MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MONUMENT FOUNDATION, INC.

8002 Wind Rock Lane, Harrison, AR 72601

 

Volume 37                                                                                                      August 2008

 

 

Board Members                                                                                    Committee Chairs

 

Phil Bolinger, President   (479) 738-7060                                    Federal Stewardship: Ron Wright

Bob Fancher, Secretary   (417) 625-1014                                      Membership: Scott Fancher

Pat Stroud, Treasurer (479) 738-2484                                          Arkansas History: Diann Fancher

Harley Fancher (870) 743-2385                                                      Newsletter:  Burr Fancher                               

Burr Fancher (541) 926-3125                                                         Carrollton Lodge: Scott Fancher

Ron Wright   (541) 410-7898                                                           Interpretative plaques: Susan Fancher

Susan Fancher (760) 931-6251                                                       Cemetery Marking: Jim Fletcher

                                                                                                                Library Collections: Burr Fancher                  

 

10th ANNUAL MEETING

MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MONUMENT FOUNDATION, INC.

September 11, 12, 13

 

Thursday, September 11:

 

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. MMMF Board Meeting, Comfort Inn

 

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Social Time at Comfort Inn (see address below)

 

Friday, September 12:

 

9:00 a.m. -  4:00 p.m. Teacher Workshop: "An Educational Seminar: The

authors will explain their research and review of the Mountain Meadows story."

-          Wayne Capurro: “White Flag”

-          Bob Clark for Will Bagley: “Innocent Blood”

-          Lars Rudseth for Shannon Novak: “House of Mourning”

-          Rick Turley: “Massacre at Mountain Meadows”

-          Chuck Larsen: “Destroying Angel”

-          Terrence Parker: “All Who Can Tell”

-          Keith Jeffries: “TV Documentary on Mountain Meadows”

 

Lunch on your own at Comfort Inn

 

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Documentary movie by Keith Jeffries at the Lyric Theater in Harrison

 

7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Dinner and Auction, Comfort Inn, $10

 

Saturday, September 13 :

 

lO:30 a.m. - Wagon Train trip to end in Carrollton, sack lunch provided on

the trail. Starting place will be announced and map provided at social hour on Thursday.

 

5:00 p.m. - Barbecue and music at Carrollton Park. Food will be catered.

 

 

A block of rooms have been reserved for MMMF members at the Comfort Inn. Costs were quoted at $71.99. Be sure to tell motel that you are part of the Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation, Inc. It should offer some price break on your room.

 

Comfort Inn (changing to quality Inn)

1210 Hwy 62-65-412 N, Harrison (Tel: 1-870-741-7676; www.harrisoncomfortinn.com)                   

 

Other lodging options in Harrison are:

 

Holiday Inn Express,

117 Hwy 43 E, Harrison

(Tel: 1-800-465-4329 or 870-741-3636; www.harrisonexpress.com)    

 

Days Inn

1425 Hwy 62-65-412N, Harrison (Tel: 1-800-329-7466 or 870-391-3297; www.daysinn.com)

Branson, Missouri is only 45 minutes away for those who wish to make some shows.

In Memoriam

We wish to express our condolences to MMMF Treasurer Pat Stroud for the loss of her husband Butch Stroud on July 29.  Memorial contributions can be made to the Living Water Baptist Church, 704 Dogwood Street, Huntsville, AR 72740.  Butch has been ill for the past few years.

President’s Message

 Our Foundation continues to grow and perform good deeds. Several of us will travel to Prescott, Arizona for the dedication of the MMMF library collection on August 16. This will be our seventh major collection. Two major collections will have been dedicated this year. Jim Fletcher is currently having a grave marker made for William Tillman Miller who is buried in Turlock, California. Diann Fancher is planning an education workshop for our September meeting to inform history teachers about the Mountain Meadows story.

Several authors will attend our Arkansas meeting to explain their books. Rick Turley will explain the new LDS book. Publisher Bob Clark will discuss Will Bagley’s new book. Writers Terrence Parker, Wayne Capurro, Lars Rudseth and Chuck Larson will also participate in the author review. Keith Jeffries of Los Angeles will show and discuss his new documentary on Mountain Meadows.

Please join us for education, history lessons, wagon rides, barbecue and country music on September 11-13.

