They called it the burned Over District. It's a nod to a statement by revivalist preacher Charles Grandison Finney, who felt that the Hydesville, New York area had been consumed by a forest fire of holy fervor. It was a condition that left residents hardened to religious authority. When those flames died down and the ashes cooled, the ground became
fertile for new religious beliefs. During the harsh winter of eighteen forty seven into eighteen forty eight, for example, the Fox family, John, Margaret, and their daughters Kate and Maggie moved to an unassuming house there, hoping to find a place to live out their days in peace. But peace would prove to be elusive. In March of eighteen forty eight, wrapping sounds seemed to come from the girl's bedroom. A
search of the home turned up nothing. On March thirty first, Kate imitated the sound by snapping her fingers and clapping through a series of questions, requiring the spirit to tell twice for yes and once for no. The family learned that this ghost was that of a thirty one year old man. He had been murdered in their house and buried in the cellar. It seemed that Hydesville had a haunted house, and through them, America had found a new obsession.
When Kate and Maggie eventually moved away, the spirit went with them, helping them blaze a career that lasted decades. Only later did the pair admit that all of it had been a hoax. Surprisingly, though their confession did little to stem the popularity of spiritualism, that's probably because people weren't really looking for a new religious experience. What they'd actually been searching for were answers, and knowing the history of the American West, that's easy to understand why I'm
Aaron Mankee and welcome to the Wild West. From its very beginnings, the idea of the New World and America's westward expansion were closely intertwined with religious conviction. The belief that western expansion represented the fulfillment of a divine mission, however, known as manifest destiny, did not appear until eighteen forty five. Still, its roots can be traced back to Europe and the idea that God had appointed English settlers for a special purpose.
The Spanish and French monarchs, and later the British settlers themselves believed their mission was to spread Christianity to America's indigenous people. This belief that God had chosen the British colonies for an extraordinary destiny received a major overhaul during the American Revolution and the creation of the United States
as a new and unique, independent nation. By seventeen eighty nine, Americans considered their new country a blessed entity, charged to develop and maintain itself as the beacon of liberty and democracy to the entire world. In the decades following the American Revolution, the population of the Nited States exploded, and
with it, American Christianity became a massive enterprise. The number of Christian ministers in the country skyrocketed from less than two thousand and seventeen seventy five to nearly forty thousand in eighteen forty five. Competition between different denominations was fierce, with upstarts like the Free Will Baptists nipping at the
heels of more established groups like the Episcopalians. New movements like the Methodists, Baptists and the Mormons shared a common characteristic, a tireless work ethic, a drive for expansion, a rejection of orthodox beliefs, and styles, and an unyielding zeal for
religious reconstruction. These changes led to confusion and heated debates over the purpose and function of the church, and at the same time, a new style of religious leadership, often seen as untutored or irregular, started to gain overwhelming success, and through it all ministers vied for the role of
divine spokesperson. Now, it's important to step back and remember that the American Revolution and the ideas it propagated had sparked a cultural upheaval around the meaning of the word freedom. People had been empowered to think for themselves about issues of equality, sovereignty, representation, and liberty. As a result, overall respect for ideas like authority, tradition, and education started to dwindle. The traditional authorities of the church had very few resources
to hold back the surge of these new movements. By the time of Jefferson's election in eighteen hundred, the notion of dissent in America had become outdated, as if there were still a commonly recognized center against which all new or innovative religious movements could be measured. In the midst of all of this, one man, Lorenzo Dow emerged as a notable example of populist religious fervor, Dow played a
significant role in the growth of American Methodism. He traveled thousands of miles yearly to preach tirelessly at hundreds of meetings, and he had a particular disdain for traditional author including clergymen. As the country expanded westward, religious life became less centralized than in the established East Coast cities. Clerics and pioneer rabbis took to the road to serve their scattered congregations. In the West, religion took on a unique path compared
to the East. In the process, churches and synagogues became central in forging the social boundaries that Western settlers needed. Religious identity became the lens through which most Western settlers viewed their world, and regardless of their denomination, clergy were among the most highly educated people out there and were sought after for everything from spiritual guidance to farming advice. But nowhere in the nation did religious fervor and upheaval
seem as prevalent as in western New York. This was the tumultuous religious environment that Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, was born into in eighteen oh five. Now, the Smith family of eleven was poor, and years of hardship and illness forced them to move from Vermont to New York. Along the way, an unscrupulous land agent swindled the family
