Gratitude and respect to renowned sculptor Gary Lee Price who has created a beautiful bronze sculpture of Timpanogos Chief Wakara, as seen in the above photo with Timpanogos Executive Chief Mary Murdock Meyer Murdock who couldn't be more proud of the recognition of her third great-uncle Chief Wakara.
Historians have depicted Wakara and the Timpanogos Nation inaccurately throughout Utah history. Example: Chief Wakara's name was not Walker, which is the name Mormons called him. When the Mormon Church baptized Wakara, Bishop Joseph Walker baptized him, giving him the name 'Joseph Walker'. Mormons knew him as Chief Walker and Joe Walker.
It's important to understand that the 'Walker War' in 1853 was a direct result of Brigham's extermination order in 1850, that began with the massacres at Battle Creek Canyon and Fort Utah. Chief Wakara's relatives were brutally attacked by Brigham's militia, igniting unparalleled trauma for the Timpanogos and leading to 24 years of ongoing conflict, known as Utah's Black Hawk War.
Timpanogos Chief Wakara
Pana-carre-quinker, aka Wakara, was born in c. 1808 near the Spanish Fork River in Utah. This area had long been home to his family and kin in the central region of Utah. The Timpanogos Nation are Snake-Shoshone. The Snakes are an ancient band of the Shoshone.
He was one of seven sons of Moonch. Sanpitch, Wakara, Arapeen, Tabby, Ammon, Sowiette, and Grospeen were all siblings, and Moonch was the son of Turunianchi. Moonch was also known to Mormon settlers as Old Elk and Big Elk. The name 'Wakara' in Shoshonee means Hawk. Wakara would learn the necessary hunting skills, horsemanship, and leadership from the time he was a child. His people chose him as their Chief to carry on his family's long legacy of legendary leaders. See The Timpanogos Nation Is Snake-Shoshone
Wakara wouldn't become principal Chief of the Timpanogos Nation until 1850, when his father Old Elk was killed during the Fort Utah massacre. A chief's first responsibility was to the Tribe, its security and well-being, and cultural integrity. When Wakara had to choose between his people and the LDS Church, he remained true to his people. While this decision meant his membership in the Church was short-lived.
When decisions were made that affected the Tribe, everyone had to be in mutual agreement before taking any action. It was the honorable way to live. Within the communities, each family took on particular roles; for example, medicine people, warriors, weavers, hunters, gatherers, etc., were the responsibility of individual families respectfully. The old and wise elders had the most significant influence in the community because they 'earned their feathers.' They were the spokespersons, teachers, and keepers of wisdom. From childhood, Wakara's family meticulously groomed him to become a great leader, ensuring the Tribe's values and traditions would be honored by generations to come.
In several accounts, Wakara has been described as over six feet in height, a large man. Peter Gottfredson described him as, "...one of the shrewdest of men. He was a natural man; read from natures books."
"He was loved and respected by his people," said Mary Meyer. "He took care of his people. He was patient and kind, but he was a person to be respected."
Stories of Child Slavery
Traditional Utah histories have long perpetuated a narrative that Chief Wakara engaged in the raiding and trafficking of women and children. However, these accounts rely exclusively on the journals of settlers, who used these claims to justify the indentured servitude of Native children in pioneer homes. According to the oral history and living descendants of the Timpanogos Nation, these accusations are a gross distortion of Wakara's character. In Timpanogos culture, a leader was chosen because he exemplified the tribe's highest ideals. Preying on blood relations would have brought absolute shame and stripped a leader of his influence. It is time to correct the record by centering the perspective of the Timpanogos people, who remember Wakara not as a human trafficker, but as a defender of his people and a man of high cultural integrity.
Utah's historical record has long suffered from a profound and deliberate silence. For generations, traditional historians have repeated sensationalized stories about Chief Wakara without ever pausing to ask a fundamental, ethical question: When writing about other people's families, wouldn't it be fair to ask for permission?
Instead, a gross misrepresentation was manufactured—one that claimed Wakara raided blood relations, stole children, and callously traded them away. But this narrative was built entirely in a vacuum, completely insulated from the people who actually knew him.
The truth is, the Timpanogos have never been allowed to tell their side of the story. How many Utah historians have cared enough to ask the Timpanogos for their opinion, or if they have a different version of the stories being told about them?
The answer is, "NONE."
When we break that silence and consult the living memory of the people, the "slave trader" myth completely evaporates. The Tribe has told me more than once that it is absurd to think Wakara would do such a thing as steal children and sell them as slaves.
