Central in Washington County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Burial Sites
Photographed By Karen Key, November 24, 2008
1. The Burial Sites Marker
Inscription.
The Burial Sites. . The Baker-Fancher emigrants buried the bodies of ten men killed during the siege somewhere within the circled wagons of the encampment located west of the current monument in the valley. Most of the Baker-Fancher party died at various locations northeast of the encampment. In May 1859, Brevet Major James H. Carleton, commanding some eighty soldiers of the First Dragoons from Ft. Tejon, California, gathered scattered bones representing the partial remains of thirty-six of the emigrants, interred them near the wagon camp, and erected a stone cairn at the site. Before Carleton’s arrival, Captains Reuben T. Campbell and Charles Brewer along with 207 men from Camp Floyd, Utah, collected and buried the remains of twenty-six emigrants in three different graves on the west side of the California Road about one and one-half miles north of the original encampment. Brewer reported that “the remains of [an additional] 18 were buried in one grave, 12 in another and 6 in another.” , , Since the erection of the memorial by Major Carleton, several local families, including the Platts, Lytles, and Burgesses, have preserved and protected the graves in this area from being desecrated by souvenir hunters, land developers, curiosity seekers, and other intruders. In 1999, the Mountain Meadows Association collaborated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in erecting the new monument over the spot of the original 1859 grave. On August 3rd, 1999, workers excavating for the footings for a wall around the new monument accidentally uncovered the Carleton grave. On September 10th, 1999, the remains recovered from that grave were reinterred in a burial vault inside the new wall. The monument was dedicated the following day, September 11th, 1999.
The Baker-Fancher emigrants buried the bodies of ten men killed during the siege somewhere within the circled wagons of the encampment located west of the current monument in the valley. Most of the Baker-Fancher party died at various locations northeast of the encampment. In May 1859, Brevet Major James H. Carleton, commanding some eighty soldiers of the First Dragoons from Ft. Tejon, California, gathered scattered bones representing the partial remains of thirty-six of the emigrants, interred them near the wagon camp, and erected a stone cairn at the site. Before Carleton’s arrival, Captains Reuben T. Campbell and Charles Brewer along with 207 men from Camp Floyd, Utah, collected and buried the remains of twenty-six emigrants in three different graves on the west side of the California Road about one and one-half miles north of the original encampment. Brewer reported that “the remains of [an additional] 18 were buried in one grave, 12 in another and 6 in another.”
Since the erection of the memorial by Major Carleton, several local families, including the Platts, Lytles, and Burgesses, have preserved and protected the graves in this area from being desecrated by souvenir hunters, land developers, curiosity seekers, and other intruders. In 1999, the Mountain Meadows Association collaborated with The Church of
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Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in erecting the new monument over the spot of the original 1859 grave. On August 3rd, 1999, workers excavating for the footings for a wall around the new monument accidentally uncovered the Carleton grave. On September 10th, 1999, the remains recovered from that grave were reinterred in a burial vault inside the new wall. The monument was dedicated the following day, September 11th, 1999.
Location. 37° 28.617′ N, 113° 37.933′ W. Marker is in Central, Utah, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from Highway 18. There is a marked parking area just off the highway and then a foot path that leads you to the plaque. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Central UT 84722, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Mountain Meadows Association. (Submitted on December 26, 2008, by Karen Key of Sacramento, California.)
Additional commentary. 1. In June 2011, the Mountain Meadows Site was designated as a National Historic Landmark.
— Submitted September 2, 2011, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.
Photographed By Karen Key, November 24, 2008
3. The Burial Sites
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, August 29, 2011
4. The Burial Sites
This is also know as: The 1999 Mountain Meadows Monument
Photographed By Bill Kirchner, August 29, 2011
5. The Burial Sites
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2008, by Karen Key of Sacramento, California. This page has been viewed 1,256 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 26, 2008, by Karen Key of Sacramento, California. 4, 5. submitted on September 2, 2011, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Close up pictures of the burial vault and new wall. • Can you help?