Mountain Meadows
- Alex Cabrero
- Nov 28, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 23, 2025
(Washington County) This website of mine is meant to be full of places that are fun, scenic, and adventurous. It's meant to give you ideas on where to go to have a little fun. Mountain Meadows is not one of those places. However, it is also a place that should not be forgotten for what happened here.
Mountains Meadows, just off Highway 18 between St. George and Enterprise, is the site of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Even if you didn't know the history of what happened in this field, you can feel the heaviness of the area. Kylie, Aspen, and I recently visited the site and the solemn quiet of the valley stays with you long after you leave. It’s a place of remembrance and an important piece of history, even when that history is painful.
On September 11, 1857, one of the most tragic civilian massacres in U.S. history occurred here. A wagon train known as the Baker–Fancher party, which had about 120 emigrants in it, were heading west from Arkansas to California. They were attacked and slaughtered by local militia members, who were mostly settlers and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The circumstances of this attack involved fear, mistrust, and escalating conflict during what was known as the Utah War.
After a five-day siege, militia members approached the emigrants under a white flag, promising safety and an escort to Cedar City if the wagon party surrendered their weapons. Once they did, the militia members killed them. Only seventeen children, all six years old or younger, survived. The reasons for the massacre are complex, and doing some research myself, it's something that has been debated by historians. It involves fear of invasion, local tensions, and a climate of mistrust between settlers and the U.S. government.
Visiting Mountain Meadows isn’t like a typical hike. It’s quiet, respectful, and as I said before, heavy with memory. You don't have to know the whole story before visiting. There are several plaques and informational displays telling the story. There are four sites that make up the Mountain Meadows Massacre National Historic Landmark.
Site 1 - Overlook and Introduction
We started at the overlook, which sits above the valley and gives perspective on the landscape the wagon party was traveling through. There's a memorial and some circular viewing markers to help visitors orient themselves to the area below and point toward the other sites. Standing here, you get a sense of the distances of the valley. It made me wonder what they were thinking and how scared they were being in such an unfamiliar place being attacked by people for a reason they never knew.
Site 2 - The Stone Pile Grave Marker
The second stop is the main area of Mountain Meadows, and it's about as heavy as it gets. This is where the stone pile grave marker is located. It's a cairn of rocks marking a mass grave. Many people worked to gather the scattered remains of those who died and bury them under cairns or rock pile monuments. Through the years, several revisions were made to those memorials. The current one, created in 1999, stands as a sacred remembrance of those lost.
The stone marker is inside a fenced area. It's not locked. You are welcome to enter and walk around the marker. There are the names of those who died etched in rocks, as well as several plaques and information displays telling the stories of what happened here. The Arkansas state flag is flown here because many of the victims were from Arkansas.
There is also a short loop trail outside of the fenced area that brings you to another historical marker. Just walk toward the small bathroom and follow the trail. The historical marker is to remember those who were killed in the field where you are walking. One part of this marker that got me is where it mentions those who lie in unknown graves. Powerful stuff.
Site 3 - Men’s Memorial
Site 3 is the Men's Memorial. We got back in our car after visiting the stone grave marker and drove back onto Highway 18. Just a short drive north, to the left, is the Men's Memorial. As the name implies, it's a marker that honors the men who were killed on that day.
Site 4 - Women's and Children's Memorial
Site 4, the final site, is just a short drive north again on Highway 18. On the right hand site of the road you will find the Women’s and Children’s Memorial. This is to honor the women and children who were killed that day. This site is particularly powerful. Take your time here. Listen to the wind. Feel the history. What happened here was awful.
Our visit here was a solemn one. Normally, Kylie and I are joking around and full of smiles, but here there were no laughs and no light moments. Instead, there was deep respect for those whose lives ended here so tragically. We noticed we spoke in whispers often. This is a place that should never be forgotten.
We spent about an hour and a half here. There are a lot of plaques and informational signs to read to understand the history here. Of course, there is a lot more to learn than just what you read there, or here on this blog post. If you're interested:
-The story of the massacre from the Mountain Meadows Massacre Foundation -Historical context of the attack and aftermath
-Recent preservation and memorial efforts.
-Broader historical analysis of tensions leading up to 1857.
LOCATION:
Mountain Meadows Massacre Site on Google Maps
The site is about 35 minutes North of St. George,and 15 minutes South of Enterprise on Highway 18.
There is a large parking lot at Sites 1 and 2 to park in.
Comments