War is Eminent

The Black Hawk War Between The Mormons, U.S. Government, and The Ute

The politics of the Black Hawk War in Utah is vast and complex, so we will not attempt more than a brief summary. Critics may say I am being too simplistic, and perhaps they would be correct, there is, after all, a limitation to how much information I can put on this website. Therefore I recommend to those who are seeking a concise and in-depth study of the politics of the war, read three books. John Alton Peterson's titled Utah's Black Hawk War, and A history of Utah American Indians by Forrest Cuch, and Indian Depredations in Utah by Peter Gottfredson. All are available in our online bookstore.

Prior to the Mormons intruding into Ute territory, while in Illinois they had been subject to a great deal of persecution for their political views and illegal polygamy practices. Their story is well known, and we won't go into it further here, only to say the year they arrived in Utah territory was in 1847. They had first settled in what is now Salt Lake City, a tract of land that belonged to the Goshute, the Shoshone were to the north, and Ute were to the south. The land held no particular interest to either tribe, and served as a buffer zone between the three.

The Mormons didn't waist any time establishing themselves, building fences, and farms for their cattle and crops, while new arrivals poured in at the rate of 3000 a month claiming the territory as their own. Because they were not yet intruding upon Indian land exactly, relations between he two cultures were reasonable and  peaceful, but delicate at best.

Meanwhile rumors were circulating in Washington that the Mormons were making plans to persuade the Indian people to join with them in force to over throw the United States Government. In response to this, and the Mormons ongoing illegal practice of polygamy,  president James Buchanan dispatched an army of soldiers under the command of Brigadier General Albert Sydney S. Johnston, allegedly with orders to unseat self appointed governor Brigham Young. However, two important points to remember, President Lincoln had already set aside land in north eastern Utah to be used as a future Indian reservation, which is now the Uinta Reservation. Second the Civil War had begun which meant the U.S. Government couldn't support Johnston's Army after they arrived in Utah. Some historians say the LDS Church was in cahoots with the U.S. Government from the start to colonize the Utah territory, but I will leave that to the experts.   

With the Federal Government seeking to unseat Brigham Young as the governor of the state, Johnston's Army had been dispatched to Utah in 1857. At the same time Mormons were determined to become a state of the union, but there were many in U.S. Government who were in opposition to the idea. The practice of polygamy had been made illegal since the 1830's, yet Mormon leaders continued to have many wives. As Brigham Young, with twenty-seven wives, worked hard to put on a good front he boasted how well the Native people were being treated by the Mormons in an effort to ward off any further animosity that may fuel further anti-Mormon sentiments. Of coarse any report to the contrary would have given more ammunition for those who opposed Utah becoming a state. In reality the injustices toward the Native flew under the radar of the United States Government as Young instructed his followers to "do your duty and tell no one." While most of the countries attention and efforts were on the Civil War, in 1850 apostle George A. Smith had already declared war on the Ute when he told church members and the newly formed legislature that the Ute Indian people "have no right to their land" and to "provide measures for the removal of Indians from Utah." Historians seem to agree that were it not for the Civil War that the conflict between the Mormons and the Ute would not have gone on as long as it did before government troops would have stepped in and finished the job. But we should not loose sight of the fact that at the same time the U.S. Government was encouraging that the care of the Indian people be dealt with by religious organizations.

The Agony Of Ute Indian Noonch Antonguer Black Hawk

1850

"Let them eat crickets..."

Even though Brigham Young, self appointed head of Indian Affairs, believed it was his divine right and duty to convert the Ute to Mormonism, he assured leaders of the Indian tribes that there was more than enough land for everyone even though George A. Smith had given the order to "extinguish all Indian titles" to the territory and "provide measures for the removal of Indians from Utah." Brigham's Indian policy "to feed them and not fight them" was intriguing, yet it is said he had hesitation about taking away from them their homes and lands, and he also said, that if they would not submit to the will of Mormon leadership, "let them eat crickets."

As the Mormon population grew exponentially, requiring more fertile land, they bullied their way deeper into Ute territory to the south.

