Black Hawk-Ute Indian Chief
When the Ute Indian Chief, Black Hawk, died on September 27,
1870 near Spring Lake and was buried by his tribe in a nearby ravine, there was
laid to test a man designated by Brigham Young as “The most formidable foe
amongst the Redman” that the pioneers had encountered in many years. These words were prompted by the memory of
Chief Black Hawk’s part in Utah’s worst Indian war which ended in 1867.
The war commenced in April 1865 at Manti, Sanpete
County. Three years later, when the
Indians were finally brought to terms, 51 settlers had been killed and 25
settlements abandoned in 5 counties. The
seriousness of the Indian depredations was such that during the three-year war,
over 4700 men of the territorial militia were called into service. Expenses incurred during the war were in
excess of one and one half million dollars.
Although scattered Indian raids continued into the summer of 1868, theBlack Hawk War was regarded as officially closed in 1867.
The
years 1865 to 1867 were by far the most intense of the conflict. Latter-day
Saints considered themselves in a state of open warfare. They built scores of
forts and deserted dozens of settlements while hundreds of Mormon militiamen
chased their elusive adversaries through the wilderness with little success.
Requests for federal troops went unheeded for eight years. Unable to
distinguish “guilty” from “friendly” tribesmen, frustrated Mormons at times
indiscriminately killed Indians, including women and children. Utah State Division of State History, https://heritage.utah.gov/history/uhg-black-hawk-war
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