"Our ancestors loved their children. For him to steal children from his blood relations would have brought shame and disgrace upon himself and his Tribe. Wakara was chosen to be Chief because he exemplified his people's highest standards and ideals."
— The Timpanogos Nation
"These false accusations not only tarnish the memory of our revered Chief but also perpetuate a distorted view of our history and culture, which is deeply damaging to the Timpanogos Nation of Utah."
When the massive influx of settlement triggered violent conflicts and forced displacement across traditional Timpanogos lands, the social fabric of the territory was shattered. Yet, amidst the chaos, the actions of Timpanogos leadership were driven by protection, not predation. As the Timpanogos people explain:
"When the Mormons arrived and fighting broke out our people scattered in all directions for safety. Our children whose parents were killed, Wakara rescued them and took them to our people for safety, and so they wouldn't end up in Brigham Young's custody. Brigham would take our children, those of our leaders for his own protection knowing we wouldn't attack his home where our children were."
This oral history exposes a chilling military calculation by colonial authorities. Taking the children of prominent Indigenous leaders into white households wasn't an act of charity; it was a deliberate strategy to create human shields. Brigham Young knew that as long as Timpanogos children were living under his roof, Wakara and his warriors would never launch an attack against his home. The risk to their own bloodline was too high.
Wakara’s highly documented movements tracking down and gathering displaced children across the Great Basin were actually desperate, calculated rescue operations. He was racing against colonial scouts to secure these traumatized orphans, ensuring they remained within the safety and cultural fold of their own people rather than being absorbed into the settlers' system of indentured servitude and political leverage.
By controlling the narrative and printing the local newspapers, colonial writers successfully twisted these rescue missions into "slave raids." It allowed them to claim they were "buying" children to save them from Wakara, when in reality, Wakara was trying to save them from Brigham Young.
Wakara's Burial: The Grave at Meadow: Dismantling the Pioneer Folklore
The passing of Chief Wakara in January 1855 gave rise to some of the most bizarre and unverified accounts in Utah historiography. Pioneer records claim that Wakara died at Corn Creek and was buried in a "sepulcher of stone" on the rugged eastern hillside above the community of Meadow, south of Fillmore. Others point to Dry Canyon.
But it is the alleged details of the burial itself where the narrative completely goes off the rails.
The Sensationalized Myth
According to various 19th-century pioneer diaries and secondary Utah histories, Wakara’s burial was accompanied by human sacrifice. The stories allege that two of his wives, along with two young Paiute boys, were killed or "fastened alive" to the stone pedestal alongside his body, buried with 50 of his horses, weapons, and trinkets.
For generations, this story was repeated in Utah history books as fact, treated as an objective window into "savage" burial customs.
The Tribal Reality
When we step away from the settler colonial mindset and look at the actual cultural laws of the Timpanogos Nation, the story exposes itself as a malicious fabrication.
"I don't believe that." — Mary Murdock Meyer, Chief Executive of the Timpanogos Nation and a direct descendant of Chief Wakara.
The family's rejection of this myth is backed by cultural logic:
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A Violation of Tribal Sanctity: The Timpanogos people held a deep reverence for life and family. The idea that a nation that fiercely protected its children from colonial capture would suddenly turn around and systematically murder its own women and children as a "sacrifice" is completely absurd.
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The Problem of the "Unwitnessed" Burial: It is critical to ask a simple historical question: Who actually buried Wakara? The pioneer accounts themselves admit that the burial was conducted in secret, away from the eyes of the settlers. If no white settlers were present at the actual burial, the vivid, horrifying descriptions of wives and children being fastened to a stone pedestal are entirely invented—hearsay passed around pioneer settlements and written down as "eyewitness" truth.
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The Purpose of the Slander: Just like the "slave trader" label, the "human sacrifice" narrative served a psychological purpose for the colonizers. By painting the deceased Chief and his people as practitioners of horrific, deadly rituals, it relieved the settlers of any lingering guilt regarding the theft of Timpanogos lands. It allowed them to frame their ongoing occupation as a civilizing mission.
The Exhibit and the Descendants' Truth
The distortion of Chief Wakara’s passing is not just confined to dusty, 19th-century pioneer diaries—it remains institutionalized in Utah’s public history today.
In April 2016, following the dedication monument for the Circleville Massacre, Chief Executive of the Timpanogos Nation Mary Murdock Meyer and I visited the Walker exhibition at the Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum in Fillmore, Utah. The display prominently detailed the traditional pioneer accounts of Wakara’s burial. After carefully reading through the exhibition, Mary—a direct descendant of Chief Wakara—flatly rejected the state’s narrative, stating simply:
"I don't believe any of this."