In 1850, fifteen years before the Black Hawk War broke out, young Noonch whom later would be referred to as "Black Hawk", in his twenties witnessed the brutal murder of his family followed by the decapitation of 40 to 50 members of his fellow tribesmen while held captive by Mormons at Fort Utah in Provo, Utah. It was time to "Teach the Indians a lesson." For two weeks the severed heads lay in boxes and were placed in front of the imprisoned Noonch and several of his traumatized kin, but were viewed as a "curiosity by the white settlers".

In 1852 "Sub-agent" H.R. Day informed the Commissioner of Indian Affairs that the Indians were complaining bitterly of the treatment they had received from the Mormon settlers from the very first day they arrived in the valley to the present day. He quoted Chief Sow-er-ette as saying, "American -- good! Mormon -- No good! American -- friend -- Mormon -- kill --steal. - Peter Gottfredson

Peter Gottfredson writes, "The Indians realized that they were being crowded off their hunting grounds and would often tell us so; they wanted cattle, horses or sheep in payment for it." 

When Johnston and his army of 2500 U.S. troops were sent to Utah in 1857 - 1858 it was Young's good fortune that funds and resources were diverted to the Civil War, as Johnston had his hands tied once they arrived. Brigham seized the moment and gave the order that Johnston's wagons and food be burned, and a faithful follower Lot Smith carried out the order causing 2500 U.S. troops to suffer extreme hardship during the bitter cold of winter. "Gen. (Daniel) Wells (commander of the Mormon militia), looking at me as straight as possible, asked if I could take a few men and turn back the trains that were on the road or burn them. I replied that I thought I could do just what he told me to." — Lot Smith, Mormon militia (Nauvoo Legion).

Mormons in the process stole 800 of the 1,400 head of cattle with the Army there. While Mormons severely punish the famished Indians for stealing their cattle, the Mormons stole from the United States Government not only over a thousand cattle as Lot Smith led a raiding party under orders from Brigham Young and destroyed the armies "2720 pounds of ham, 92,700 of bacon, 167,900 of flour, 8910 of coffee, 1400 of sugar, 1333 of soap, 800 of sperm candles, 765 of tea, 7781 of hard bread, and 68,832 rations of desiccated vegetables. Another train was destroyed by the same party the next day on the Big Sandy, besides a few sutlers' wagons that were straggling behind."

Capt. Jesse Gove, U.S. Army gave his account, "Animals lying along the road every rod, almost, and daily and hourly dying as they are driven along the road. Snow about 7 inches deep. Fort Bridger is our hope. If we once get there we shall be safe with our stores. Hundreds of animals die every 24 hours. . . . Cattle have died so rapidly that they have to send back oxen to draw one train at a time."

"The animals are still dying rapidly. They are seen fallen in such attitudes as could only result from the last possible of remaining strength to resist the effects of starvation and cold." — Capt. John W. Phelps, U.S. Army

"The army under my command took the last possible step forward at Bridger, in the condition of the animals then alive." — Col.. Albert Sidney Johnston, U.S. Army

The Native Ute were caught in the middle fighting to reconcile with both sides for survival and their ancestral land. The Government played the native Indian against the Mormons, while the Mormons played the native Indian against Johnston's Army. In the end Mormons and the U.S. Army would join hands and remove the Indian people from their land.

Measles, smallpox and tuberculosis were spreading epidemically among the Indians. Today we don't usually think of measles as being a serious disease, but it is. First the victim gets a high fever and a rash which can last for 2 weeks. Measles also causes ear infections and in time the victim develops pneumonia followed by encephalitis. (This is an inflammation of the brain that can lead to convulsions, and can leave the person deaf or mentally retarded.) Measles can also make a pregnant woman have a miscarriage or give birth prematurely.

The skin lesions in smallpox developed as a result of viral damage and inflammation. Secondary bacterial infection then occurs as the scabs start shedding. Lesions form in the pharynx, larynx, tongue, trachea, and esophagus in descending becoming potentially lethal. The victim convulses and eventually dies.