out of their property, leaving Smith's parents destitute. In their time of need, the devoutly religious Smith family turned toward the Church, but Joseph had become disillusioned by the sheer number of religions out there, so he started exploring the more unusual beliefs at the time, things like folk magic and superstition, and looking back, that wasn't surprising. Dreams and visions were actually pretty common within the Smith family. Joseph
even claimed that he could talk to angels. But he also began to look outside Christianity at more occult sciences to find the religious truth that he was After he was so convincing that his family believed his gift would lead them to financial security. Instead, the authorities arrested Joseph for disturbing the peace. Joseph Smith was just a teen
when he had his first spiritual vision. It was eighteen twenty, and he was struggling to make sense of the way the many sects competed against each other, dividing the people they converted. He also struggled with what he believed was a wickedness within himself. Smith gave various accounts of what
happened next. In one telling, distressed and convicted of his sins and fearing for his soul, he went into the woods to pray, and there a pillar of lights appeared, and Jesus came and spoke to him and forgave his sins. In another version, Joseph said, a darkness surrounded him, and he called out to God. A burst of lights appeared, and within it stood God the Father and Jesus the Son.
Smith asked them which church he should join. The two divine personages, as he referred to them, forbade him to join any existing sect, for not only were they all wrong, but they were all corrupt. On the night of September twenty first of eighteen twenty three, another personage, this time an angel named Moroni, appeared before him with the message that God had chosen Smith to translate a book written
on gold plates that contained his gospel. Smith was warned not to use the plates to obtain wealth, though, or even show them to anyone or else he would be destroyed. Smith claimed that he found the plates in a box under a large rock on a hillside near Manchester, New York. He wrote that many others wanted the books, but he hid them, and once he finished the translations, he returned
the golden book to the Angel. While the Book of Mormon would become the basis of a brand new religious faith, it also served as a document of social protest against traditional and complacent figures and structures of power. Smith believed that the clergymen were the primary source of these sins. In his eyes, the Book of Mormon suggested that God would restore the ancient order of things and empower the underprivileged. Upon the publication of the book, Smith and a small
group of followers promoted this newfound religion. Drawing from his own life experience, He emphasized people's rights to shape their own faith and take charge of their religious destiny. His earliest disciples were poor, uprooted, unschooled, and unsophisticated people a lot like him. The Mormon Church began evangelizing and growing rapidly in April of eighteen thirty. The Latter day Saints were first organized on the Whitmer farm with approximately fifty attendees. Eventually, though,
they moved farther west, focusing their operations in Ohio. By eighteen thirty seven, they were even expanding into England. The Mormons were generally not welcomed by the locals in the places that they settled. Most folks didn't share their beliefs in communalism and complete submission to the prophet. Then they especially did not take the Mormon claims that God had consecrated to them the land belonging to their non Mormon neighbors.
As you might imagine, this tension inevitably led to violence. In eighteen thirty eight, Smith and many other Mormons moved their home base from Ohio to Missouri, but friction between his followers and the locals there persisted, in part because the Mormons insisted on settling anywhere they wished, even if the land was already owned by someone else. So Smith organized a private army of men who ended up in an altercation with non Mormons, beating in the skulls of
nine men. Tensions between Mormons and their neighbors only continued to get worse, so bad that the state of Missouri issued a warrant for Smith's arrest and the governor issued in order that all Mormons must leave the state or face consequences. After losing what was called the Mormon War, Smith's followers agreed to leave Missouri, eventually settling in Illinois in a town they named Navu, which they saw as
a kind of autonomous theocracy ordained by God. Smith's ever changing theology, though included the belief that his followers should not be restrained from using acts of violence. Such unorthodox ideas couldn't help but lead to conflict at many points, which is why, for example, in eighteen forty two, his
bodyguards attempted to assassinate the governor. In eighteen forty four, he unsuccessfully ran for president, and amidst all of these things, relations with their non Mormon neighbors and even some dissenting Mormon groups once again deteriorated. Tensions reached a boiling point that same year when Mormons destroyed the Navu Expositor, which
had printed stories the Mormons considered unfair persecution. Smith eventually surrendered, though, and was taken into custody at the Carthage Jail in Illinois A short time later, on June twenty seventh, of eighteen forty four, a mob of approximately two hundred men barged into that jail and murdered Joseph Smith and his brother. Newspapers wrote that the Mormons would soon cease to exist.
