First, worst, and forgotten massacre

SLC author:  Army, Mormon settlers tried to hide Bear River MassacreThe Bear River Massacre was the first and worst of the Indian massacres, but it was all but forgotten for one central reason: It was in nobody's interest to remember, says Rod Miller, the author of a new book about the bloody 1863 affair.

Miller, a cowboy poet, novelist and copywriter with a Salt Lake City advertising company, makes that argument in Massacre at Bear River: First, Worst, Forgotten. It was published this summer by Caxton Press in Caldwell, Idaho.

The book is not based on new research, but, as Miller, a Sandy resident, says, "To the people I'm writing for, this is all new."

Unlike previous writings on the massacre--a Utah event that happened in what turned out to be Idaho--Miller's book probes the relationships among the three central players: the Shoshones, the military and the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who settled the region.Comment:  I trust readers of this blog haven't forgotten the Bear River Massacre. I discussed it in several postings. The most recent was 493 Shoshones Killed at Bear River.