Patrick Edward Connor

This 1934 monument honors Patrick Connor, who marched his California Volunteers into Utah in 1862, founded Camp Douglas on the bench above the city, and earned the title "Father of Utah Mining" by sending his soldiers out to prospect — hoping a mining rush would draw non-Mormons and loosen the church's grip. But the plaque's tidy list of his "battles" includes one that was no battle at all. At Bear River in 1863, Connor's troops destroyed a Northwestern Shoshone village and killed hundreds of men, women, and children — the worst massacre of Native people in the West.

What the plaque says

Brigadier General and Brevet Major General U.S. Voluneers Born March 12, 1820. Died December 12, 1891 Camped in this Vicinity with his California Volunteers, October 20, 1862. Established Camp Douglas, Utah, October 26, 1862. Participated in the Battles of Buena Vista, Bear River and Tongue River. The Father of Utah Mining Erected 1934 by the garrison of Fort Douglas, Utah. Assisted by the Utah Historical Landmarks and patriotic Citizens of the West.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Natural History Museum of Utah — 0.2 mi
  A world-class museum built into the foothills above Salt Lake City
• Red Butte Garden — 0.5 mi
  A 100-acre botanical garden with panoramic valley views
• This Is The Place Heritage Park — 0.8 mi
  A living history village at the mouth of Emigration Canyon
• Emigration Canyon — 2.3 mi
  The final stretch of trail the Mormon pioneers took into the valley

More markers nearby

• Bear River Battle Memorial — steps away
• German POW World War I Memorial — steps away
• Original Cemetery Gate — steps away
• Fort Douglas Cemetery — steps away