Tag Archives: William P. MacKinnon

Mormon Studies, Utah history

Report: William P. MacKinnon, “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War”

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David J. Whittaker, curator of Mormon and western materials for L. Tom Perry Special Collections at BYU’s Harold B. Lee Library, has organized an exhibition and lecture series featuring the Thomas L. and Elizabeth W. Kane papers now housed at BYU.

Last Wednesday’s (November 12) lecture by Bill MacKinnon was the first of the series I had been able to attend (see this Juvenile Instructor post for the listing of past and future entries in the series). The lecture was held in the Lee Library auditorium; I estimate that about 150 people were there. The lecture was taped for future broadcast on KBYU. David J. Whittaker introduced Bill like the old friend that the two of them are, and Bill gave his lecture, entitled “Thomas L. Kane and the Utah War: BYU’s Kane Collection as Lodestone.”

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Mormon Studies

Mormon Studies Event in Norman, Oklahoma, This Friday (Announcement)

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The Norman, Oklahoma Stake is sponsoring an evening with two prominent Mormon Studies scholars this Friday, to which the public is invited:
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The Utah War and Its Mountain Meadows Massacre:
Lessons Learned, Surprises Encountered

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Mormon Studies

Bill MacKinnon at Sam Weller’s, Sept. 26 (Announcement)

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Who: Western Historian William MacKinnon
What: Lecture, “The Utah War as Context for Mountain Meadows,” and signing copies of his new book: At Sword’s Point, Part 1: A Documentary History of the Utah War to 1858
Where: Sam Weller’s Bookstore, 254 S. Main, Salt Lake City, Utah
When: Friday, September 26, 2008, 6:00 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public.

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Uncategorized

“March of the Salt Soldiers”: James Arrington’s New Play

Here’s another opportunity for those lucky enough to be in Salt Lake City next week: The Utah state history annual meeting is being held on Thursday and Friday (September 11-12) at the Salt Lake Public Library. Most sessions concern Utah rather than Mormon history; there are, however, two sessions on polygamy (panel discussions, one on history and one on law, with panelists Martha Bradley, Carmon Hardy, Michael Homer, and others) and a session given by Ron Walker and Glen Leonard concerning Massacre at Mountain Meadows.

The real novelty of this year’s meetings, however, is the premier presentation of a new play by James Arrington (“Here’s Brother Brigham,” “Farley Family Reunion,” and other regional favorites). His “The March of the Salt Soldiers” will be presented on Thursday, September 11, at 4:00, in the Salt Lake Public Library theater. Continue reading “March of the Salt Soldiers”: James Arrington’s New Play →

Guest Posts

June 26: End of the Utah War?

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The Utah War of 1857-1858 was the nation’s most extensive and expensive military involvement during the period between the Mexican and Civil wars, an armed confrontation between the civil-religious leadership of Utah and the Buchanan administration over power and authority in the territory. Ultimately it pitted nearly one-third of the U.S. Army against Utah’s Nauvoo Legion, arguably the country’s largest, most experienced militia. The historiography and folklore of this conflict is loaded with myths and misunderstandings, not the least of them being the notion that the war ended 150 years ago today – on June 26, 1858 – when Brevet Brig. Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston’s Utah Expedition marched into and through a Salt Lake City deserted and ready for the torch.

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Mormon history, Mormon Studies

Of Massacres and Misinformation

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In the first concurrent session of this year’s meeting of the Mormon History Association, three men who have been intimately involved with researching and evaluating material related to the forthcoming Massacre and Mountain Meadows by Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley Jr., and Glen M. Leonard spoke about three facets of their work. I was invited to respond, partly because I use or search for the kinds of documents described by two speakers, and especially because the first speaker was offering a reinterpretation of events narrated in my article “‘Pursue, Retake & Punish’: The 1857 Santa Clara Ambush” (here, at page 64). This is an article I’m proud to say won the Dale L. Morgan Award, a ginormous cash prize for the best scholarly article of 2005. Continue reading Of Massacres and Misinformation →