The Black Hawk War (1865-1872)
The Black Hawk War was the final, large scale conflict between Native Americans and Mormons in the region since the Mormons had moved into the Great Basin region nearly 20 years prior. The conflict is traditionally dated starting in 1865 and ending in 1872, with 1865-1867 as the most violent years.
The Black Hawk War was the last, chronologically, of the incidents we have discussed. The war broke out in 1865 in Sanpete County (as shown on the map) as tensions had been building in that region for some time.
The winter of 1864-65 had been harsh, causing a food shortage and an outbreak of disease. Mormon settlers and Ute tribesmen met in Manti in the spring of 1865 to settle an argument over cattle that had been killed and eaten by some Native Americans. A Mormon settler pulled a young Ute man from his horse, which only escalated things and led to the two sides leaving the negotiations with bad feelings. Over the next few days, hundreds of cattle were stolen, and five settlers were killed. Things only escalated from there, with violence spreading throughout the region.
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Violence spread quickly in part because individuals on both sides used the conflict as an excuse to retaliate for past wrongs that had been done. This dragged out the war, as more and more wrongs were done. Often, the cattle that was stolen was from personal enemies or those who had wronged another. This vengeance killing started almost from the beginning and did not pay for that blood, so it had to be paid back in kind.
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Figure 1
As discussed in other sections, Mormon religious beliefs affected how they viewed Native Americans. This was especially true as it pertained to how Mormons built ‘Indian farms’ for Native Americans. Indian farms were built to help Native Americans learn how to farm, and to “learn civilized habits and the gospel of Christ” from nearby Mormon settlers. The farms, especially in Central Utah, were mostly a failure and drew Native Americans to the farms without having enough structural support which left many hungry.
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1.Orson Hyde to Brigham Young, 14 April 1865, Brigham Young Collection, Church History Department; Reddick N. Allred to Brigham Young, 11 April 1865, Brigham Young Collection, Church History Department; and Hamilton Kearnes to Brigham Young, 15 April, 1865, Brigham Young Collection, Church History Department.
2. Peterson, Utah’s Black Hawk War, 12.
3. Gottfredson, Indian Depredations, 312.
4. George A. Smith to Orson Hyde, 22 October 1865, Historian’s Office Letter Book, Church History Department, 2:5069; and "Proceedings of a Council with the Utah Indians."
5."Gunnison Ward Record," 9, as qtd in Peterson, 103.
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Figure 1. Utah Counties in 1866, John Alton Peterson, Utah’s Black Hawk War (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1998): xv.