Southern Indian Mission

In 1853 the Mormon church sent missionaries not to convert white settlers but to remake the Southern Paiute. Twenty-one men, set apart under Rufus Allen in 1854, were called to the "Mission to the Indians" of southern Utah — the Nuwuvi, whose homeland this was — with orders to teach them farming, English, and the faith and, in the language of the day, to "civilize" them. Jacob Hamblin became its enduring figure, remembered as a friend to the Paiute even as the mission's larger aim was to dissolve their way of living into the settlers'.

What the plaque says

On October 6, 1853, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called 21 men to a "Mission to the Indians inhabiting the Southern Parts of the Territory of Utah, Sanctioned by Governor Young." Six months later, on April 10, 1854, those previously called were set apart by the Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church, with Rufus C Allen, Captain, David Lewis 1st Counselor, Daniel F. Atwood 2nd Counselor and T.D. Brown Recorder. They were given a commission "To civilize & instruct the Indians in this region, that they might come up to inherit the blessings pertaining to them because of the works & promises of their Fathers." The company of 25 men and 6 wagons departed Great Salt Lake City on April 14, 1854, four days later, for the southern rim of the Great Basin. They were instructed by Parley P. Pratt to be “Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” and to behave accordingly. On Tuesday, May 2, 1854, the missionary company “Arrived at Harmonie (sic) settlement joining with J.D. Lee & 30 others” who had arrived previously. Two weeks later Governor Brigham Young joined the group at their camp site on Ash Creek. He counseled them that “You are to save the remnants of Israel in these Mountains. You are sent, not to farm, build nice houses and fence fine fields, not to help white men, but to save Red ones.” He also instructed the group to move to a new location 4 miles north where it would not be washed out because “Harmonie” was too close to the river.” The Governor observed that “when this fort (Fort Harmony) is built I shall then say we have one good fort in this territory!” He then proceeded to detail the construction of the fort to be 200 feet square with outside walls 2 feet thick and 10 feet high, inner walls 18 inches thick, with a second story 9-12 feet high, the whole to be constructed of adobe brick 12″ x 6″ x 4″, with a rock cistern in the center. On Saturday, 20 May, 1854, in the company of Truman O. Angell, architect for the Salt Lake Temple, Governor Young discussed the plan for Fort Harmony and visited the proposed site “…where the Govr. dug out the foundation for the South-east corner of the new fort...” (Diary of T.D. Brown) The new fort was named Fort Harmony after the first settlement on Ash Creek. It was named for Harmony, Pennsylvania, where the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., translated the Book of Mormon, a history of Native Americans on the American Continents.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Kolob Canyons — 4.6 mi
  The quiet, uncrowded back door to Zion National Park
• Zion National Park — 17 mi
  Towering sandstone cliffs that glow like fire at sunset
• Hurricane Canal Trail — 21 mi
  The hand-dug canal that built Hurricane, now a walking trail blasted into the Virgin River gorge
• Grafton Ghost Town — 24 mi
  A photogenic ghost town used in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

More markers nearby

• Fort Harmony — steps away
• Military Training Camp Site — 3.1 mi
• New Harmony — 3.6 mi
• Fort Kanarra — 5.1 mi