They were wrong about that, though members voted to replace Smith with one of his devout followers, a man named Brigham Young. After that, Smith's followers moved on, and by December of eighteen forty seven, around two thousand of them began settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. Within just three years, their community reached a population of nearly twelve thousand members, and it was here that they sought to establish their own recognized territory. Brigham Young did one other significant thing
early on. He added something called the Oath of Vengeance as part of the church's initiation rights translation. The hostilities between Mormons and outsiders were about to reach a tipping point. Many of the Mormon beliefs created distrust among the other settlers. They established the act of lying for the Lord, which meant followers could lie to protect each other, and the church. Insiders who wanted to leave were reluctant to do so, as the land that they bought had been consecrated to
the church. Private land ownership was prohibited, and stewards of the church had that property taken away if they sinned. Followers had specific jobs within the communal hive, as they called it, from working fields to hunting and gathering. Trade outside the community was strongly discouraged. For the most part, the Mormons craved isolation. Bigham Young portrayed the United States government as an enemy, claiming that they'd had a hand
in Joseph Smith's death. He also appointed church officials to certify elections, attempts from US federal agents to uphold laws the Mormons disagreed with or met with threats of violence. Now, these actions and beliefs alone might have been the reason for the distrust, but it was the Mormons proclivity to violence that worried outsiders. The most Young and some other church leaders advocated a doctrine referred to as blood atonement, which held that certain sins could only be atoned for
by shedding that sinner's blood. It was only meant to apply to Mormons, by the way, but some took it as a license for violence toward anyone they felt as a threat. So when the gold rush kicked off. It brought up a lot of questions about the Mormons relationship with the US government. Most outsiders traveling to California needed to cross through the Salt Lake area, and for Young and his highly indoctrinated followers, this just would not do.
The culture that Young created led followers to believe that they had a religious right to kill criminals and hostile outsiders who had harmed or persecuted them to the US government, though Young was a religious dictator with a stranglehold on his followers. In April of eighteen fifty seven, a group of farming families totaling roughly one hundred and thirty five people, met in Caravan Springs, Arkansas. The group set out toward California,
taking their livestock with them. To the Mormons, this was considered a hostile force due to an unrelated incident is He a popular Mormon apostle named Parley Pratt had recently been killed in Arkansas. As a result, Young had declared martial law in Utah forbidding any outsider to pass through without a permit. Mormon apostle George Smith made the rounds to warn others of the impending traveler's arrival and to not trade with them, reportedly suggesting that these outsiders' bones
would make really good fertilizer for their crops. He found and the flames even more by telling the local Pyute tribe that the US military was following those travelers, planning to kill everyone they encountered, and let's just make sure that we're clear on this. George Smith and other Mormons lied to the Piute, claiming that they were at risk of being attacked, putting them on edge and dragging them into the upcoming conflict. Unaware of their impending doom, the
travelers from Arkansas pressed onward. When they reached the area of Mountain Meadows, those Pyute, dressed in warpaint were already waiting for them. Brigham Young's adoptive son, John Lee, had orders to round up other local Native Americans and supply them with weapons to help kill the travelers. Apostle George Smith also delivered a letter to the native tribes urging them that they could either help the Mormons or be killed by the US military alongside them. The massacre happened
just before daybreak. The travelers fought off their attackers as best they could and sent a messenger back to get help. Unfortunately, a more Mormon outrider shot and killed that messenger. Young men informed another writer that the Mormons should encourage the Native Americans to handle the problem without their interference. Some historians believe many Mormons even disguised themselves as Native Americans
and then joined in on the attack. Surrounded and running out of ammunition, the travelers surrendered, but surrender wasn't enough. Mormon Major John Higbee ordered his men to kill the survivors. The native tribes and the Mormons took to hatchets and knives, brutally slaughtering the men and women. Even children were dragged from their hiding places and killed. Mormon leader John Lee, according to many witnesses, behaved like a demon. In the slaughter.
