teachings, Joseph Smith had his first vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ in 1820 in New York when he prayed for guidance as to which church to join. He was told not to join any of the churches - that they were all incorrect in their doctrine. Later, in 1823, he claimed the angel Moroni led him to "golden plates" that had been buried for 1400 years, on which the prophet Mormon, as well as Moroni (his son), had written the history of a group of Hebrews who allegedly migrated from Jerusalem to American in about 600 BCE, as well as the words of the ascended Jesus who supposedly visited them here. 

Detail from "The Heavens Were Opened" by Gary L. Kapp

From these golden plates, which Smith finally retrieved in 1827, he claimed to have translated (from "reformed Egyptian", a language unknown to linguists or Egyptologists) the Book of Mormon, which he first published in March 1830. One month later, he and five others formally organized the Church of Christ (the original name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) at Fayette, New York. As they grew in number, they faced increasing persecution, so in 1831 Smith and many of his followers moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where Mormon missionaries had converted several hundred people. There, they hoped to live in peace. 

 

In Kirtland, Smith continued to grow his church and send out missionaries to other regions. He and other church leaders also founded Kirtland Safety Society Bank, the first LDS-controlled bank. However, when this bank failed during the national financial Panic of 1837, leading to huge losses for his 200 investors, "he fled to avoid potential criminal prosecution by angry and disillusioned former believers, some of whom claimed he had mismanaged their investments," escaping while hidden in a wooden box during the night (https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/joseph-smith-abandons-ohio). Those still faithful to him then followed him to Far West, Missouri, where a large community of Mormons had already settled.

 

Missionaries had been sent to western Missouri as early as September 1830, six months after the official organization of the church, to preach to the “Lamanites,” one of the four ancient peoples the Book of Mormon claims settled in the ancient Americas. These “Lamanites,” aka. Native Americans, had for the most part been forcibly relocated to reservations west of Missouri, which at the time was the westernmost border of the United States.

 

So why did the Mormons head to Missouri? The answer to this question was one I had never heard before: “Smith claim[ed] to have had a revelation in 1831 that this area was the New Jerusalem, the site of the Garden of Eden, the construction site of Noah's Ark and where the Second Coming of Christ will occur" (https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2015-02-12/the-bloody-history-of-mormonism-in-jackson-county). Additionally, Smith told his followers that the “City of Zion” would be near the city of Independence in Jackson County Missouri and, “If ye are faithful, ye shall assemble yourselves together to rejoice upon the land of Missouri, which is the land of your inheritance, which is now the land of your enemies” (Doctrines and Covenants 52:42). 

 

According to another article from the Washington Post titled “Missouri remains land of religious promise for Mormons,” dated September 20, 2012, “A year after completing the Book of Mormon, Smith said God had told him a ‘New Jerusalem, a land of peace, a city of refuge, a place of safety for the saints’ would be built in Jackson County, Mo…. The revelations declared that a temple would be built on a lot in Independence, 10 miles east of Kansas City, and would be the site of a gathering for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”

 

After Smith's revelation, Mormon settlers began to flock from New England states to Missouri to settle. Smith himself visited Independence in the summer of 1831, where he presided over the dedication of the anticipated Independence Temple site on August 3, laying the northeast and southeast cornerstones. In 1833, Smith revealed his plan for the City of Zion to be built on the site, which would include “a complex of 24 temples in the center of a city with side streets crossing at right angles” (https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/independence-temple/).

 

By 1833, there were at least 1,200 Mormons living in Jackson County – about half the population – and a large piece of property had been purchased for the construction of the temple. However, many Missourians did not like this influx of new settlers; eventually, a mob drove the Mormons out of Jackson County in 1833. They resettled in Clay County and other parts of northern Missouri, but tensions continued to arise with non-Mormon residents.

A map of the nine counties in central western Missouri

where church history events took place

Eventually, in an effort to keep the peace, the Missouri state legislature passed a law in 1836 creating Caldwell County specifically for Mormon settlement. This compromise was also designed to compensate them for property losses in Jackson County. They made Far West the new county seat, and this became the headquarters of the church in early 1838 when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon (another early church leader) relocated to Far West after fleeing the previous church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio. 

 

As explained in Wikipedia: “Joseph Smith taught that the Garden of Eden had been in Jackson County and that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they moved to the area now comprising Caldwell and Daviess Counties, Missouri. While headquartered in Far West, the official name of the church was changed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, after previously being known as the Church of Christ from 1830 to 1834 and as the Church of the Latter Day Saints, and variations of that name, since 1834.”

 

Soon, Mormon settlers again began to spread into other neighboring counties, and tensions again flared, with many non-Mormons becoming fearful and angered by the church’s unorthodox teachings, its rumors of polygamy, and its members’ growing political and economic power. In response to growing persecution, church leader Sydney Rigdon gave a rousing speech on July 4, 1838 in Far West, stating: 

 

“We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we warn all men in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more forever. For from this hour, we will bear it no more, our rights shall no more be trampled on with impunity. The man or the set of men, who attempts it, does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us; it shall be between us and them a war of extermination; for we will follow them till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us: for we will carry the seat of war to their own houses, and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed.—Remember it then all MEN” (https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/NCMP1820-1846/id/2816).