To the living descendants of the Timpanogos Nation, the state's exhibit remains deeply offensive and profoundly disrespectful to their ancestors and their culture. It continues to present settler folklore as objective historical fact without ever consulting the family of the man in question.
The Family Breaks the Silence
"The absurdity of the human sacrifice myth becomes undeniably clear when speaking directly with Wakara’s family. Having lived with Mary’s brother, Perry Murdock, for several years, I asked him directly if their great-great-grandfather had been buried alongside sacrificed children. His reaction was one of genuine bewilderment at the claim," wrote Phillip.
"I can tell you we would never do such a thing. That's not our tradition. No, that wouldn't happen. We have sacrificed a horse sometimes so the person's favorite animal would be with him, but we would never treat our women and children that way."
— Perry Murdock, Direct Descendant of Chief Wakara
Perry's explanation cuts right to the heart of how the myth was likely manufactured. The Timpanogos did occasionally honor a fallen warrior by burying him with his favorite horse—a tradition of deep respect for the animal bond. Pioneer settlers, looking on from afar with fear and prejudice, took the sight of a horse burial and wildly exaggerated it into a dark tale of slaughtered wives and children.
The Final Reburial: Outsmarting the Grave Robbers
There is a final, vital piece to Chief Wakara’s resting place that mainstream history completely misses. The reason there are so many conflicting accounts about his grave at Meadow or Dry Canyon is because the Timpanogos Nation took immediate action to protect their leader.
Perry Murdock revealed that shortly after the initial burial, Tribal members quietly exhumed Chief Wakara's body. They moved his remains to a strictly confidential, secret location. They did this out of necessity, knowing that Mormon settlers and grave robbers would eventually desecrate his final resting place looking for weapons, trinkets, or the body itself.
The True Legacy Restored
Chief Wakara does not rest where the state markers and pioneer journals claim he does. He was rescued in death by his people, just as he rescued their children in life. By centering the words of Mary and Perry Murdock, we strip the colonial narrative of its power and return Chief Wakara to his rightful place in history: a revered leader, deeply loved by his family, protected by his Tribe, and entirely innocent of the slanders leveled against him.
The Hypocrisy of Colonial Judgment
Mormon writers have long attempted to define Chief Wakara's legacy by branding him a "horse thief." The hypocrisy of this judgment is staggering.
When the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and church leader Brigham Young ordered the extermination of the Timpanogos, they didn't just take horses—they stole an entire people's land, water, and timber. They systematically attempted to strip the Timpanogos of their religion, their language, and their freedom. And after taking everything, they handed the Timpanogos a book that read: "Thou shalt not steal."
A Tourist Attraction Built on Dehumanization
Standing inside the Fillmore State Exhibit with Mary, I felt a deep sense of offense and intense embarrassment. I was ashamed that I had taken her to see how one-sided stories are used to dehumanize and demoralize the Indigenous peoples of Utah as a mere tourist attraction. It is disgraceful. As someone who was born, raised, and grew up here in Utah—and who served a mission for the LDS Church—it makes me deeply ashamed of that heritage.
The state of Utah has packaged a slanderous caricature of a revered leader and sold it to the public for entertainment.
The Challenge to Fillmore City: Where are the Bones?
If the city of Fillmore and mainstream historians insist on clinging to these sensationalized pioneer accounts, then they must answer a simple, physical question.
Tell us, Fillmore City, where the "sepulcher of stone" and the remains of those 50 horses, two women, two children, and Wakara actually are. Please tell us.
We did a little math. If these pioneer accounts were true, that single grave site would contain:
Where is this massive deposit of physical evidence? Where are these items? If anyone has the data, please send that information to comments@blackhawkproductions.com.
A Demand for Accountability
The truth cannot be hidden by state-sponsored exhibits indefinitely.
"These preposterous stories were written and/or published by Mormon historians. After 25 years of exhaustive research, I found no definitive proof that these stories about Timpanogos Chief Wakara are anything more than
colonial folklore! The city of Fillmore, the LDS Church, and the State of Utah should apologize to the public and to the living descendants of Wakara and the Timpanogos Nation. What Fillmore has is a shameful monument to settler colonialism that attempts to cover up the genocide of the Timpanogos Nation."