Only seventeen people, all children, were left alive and placed into Mormon homes. Historians put the final death toll at roughly one hundred twenty innocent lives. On the morning of Saturday, September twelfth, Lee and other local leaders rode out to the field and spent a moment gazing upon the scattered bodies of their victims. Then after the dead were thrown into ravines and covered with a light layer of dirt. The killers gathered together for prayer. They gave thanks to
God for delivering their enemies into their hands. Using the practice of lying for the Lord. They all agreed that the blame for the massacre should be shifted away from the Mormons, who planned, organized and led it, and the lie they spread to say themselves. The Indians, they said, did it alone. Every decision has an impact, like ripples in a pond. The birth of the United States, for example, had far reaching effects, even extending into the religious world.
It helped create a crisis of authority in religious life that called for prophets who could give guidance. New religious movements such as the Mormons, the Shakers, and the Oneida community emerged as a result, but not all leaders were entirely happy with a peaceful existence. Brigham Young, for example, waged a decade's long struggle for Mormon autonomy in the face of federal sovereignty. He demonized his enemies, employed violent rhetoric,
and encouraged murder. US President James Buchanan, convinced that Young was leading a rebellion against the federal government, even sent an army to Utah along with a replacement for Governor. Young eventually learned to live with the presence of US soldiers and officials, and in other ways, though he defended his kingdom with growing desperation for the rest of his life. But the most shocking event in Mormon history was the
Mountain Meadows massacre. Although Young blamed Native Americans for the atrocity, the actual evidence suggested otherwise, and despite the perpetrators packed to keep their involvement in the massacure a secret, the truth eventually came out. In eighteen fifty nine, several US government officials were sent to investigate what they thought were Indian depredations at the massacre site. Instead, they discovered a
different story. Entirely, those who died in the initial attack had been shot through the skull, and only those who surrendered had met a different fate. Native Americans weren't known to use guns with any regularity at that time and weren't typically such expert marksmen. After noting their findings, these investigators collected the bones of thirty four victims and buried them in a common grave. Over the remains, they erected
a monument surmounted by a twelve foot cross. Sometime later, when Brigham Young saw the monument, he ordered his men to rip it down. As more and more of the story was revealed, though, protests spread and outrage grew. The tragedy even threatened to put an end to Utah's efforts to achieve statehood. Surprisingly, though, when pressure for an investigation and punishment arrived, it came from within the faith itself.
In the end, one man was eventually chosen to pay the price for the massacre, Young's adopted son, John Lee. He was taken to mountain meadows and killed by firing squad guns. God and greed. There are a lot of ideas and concepts that found their intersection in the wild West, but these were some of the most volatile. I hope today's exploration of one violent religious groups clash with the world around them helped you see just how difficult it was to find peace in an expanding world. But it's
not the only example of such a challenge. In fact, my teammate Ali Stead has one more tale to tell you. Stick around after this brief sponsor break to hear all about it.
During the eighteenth century, the United States engaged in a fierce conflict known as the Northwest Indian War, lasting from seventeen eighty five to seventeen ninety five. It revolved around the control of the Northwest Territory, encompassing modern day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,
and parts of Minnesota. George Washington sought US control over the region and dispatched the army, but the American forces suffered significant defeats, notably the devastating Saint Clair's defeat in seventeen ninety one. Undaunted, Washington appointed General mad Anthony Wayne to take charge. This time. The US was victorious at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in seventeen ninety four, forcing local tribes to sign the Treaty of Greenville in seventeen
ninety five. According to its terms, Native American tribes were to relinquish all claims to present day Ohio and parts of Indiana, and for their part, the Americans agreed to relinquish any claims they had to land north and west of the territory that had been the heart of the dispute. However, there was a catch. The Native tribes must allow Americans to establish trading posts within Native territory. Where one American went, others were sure to follow. Plenty of Americans were willing
to ignore the treaty and infringe on native lands. Hunters and fur traders depleted game resources, making it difficult for Natives to provide for their families. For the Shawneese, the treaties aftermath prompted deep introspection. Some believed that dark powers were at play and that the Americans represented evil forces disrupting their harmonious way of life. That's when a Native American prophet emerged. But he didn't start out with power.