The above description to brings to mind how devastating the disease was among the Native Indian, and at times deliberately. They had no immunities or cures toward these illnesses carried in by the Saints. These diseases spread epidemically among the Indians resulting in untold numbers of deaths.

 

The Environment Drastically Altered

The unyielding influx of settlers into Utah territory at the rate of some 3000 a month impacted the ecosystem to the extent that food traditionally derived from nature such as deer, elk, buffalo, and fish was severely depleted leaving the starving Native to fight or die. By the time the Ute declared war in 1865 there were approximately 50,000 Mormons in the territory. The Ute were compelled to take from the settlers their beef and cattle to feed their hungry children and families in order to survive. 

Indifferent to the needs of the Indians incredibly the Saints methodically fished frequently and recklessly the streams, and rivers, day and night. Using gill nets it is recorded that 6975 fish were caught in just one day on the Provo River and were donated to the church as tithing. There stood Young's policy to "...feed them and not fight them" yet they systematically destroyed their food supply. Where is a record indicating any of those fish were shared with the Indian Ute? Perhaps the term "recklessly" as applied in this account is misleading, when the word "deliberately" would make more sense. I don't think the Saints were so well-off that they could afford to be reckless, or feed 30-40 thousand Indians. Certainly the Saints were no strangers to depending upon natural sources for their food either. But, they were not as dependent on nature for their food supply because unlike the Indian people they had domesticated cattle and crops. And by no means were they naive in military tactics. And as the saints maintained large herds of cattle and sheep they grazed the most prime lands, soon the plants and seeds that the Indian people depended upon for nourishment and medicine quickly disappeared. They were forced to travel greater distances and expend more energy to meet their needs.

The streams were further polluted by mills. Woolen mills dumped the wool dyes into the rivers. One day the rivers ran red with dye, the next day yellow, and then green. Saw mills dumped tons of saw dust into the rivers making it easier to dispose of the waist. There were 17 native species of fish in Utah lake, now there are just two, both on the endangered list. Streams and rivers were diverted into manmade canals and ditches for irrigation of crops. Forests were clear cut for homes, buildings, and forts displacing the natural habitat that was so abundant. As settlers took revenge on the starving Indian for stealing their cattle, often the consequence resulted in the harshest punishment of murdering the destitute. This enraged the Indian people ever more that led to more lost lives while millions of dollars in church funds were spent waging a secret war against them. The government had warned Brigham Young, any mistreatment toward the Native people would be severely dealt with. Yet the conditions in Utah largely went by unobserved. For twenty three years the Ute Indian people endured the Mormon's divisiveness until their patience gave way to rage. They were tortured, beheaded, murdered, starving, dying from diseases, demoralized and dehumanized, their environment and land being exploited, broken promises, deaths in the hundreds or perhaps even thousands; the Ute in the state of agonizing desperation, at last declared war in 1865. (See The War Began in 1865 by Peter Gottfredson)

The Ute Are A Chosen People of God

The paradox, according to the Book of Mormon the church had a divine obligation to convert the Indians to Mormonism according to church doctrine, and in so doing the "loathsome" Indians would become a "white and delightsome people" and would be forgiven of the sins of their forefathers.  (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 5:21-23) According to church doctrine, the nature of the dark skin was a curse, the cause was the Lord, the reason was because the Lamanites "had hardened their hearts against him, (God)" and the purpose was to make them "loathsome" unto God's people who had white skins. Ezra Booth wrote the following in the early 1800's: "In addition to this, and to co-operate with it, it has been made known by revelation, that it will be pleasing to the Lord, should they form a matrimonial alliance with the Natives; and by this means the Elders, who comply with the thing so pleasing to the Lord, and for which the Lord has promised to bless those who do it abundantly, gain a residence in the Indian territory, independent of the agent."

Young's Contrivance Toward The Ute Indian Nation

Noonch was obviously severely traumatized at Fort Utah and Battle Creek, and it is reasonable to conclude that he suffered from what is now known as the "Traumatic Stress Disorder, or "Da Costa's Syndrome" as it was termed in those days.