— Phillip B Gottfredson, Historian to the Timpanogos Nation. See Timpanogos Nation Biography & The Utah Black Hawk War
8/2/2025 Update
Yesterday, I and my documentry filmmaker were traveling along I-15 when we came to Fillmore. I asked David, my producer, if he we could stop so I could see if any changes had been made to the story of Timpanogos Chief Wakara's burial since my last visit in 2016. There were none.
Prelude To The 'Walker War'
Chief Wakara's Interview With Indian Agent M. S. Martenas
In 1853 Timpanogos leader Wakara (Black Hawk's uncle) told interpreter M. S. Martenas, "He (Wakara) said that he had always been opposed to the whites set[t]ling on the Indian lands, particularly that portion which he claims; and on which his band resides and on which they have resided since his childhood, and his parents before him—that the Mormons when they first commenced the settlement of Salt Lake Valley, was friendly, and promised them many comforts, and lasting friendship—that they continued friendly for a short time, until they became strong in numbers, then their conduct and treatment towards the Indians changed—they were not only treated unkindly, but many were much abused and this course has been pursued up to the present—sometimes they have been treated with much severity—they have been driven by this population from place to place—settlements have been made on all their hunting grounds in the valleys, and the graves of their fathers have been torn up by the whites." - STATEMENT, M. S. MARTENAS, INTERPRETER Great Salt Lake City, July 6 1853 Brigham Young Papers, MS 1234, Box 58, Folder 14
LDS Archives - Will Bagley Transcription.
Following 1847-48, the Mormon population grew by some 3000 per month. The Indian population declined from disease and destruction of food resources, and seizing every water source along the Wasatch front. Mormon leaders moved to disrupt the Mexican trade in horses thereby undermining the Tribe's wealth and power.
On January 31, 1850, Lieutenant General Daniel H. Wells of the all-Mormon Nauvoo Legion ordered Captain George D. Grant to "exterminate the Timpanogos," known as "Special Order No. 2".
The 'Walker War'
Wakara's vengeance was fueled by previous massacres at Battle Creek Canyon and Fort Utah. Throughout his life among the Mormons, he made every effort to live peacefully with them. He helped Brigham and his followers through the first winter of '47 with food, according to his descendants.
The 1850s were terrifying and chaotic for Wakara and the shoshonee-Timpanogos. Gold miners had set upon the whole territory of the Rockies, and the Wasatch, the US Army, and Mormon colonists were attracted to vast amounts of land and riches. Spurred on by the Doctrine of Discovery and Manifest Destiny, Europeans poured into aboriginal territory in droves for decades to come. It was overwhelming for the Timpanogos and all Tribes throughout the west.
Wakara's reaction to previous events was not immediate. Within less than three months following the massacre, Fort Utah was dismantled. It moved a short distance south to the newly formed community of Provo. Wakara met with leaders from the various brands of the Timpanogos Nation and advised them that the Mormons were the kind of people who lie about being believers in God. However, their way was to live in peace and lovingly. He had mistakenly trusted the Mormons when they swore: "no harm will come to you, and we will not take your land." Wakara quickly learned Mormons were people he could not trust. They did not walk their talk. They would say one thing and do another.
Wakara kept his promises. He had helped them through the winter. Now he regretted helping them, feeling betrayed and confused, he had to answer to his Tribe.
Wakara approaches the situation in an honorable way. He first sat in council with his brothers Sowiette, Sanpitch, Arapeen, Ammon, Tabby, Grospeen, and others to determine the best way to approach the situation. He meets with Brigham Young. Mormon Church scholars describe this meeting by saying, "Wakara begged Brigham to be baptized into the Church," as though he had surrendered to Brigham Young. No, a man like Wakara would not 'beg' much less surrender. It is more likely that Wakara had some respect for Brigham Young as a fellow human being and leader. He would have considered making some concessions or compromise for the sake of his people, to avoid war. But make no mistake, Wakara's allegiance was to his people, and the land of his ancestors. Wakara and his brothers were men of honor. They would find any means possible to avoid the shedding of blood. See Timpanogos Nation Biography & The Utah Black Hawk War
CAUSE AND ORIGIN OF THE WALKER WAR
According to Geo. McKenzie, a Black Hawk War veteran:
(Please note: Indian women are called "squaws" in the following story, which is never the case for white women. The term 'squaw' is a derogatory term that refers to a woman's genitalia. Also, McKenzie refers to Walker as a "war chief of the Ute nation." Wakara was not a 'War Chief' but rather the principal Chief of the Timpanogos Nation. He was never a member of the Utes. The following account is a one-sided perspective from Mormon history.)
