The Governor, the Gunfight, and the Ghost of the Great Salt Lake [Part 1]

In 1861, Abraham Lincoln appointed John W. Dawson as the third Territorial Governor of Utah.  Lincoln’s decision would lead to a cascade of bizarre, unintended consequences – from Utah’s first #MeToo episode involving a governor, to yet another gunfight involving Porter Rockwell, to the discovery of a massive grave robbing operation within Salt Lake City, and - reportedly – a French Ghost haunting the Great Salt Lake.  On today’s episode, we will explore the Governor, the Gunfight, and the Ghost of the Great Salt Lake [Part 1].

Key Words:  Brigham Young, Abraham Lincoln, Albina Williams, Thomas S. Williams, John W. Dawson, Utah Territory, John M. Bernheisal, #MeToo in Pioneer Utah, Wood Reynolds, Moroni Clawson, Jason Luce, Lot Huntington, John P. Smith, Utah War, Deseret News, Orrin Porter Rockwell, Danites.  

To learn more about the information in this episode, please check out

Special thanks to the History Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for making the primary sources available! 

You can find the letter of John M. Bernheisal describing his conversation with Abraham Lincoln here:  Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Utah Delegate Files, 1849-1872 > John M. Bernhisel to Brigham Young, 1849- 1866 > 1862 January-March; Call Number CR 1234 1 .

You can find the affidavit of Albina Williams here: 

Brigham Young office files, 1832-1878 (bulk 1844-1877) > Federal and Local Government Files, 1844-1876; Call Number CR 1234 1 .

See also the Deseret News , "Departure of the Governor," Deseret News (Jan. 1, 1861).  

For more information on the beating of Governor Dawson, check out Salt Lake City Archives, "I Found it in the Archives - 1861 Criminal Case" (Oct. 3, 2012), available at https://slcoarchives.wordpress.com/tag/john-w-dawson/. 

Harold Schindler, In Another Time: Sketches of Utah History 81-82 (1998).