This would explain his vulnerability and why Noonch at first sided with Brigham Young as he was conscripted to do, following the murder of his family, in forays against his own people. Then later, after he came to his senses, led a sophisticated counter attack in defense. 

Noonch was not the only one the Mormons attempted to make leader of their people, as Mormons repeatedly appointed selected men of various bands to be leaders over their own people. However it must be fully understood, regardless what the victors accounts say, that All leaders within the Ute tribe assumed the role by succession. Noonch was born into a long line of what I call 'royal bloods' going back centuries. In order to become a leader within the Ute Nation, leaders had to be born into the this bloodline.     

"Black Hawk" Is Not A Ute Name. "Chief" A Whiteman's Term. 

Brigham Young gave Noonch the name "Black Hawk" a glaring testament to Young's contrivance toward the Ute Indian Nation. One can speculate that Brigham Young barrowed the name "Black Hawk" from a Sauk Indian Chief named "Black Hawk" who led the Sauk Indian nation in a war also named "The Black Hawk War" against white settlers in Illinois, who had forced the Sauk west and sold their land. Faced with the hostile Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations to the west, the Sauk faced east and sought to reoccupy their old lands. In April, 1832, the Sauk re-crossed the Mississippi and returned into Illinois near the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, where Brigham Young was at the time. The name "Black Hawk is not a Ute name. 

After the Fort Utah event in 1850, the massacre at Bear River occurred January 29, 1863 when 250 Shoshone were slain, including 90 women and children. After the slaughter ended, some of the undisciplined soldiers went through the Indian village raping women and using axes to bash in the heads of women and children who were already dying of wounds. Chief Bear Hunter was killed along with sub-chief, Lehi. The troops burned seventy-five Indian lodges, recovered 1,000 bushels of wheat and flour, and appropriated 175 Shoshone horses. While the troops cared for their wounded and took their dead back to Camp Douglas for burial, the Indians' bodies were left on the field for the wolves and crows.

Although the Mormon settlers in Cache Valley expressed their gratitude for "the movement of Col. Connor as an intervention of the Almighty" in their behalf, the Bear River Massacre has also been side-stepped in the history of Utah and the Mormon Church.

 A History Of Utah's American Indians by Forest Cuch

"Peace was arranged by Brigham Young and Wah-Kara at Chicken Creek in May 1854. Wah-Kara died on 29 January 1855 from pneumonia. The "Mericats" (as the Indians called all whites that were not Mormons) controlled his former trading areas. The Mormons were taking over his homeland and its resources and forcing his people to depend upon their charity.

Indian affairs in Utah were complicated by the mutual hostility of Mormons and federal officials. There was constant conflict as to who should administer Indian policy. In the conflict Congress neglected Utah and ignored the Indians. The United States government took over Utah without a single Ute land title settled and without any treaty of cession negotiated."

 

Salt Lake Valley 1847

"It Was a Question of Supremacy

Between the White Man and the Indian."

John Lowry, the man accused of having triggered the war said, "These are the facts as to the starting of the Black Hawk Indian depredations. In those early days it was at times imperative that harsh measures should be used. Hamilton killed an Indian dog, and whipped some Indians too, but that didn't start a war; I threw an Indian out of my house and kicked him off the place, and no war came of it. We had to do these things, or be run over by them. It was a question of supremacy between the white man and the Indian." - Indian Depredations in Utah (See Lowry's speech)

In the end church and government remove the Native Indian from their ancestral land to desolate and remote areas considered unsuitable for any man, consequently many more starve to death. Before Abraham Lincoln wrote the order to establish the Uinta Valley Reservation in 1861, the federal government asked the Mormon leader Brigham Young if the Uinta Valley was appropriate for a reservation. Young reported that “the land is so utterly useless that the only purpose is to hold together the other parts of the world." In other words, it was a perfect place for an Indian reservation.

These were some of the political and environmental causes of the Black Hawk War in Utah. To see who really triggered the war click here.