1855, January 29, McKenzie wrote: Having been requested by State commander J. M. Westwood of the Utah Indian War Veterans Association to write up the cause of the Walker War, having been a resident of Springville at the time, and being well acquainted with James Ivie, who was the principal actor in the drama that caused the war, I submit the following as told to me by Ivie at the time, and on several occasions since the war. Walker, the war chief of the Ute nation, with his braves and their families were camped on Spring creek about one mile north of the present town of Springville, (Utah Co., Utah) all at peace with the white settlers, spending their time fishing and hunting, and trading and begging from the people. James Ivie, at that time had built a cabin, and was living in it with his wife and one child about half a mile north and west of where the Indians were camped. In the forenoon of July 17, 1853, an Indian and squaw came into Ivie's cabin. The squaw had three large trout which she wanted to trade to Mrs. Ivie for some flour. Flour being very scarce at that time, Mrs. Ivie called her husband in to get his views on the trade of that kind, he being at work digging a well. When he saw the trout, he said "They look mighty good to me," and suggested that Mrs. Ivie might give three pints of flour for them, if the squaw would trade that way. He then went out of the cabin to resume his work. Just after Ivie left two more Indians came into the cabin, one of whom seemed to be the husband or had some kind of claim on the squaw who had closed the trade with Mrs. Ivie. When this Indian saw the three trout, and the small amount of flour received in exchange, he became enraged and began beating the squaw, knocking her down, kicking and stamping her in a brutal manner. While this assault was being committed, Mrs. Ivie ran and called her husband, Mr. Ivie came to the cabin, and while the Indian was still beating the squaw he took hold of the Indian and pulled him away, the squaw lying prostrate on the floor. Ivie tried to push the Indian out of the cabin. When the Indian came, he left his gun standing by the door, and as Ivie pushed him out he grabbed his gun and tried to get in position to shoot Ivie. Ivie got hold of the muzzle of the gun, and in the struggle the gun was broken. The Indian retaining the stock and Ivie the barrel. When the gun broke, Ivie dealt the Indian a hard blow on the head with the barrel of the gun. The Indian fell to the ground, apparently dead, but did not expire until some hours later. The other Indian who came to the cabin the same time as his companion drew his bow and arrow and shot Ivie, the arrow passing through the shoulder of Ivie's buckskin hunting shirt. At this Ivie struck the Indian a violent blow and he fell unconscious by the side of the prostrate body of the other Indian. Just as Ivie got through with this second Indian, the squaw that he had been trying to protect came out of the cabin door with a stick of wood in her hand which she had picked up by the side of the fire in the cabin. With it she struck Ivie a blow in the face cutting a deep gash in his upper lip, and the scar showed plainly from that time until his death. Ivie again used the gun barrel to defend himself and struck the squaw. She fell unconscious by the side of the prostrate bodies of the two Indians. At this stage in the drama Joseph Kelly one of the foremost settlers of Springville, came upon the scene, and while looking at the three Indians lying apparently dead he was told by Ivie what had taken place. Kelly took a bucket of water that stood in the cabin and poured it on the Indians, trying to restore them. He then sent the Indian who first came to the cabin with the squaw for another bucket of water to try to restore the Indians to life ; this Indian having taken no part in the trouble.
Kelly told Ivie to take his wife and child and go into town before the Indian camp was notified of the trouble, which he did. ~
Note: For me, it's hard to believe that a few fish and a little flour was the cause of war. Wakara was a patriot who had so long defended his people and land. Historian Will Bagley told me in a private conversation that Wakara was poisoned to death by Mormon Church members and died at Meadow Creek in Millard County. Among his final words Chief Wakara admonished his Tribe to live at peace with the settlers and not molest them. Wakara's brother Arapeen became the principal Chief of the Timpanogos Nation.
Brigham Young said, "Allow me to say a word in behalf of Walker. I tell this congregation and the world that "Indian Walker," as he is called, has not been at the foundation of the difficulties we have had. He has had nothing to do with them. Has he done no wrong? I did not say he had done no wrong. He has been angry, and felt at times that he would like to destroy this people; but I do know that he has been held by a superior power. At the very commencement of the fuss, he was not in favor of killing the whites. When Kiel was killed, the Indians were still in the canyon; and when the whites followed them, they could have killed every man; but Walker said, "No—they shall not be killed." See Brigham Young Discourses
See Wakara's Statement to Martinas
