NEWS: Summer 2012 Utah Historical Quarterly Now Available

When people think of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, most don’t think of a comic strip, a Buffalo Bill production, California statehood celebrations, or the Lone Ranger. However, the tragic massacre of 1857 has been exploited in each of these formats—and in many more—for commercial purposes.  
In the latest issue of the Utah Historical Quarterly, author Melvin V. Bashore describes the many ways the massacre has been used to entertain and shock audiences and make money. Upon the execution of John D. Lee in 1877, William (Buffalo Bill) Cody parlayed the nation’s emotions into a successful, but garbled drama about the event, starring his sister and himself.  Numerous Wild West Shows from the 1880s through the early 1900s staged realistic re-enactments. The event was also the theme of a 1944 Lone Ranger radio show.

As these and other productions twisted--and profited from--history, they became part of America’s trends in violent entertainment.   They also contributed to a loss of historical knowledge, as the facts of the Mountain Meadows Massacre became swallowed up in “poetic license.” Bashore’s article is a fascinating look at how the massacre has been portrayed.

In addition, the Utah Historical Quarterly has an article on the Parry Brothers’ energetic and visionary drive to bring tourists and movies to southern Utah; a look at SLC’s St. Mary’s Academy, and the little-known story of how Utah tried, unsuccessfully, to use the Civil War’s secession crisis to gain statehood.

Members of the Utah State Historical Society receive the Utah State Historical Quarterly as a membership benefit.  For membership, see http://history.utah.gov or contact Lisa Buckmiller at 801-533-3517.