In fact, he lived in the shadow of his oldest brother, Tacumsa, a renowned Shawnee warrior chief, had always been regarded as a hero by Americans, particularly during the War of eighteen twelve. On the other hand, his younger brother seemed to get the short end of the stick at every turn. Born in eastern Ohio in seventeen seventy five, lala Itika, whose name means the noisemaker, struggled to find his place in the family. He didn't excel as a hunter or warrior,
and had developed a drinking problem in adolescence. But then everything changed. One April day in eighteen o five, while sitting in his lodge, lighting his pipe, he suddenly collapsed. When he regained consciousness, he told those who gathered around him that he died and visited heaven. This vision had a profound effect on Lalla Witika, and he vowed to
never drink whiskey again. For months, the visions continued. He claimed that the Great Spirit had called on him to deliver the Shawnee from their bad habits and promote peace with all mankind. In addition to taking on this new prophetic role, he also took on a new name, tens Quattaua, meaning the open door. Ten's Quattua advocated for a return
to traditional tribal culture. He emphasized communal living, sharing possessions, monogamous marriages, peace among warriors, and respectful treatment of wives and children. While guns could still be used in defense, hunting was to be done with bow and arrow. Except for weapons, all American made items were to be abandoned. Additionally, tense Quatauwa taught his followers prayers and rituals that he believed would restore the favor of the Master of Life
upon the Shawnee. He said that his people, the British, the French, and the Spanish, were created by the Master of life, but Americans who took native land were children of the Great Serpent. He deemed those who disagreed with his philosophy as misguided, fools or in league with the Great Serpent, who spread disorder among the tribes. Those who opposed him, particularly among the Lenape tribes, faced grave consequences.
Tens Quatua examined captives, condemning some and exonerating others. Converted Christians were especially at risk, and several individuals were burnt at the stake for witchcraft. Moravian missionaries who had connections with the l Lennape tribe promptly reported the situation to the government. Governor William Henry Harrison challenged tens Quatua, suggesting that a true prophet should be able to control the
movements of celestial bodies, including the Sun and moon. Little did Harrison know that his challenge played right into tens Quatua's hands. During the spring of eighteen o six, astronomers traveled through Indiana and Illinois to study an upcoming solar eclipse that was scheduled for June sixteenth. The prophet, keenly aware of this celestial event, promised his followers that he would darken the sun. On the day of the eclipse,
the noonday sun faded into an eerie twilight. News of the profit's ability to control the sun spread like wildfire. Tribes from far and wide flocked to him, seeking conversion to his new religion. Shortly afterwards, ten's Quattua and his followers moved to a new town called Prophetstown on the Tippecanoe River in Indiana, but even here tensions followed. Attacks on white settlers in the area increased, forcing Native Americans to sign the Treaty of Fort Wayne in eighteen o nine.
Chief Tecumza emerged as a prominent figure after the treaty, traveling extensively and advocating for political and military solutions to protect Native American lands. Fights over Native territory continued, and Governor Harrison sent forces to Prophetstown. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Native tribes were soundly defeated and fled. The Battle of Tippecanoe effectively discredited tens Quatua's role as a prophet, while
his brother became a legend. The remainder of tens Quatawa's life was marked by exile, removal and an Inglorious Death in Kansas In eighteen thirty six.
Grimm and Moald Presents The Wild West was executive produced by me Aaron Manky and hosted by Aaron Manky and Alexandra Stead. Writing for this season was provided by Michelle Mudo, with research by Alexandra Steed, Sam Alberty, Cassandra de Alba, and Harry Marx. Fact checking was performed by Jamie Vargas, with sensitivity reading by Stacy Parshal Jensen. Production assistance was provided by Josh Stain, Jesse Funk, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick.
To learn more about this and other shows from Grim and Mild and iHeartRadio, visit Grimandmild dot com