Conspiracy and siege of the Mountain Meadows Massacre

[4] Cedar City was the last major settlement where emigrants could stop to buy grain and supplies before a long stretch of wilderness leading to California.

[5] When the Baker–Fancher train arrived there, however, they were turned a cold shoulder once again; important goods were not available in the town store, and the local miller charged an exorbitant price for grinding grain.

Brigham Young sought to enlist the help of Indian tribes in fighting the "Americans" (the approaching U.S. Army), and allowed them to steal cattle from emigrant trains.

Today it is believed that the attack against the wagon train was planned by leaders in Iron County; after the Baker–Fancher party had left Cedar City.

Several meetings were held in Cedar City and Parowan by the local Mormon Leaders, pondering how to implement Brigham Young's war time directives.

At least nine southern Utah militiamen had already been sent out as scouts to the area's emigrant trails and mountain passes, looking for any advance parties of the United States dragoons.

[14] Possibly on September 4, 1857,[15] Haight had a meeting with John D. Lee ordering him to assemble Paiute fighters to head towards Mountain Meadows for the planned attack.

In the afternoon of Sunday, September 6, Major Isaac C. Haight held his weekly Stake High Council meeting after church services, and brought up the issue of what to do with the emigrants.

[13] The Council resolved to take no action until Haight sent a rider (James Haslam) out the next day to carry an express to Salt Lake City (a six-day round trip on horseback) for Brigham Young's advice; as Utah did not yet have a telegraph system.

[17] John M. Higbee was directed to command a special contingent of militia drawn from throughout the southern settlements whose initial orders were to coordinate the affair while maintaining a picket around the area's perimeter.

One witness claimed John D. Lee, left his home in Harmony on September 6, 1857 in the company of 14 Native Americans and headed toward Mountain Meadows.

[18] In the early morning of Monday, September 7[19] the Baker-Fancher party was attacked by as many or more than 200 Paiutes[20] and Mormon militiamen disguised as Native Americans.

[23] According to one report, they attempted to send a little girl to a nearby spring for water, dressed in white, and she was fired upon, but escaped unharmed back to the camp.

On September 9, local Mormon leader Isaac C. Haight and his counselor Elias Morris visited Dame in Parowan, where the council decided that the militia would allow the emigrants to pass safely.

[25] After the Parowan council meeting, however, Haight spoke with Dame confidentially, relating the information that the emigrants probably already knew that Mormons were involved in the siege.

[27][28] Lee told the battle-weary emigrants he had negotiated a truce with the Paiutes, whereby they could be escorted safely to Cedar City under Mormon protection in exchange for leaving all their livestock and supplies to the Native Americans.

[30] The many dozens of bodies were hastily dragged into gullies and other low lying spots, then lightly covered with surrounding material which was soon blown away by the weather, leaving the remains to be scavenged and scattered by wildlife.