By: HISTORY.com Editors Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as Mormons ), stoked by religious zeal and a deep resentment of decades of public abuse and federal interference, murder 120 emigrants at Mountain Meadows, Utah, on September 11, 1857. Although historical accounts differ, the conflict with the wagon train of emigrants from Missouri and Arkansas apparently began when the Latter-day Saints refused to sell the train any supplies. Some of the emigrants then began to commit minor depredations against fields, abuse the local Paiute tribes and taunt church members with reminders of how Missourians had attacked and chased them out of that state during the 1830s. Angered by the emigrants’ abuse and fired by a zealous passion against the growing tide of invading gentiles, a group of LDS guerillas from around Cedar City decided to take revenge. Cooperating with a group of Paiutes who had already attacked the train on their own initiative, the guerillas initially pretended to be protectors. The guerillas persuaded the emigrants that they had convinced the Paitues to let them go if they would surrender their arms and allow the Latter-day Saints to escort the wagon train through the territory. But as the train again moved forward under the LDS escort, a guerilla leader gave a prearranged signal. The Latter-day Saints opened fire on the unarmed male emigrants, while the Paiutes reportedly murdered the women. Why Latter-Day Saints Church Members Settled in Utah In the 1840s, Brigham Young led 148 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints west to the Rocky Mountains. In the 1840s, Brigham Young led 148 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints west to the Rocky Mountains. Later accounts suggested that some Latter-day Saints had only fired in the air while others killed as few of the emigrants as they could. But when the shooting stopped in Mountain Meadows, 120 men and women were dead. Only 18 small children were spared. As a direct result of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the U.S. government demanded a new settlement from Brigham Young . In 1858, the Latter-day Saints agreed to accept a continued presence of federal troops and a gentile governor for Utah Territory. No further significant LDS-gentile violence occurred, and the Latter-day Saints were thereafter largely left to govern themselves. But the era of complete LDS domination of Utah ended as a result of the tragedy that day in Mountain Meadows. After the Mexican-American War, the Mormon settlement of Deseret was claimed by the U.S. government. Also on This Day in History Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on September 11th The Battle of Brandywine begins On September 11, 1777, General Sir William Howe and General Charles Cornwallis launch a full-scale British attack on General George Washington and the Patriot outpost at Brandywine Creek near Chadds Ford, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on the road linking Baltimore and Philadelphia. Howe and Cornwallis spilt their 18,000 British troops into two separate divisions, with […] Russians dedicate Fort Ross, their first stronghold on the California coast Staking a tenuous claim to the natural riches of California, Russians dedicate Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco on September 11, 1812. As a growing empire with a long Pacific coastline, Russia was in many ways well positioned to play a leading role in the settlement and development of the West. The […] America victorious on Lake Champlain During the Battle of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain, a newly built U.S. fleet under Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough destroys a British squadron, forcing the British to abandon their siege of the U.S. fort at Plattsburg and retreat to Canada on foot. The American victory saved New York from possible invasion and helped lead to the […] The Christiana Resistance

In Christiana, Pennsylvania, a group of African Americans and white abolitionists skirmish with a Maryland posse intent on capturing four fugitive enslaved people hidden in the town. Donny Osmond has the No. 1 hit on the U.S. pop charts with “Go Away Little Girl” On September 11, 1971, 13-year-old teen idol Donny Osmond earns his first solo (and second overall) No. 1 hit with “Go Away Little Girl.” Nikita Khrushchev dies Former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, one of the most significant figures of the Cold War and certainly one of the most colorful, dies on September 11, 1971. During the height of his power in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Khrushchev was involved in some of the most important events of the Cold War. Khrushchev […] Chilean president Salvador Allende dies in coup Chile’s armed forces stage a coup d’état against the government of President Salvador Allende, the first democratically elected Marxist leader in Latin America. Allende retreated with his supporters to La Moneda, the fortress-like presidential palace in Santiago, which was surrounded by tanks and infantry and bombed by air force jets. Allende survived the aerial attack […] Attack on America On September 11, 2011, four planes are highjacked and used to carry out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. The Twin Towers in New York City are destroyed. The Enduring Mystery Behind Percy Fawcett’s Disappearance Explorer Percy Fawcett was an inspiration for Indiana Jones. 10 Daring Museum Heists Famous artworks like the 'Mona Lisa' and 'The Scream' have been among the treasures stolen. How Whitey Bulger Manipulated the FBI Into Locking Up His Enemies The notorious gangster was recruited as an FBI informant. It turned it out that corrupt FBI agents were the ones informing him. About the author HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion , Missy Sullivan , Christian Zapata, Cristiana Lombardo and Adrienne Donica. We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. Citation Information