 

His speech only exacerbated the situation, and a series of conflicts ensued - including an election day brawl in Gallatin, the looting and burning of several Mormon farms and homes, the sacking and burning of the city of Gallatin and other businesses and farms in Daviess County by Mormon vigilantes called the Danites, and finally the Battle of Crooked River. Eventually, Missouri’s Governor, Lilburn Boggs, called out 2,500 state militiamen to put down what he called a "Mormon rebellion." 

"The Battle of Crooked River" by C.C.A. Christensen

Boggs also issued Missouri Executive Order Number 44, sometimes called the “extermination order,” to rid the state of Mormons. Dated October 27, 1838, the order reads in part:

 

“I have received … information of the most appalling character, which entirely changes the face of things, and places the Mormons in the attitude of an open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon the people of this state. Your orders are, therefore, to hasten your operation with all possible speed. The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so to any extent you may consider necessary.” 

 

Three days later, acting on their own, a vigilante band of approximately 250 men attacked a group of Mormon families in eastern Caldwell County, brutally killing 17 men and boys who rallied to defend the settlement while women and children ran to hide. The attack, which became known as the Haun’s Hill Massacre, sparked terror throughout the Mormon settlements, and many fled to Far West for protection. No Missourians were ever prosecuted for their role in the attack.

 

Soon, under orders from the governor, Major General Samuel D. Lucas marched the state militia to the Mormon headquarters at Far West to lay siege. Wanting to prevent further bloodshed and persecution of church members, Joseph Smith sent the head of Caldwell County’s Mormon militia, Col. George M. Hinkle, to negotiate terms for surrender. Hinkle was told “the Latter-day Saints were to give up their leaders for trial and to surrender all of their arms. Every Mormon who had taken up arms was to sell his property to pay for the damages to Missourian property and for the muster of the state militia. Finally, the Mormons who had taken up arms were to leave the state” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Mormon_War).

 

Smith and about 60 other church leaders rode to the Missouri militia camp, where they were promptly arrested and later put on trial for treason, murder, arson, and robbery, among other charges. However, when Lucas ordered General Alexander William Doniphan to “take Joseph Smith and the other prisoners into the public square of Far West and shoot them at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning,” Doniphan refused to obey the order, replying, “It is cold-blooded murder. I will not obey your order. My brigade shall march for Liberty to-morrow morning, at 8 o'clock, and if you execute those men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God!” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Mormon_War).

 

Smith and the others were NOT killed. Some of the prisoners were eventually released, while others were held over for trial. Smith and five others were jailed for several months in Liberty, Missouri. In April 1839, they were taken to Gallatin in Daviess County for another hearing. There, the judge decided to change the location of the trial to Columbia. However, as they were being transferred to Boone County, the Daviess County sheriff and other “guards” permitted them to escape, even giving them two horses for their journey (https://ensignpeakfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MHS2.1Baugh.pdf).

Smith and the others then fled to Quincy, Illinois, which had become a temporary gathering place for the exiles under Brigham Young, where they reunited with their families. Later in 1839, the Mormons purchased the small town of Commerce in Illinois and in 1840 renamed it Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning “they are beautiful” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nauvoo,_Illinois). Repeated efforts by Missouri to have Smith and other escapees extradited for trial never succeeded.

 

According to the web article “From High Hopes to Despair,” by Alexander L. Baugh, “The Missouri period is considered one of the darkest eras in the story of the latter-day Church. During 1831–39, the Latter-day Saints’ hopes of a Zion community in Jackson County were dashed by misunderstandings, animosity, and mob action, culminating in the confiscation and destruction of property, and expulsion of some 8,000 to 10,000 Latter-day Saints by order of the state’s chief executive. In the pages of many history books, discussion of the Missouri ‘Mormon episode’ consists of only a few pages and footnotes. But to Latter-day Saints, the scenes that transpired on Missouri soil—principally in Jackson, Clay, Ray, Carroll, Caldwell, Daviess, and Livingston Counties—continue to be a significant part of the Church’s spiritual heritage” (churchofjesuschrist.org).

 

In Nauvoo, Smith continued to face his share of troubles and controversies. After he declared his candidacy for president of the United States, a group of dissenting Mormons from a different sect published a newspaper criticizing Smith’s leadership and his church’s practice of polygamy. Smith had their printing press destroyed; then later, fearing violence, he called up a militia in Nauvoo, resulting in Illinois authorities charging him and his brother with treason and conspiracy. They were jailed in the city of Carthage.

 

There, on 27 June 1844, he and his brother Hyrum were killed by a rampaging mob that broke into the jail. Some thought the church would die with him, but such was not the case. Under Smith's leadership, Church membership grew from six to over 26,000. Two years later, facing continued persecution, the new church leader, Brigham Young, led the first group of Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake in the territory that would eventually become the state of Utah.

 

Whew! That was a lot of history! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about the events that led so many Mormons to head west to Utah, where they established the thriving Mormon community that is still there today. 

 

Check back soon to hear more about the Mormon Trail and my dad’s paternal relatives who settled in Salt Lake City.