The Mountain Meadows Massacre, as Told by Mark Twain and Jack London

Abstract

Abstract This article addresses Mark Twain’s as well as Jack London’s writing about the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre against settlers moving west; this occurred in newly colonized Mormon land in Utah. The Mormons used local Indians as scapegoats, but the survivors pinned the event solely on Mormon shoulders. Interestingly, in contrast to most other writers and journalists, neither Twain in Roughing It nor London in The Star Rover simply paints a picture of Mormon atrocity, but instead tries to enter the minds of the persecuted Mormons as well.