Library Dedication in Prescott, Arizona

Our Foundation will dedicate its seventh major library collection at the Sharlott Hall Library Museum in Prescott, Arizona on August 16, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. Ellie Porter of Atascadero, California is sponsoring the collection. Burr Fancher will deliver the materials to Prescott and give a power point presentation on the massacre story. Several of our MMMF Board members plan to attend. All MMMF members and the general public are invited to attend the presentation and review materials that will be displayed on tables. Massacre survivor Emberson Milum Tackitt is buried in Citizen’s Cemetery in downtown Prescott.

County Level Library Collections

Bob Fancher has arranged for placing MMMF library collections  in six Arkansas counties. These collections are about one third the size of collections placed in major research libraries such as the Oregon-California Trails Association Library in Independence, Missouri. The cost of sponsorship is approximately $500.00.  Foundation members are urged to participate in the formal dedications.

 

Benton County Library

Location: 405 S. Main Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712

Dedication: August 25, 6:00 p.m.

Connection: Captain Alexander Fancher and Peter Huff families lived here

Sponsor: Jack & Susan Fancher of Carlsbad, California

 

Johnson County Historical Society

Location: Clarksville, Arkansas

Dedication: November 6, 7:00 p.m.

Connection: Home of Dunlap, Cameron, Miller and tackitt families.

Connection: Sponsor: Robert & Pat Fancher of Joplin, Missouri

 

Madison County Genealogical & Historical Society

Location: Huntsville, Arkansas

Dedication: September 15, 6:30 p.m.

Connection: Descendants of Fancher and Dunlaps live here

Sponsor: Jerry & Cheryl Bolinger and James & Kathy Bolinger of Madison County

 

Marion County Library

Location: P.O. Box 836, Yellville, Arkansas 72687

Dedication: September 8, 6:30 p.m.

Connection: Dunlap, Mitchell, Prewitt and Wood families lived here

Sponsor: Prewitt descendants

 

Sponsors are needed for the two counties in South Arkansas. If you would like to be a sponsor, please call Bob Fancher at (417) 625-1014. We have been very lucky in getting sponsors for MMMF collections. We have never needed to make direct solicitations. Whenever possible, we prefer that descendants of the families connected to specific counties become the sponsors. If you feel connected to the family of Jesse Dunlap, Jr., the Calhoun and Drew County collections offer an avenue to become involved with the history of survivors Becky Dunlap Evins and Sarah Dunlap Lynch. The cost of books, DVD’s, manuscripts and photographs are about $500. Bob Fancher volunteers his time and travel to set the collections in place.

 

Calhoun County Historical Society

Location: Hampton, Arkansas

Dedication: Formal presentation next year

Connection: Captain James Lynch and Sarah Dunlap are buried here

Sponsor: (Need Sponsor)

 

Drew County Historical Society

Location: 414 S Main Street, Monticello, Arkansas

Dedication: Sunday, October 12

Connection: Descendants of Rebecca Dunlap Evins live in area

Sponsor: (Need Sponsor)

 

Marking Survivor Graves

Fourteen survivor graves have been marked by Jim Fletcher on behalf of the Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation. A fifteenth marker is currently being made. Number sixteen (John Calvin Miller) is located but not fully verified. Mary Miller’s final resting place is unknown. If any member has knowledge of Mary Miller, please let us know. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Jim Fletcher for his tracking of survivors and traveling to Arizona, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, and many Arkansas locations to place grave markers. Thanks Jim.

Newsletter Editor Remarks

Burr Fancher’s board term expires this year. Nominations will be accepted for a new MMMF Board member and a newsletter editor will be selected. Burr has been our newsletter editor for some time. He believes that we need fresh ideas and younger minds to direct our organization and express our vision. Burr will continue to devote his energies to updating our library collections.

The Foundation was started as a quest for federal stewardship for the graves at Mountain Meadows. During the past ten years, we have marked 15 survivor graves, established seven major library collections, returned the massacre story to Arkansas history books, developed an interpretative site at Carrollton, and dealt with several controversial issues. All MMMF members should be proud of the Foundation’s accomplishments. The recent LDS offer to help us achieve National Landmark Status at Mountain Meadows is a positive benchmark of our success in achieving our original goal. Many of our activities were necessary prerequisites for gaining LDS cooperation.  They now acknowledge our existence as an organization. 

During Diann and Harley Fancher’s recent visit to Oregon, Diann photographed Burr in one of his senior moments or maybe he had misplaced his glasses. This is real evidence that a younger newsletter editor is needed.

 Everybody is entitled to one mistake at 81

Touch of History

William Bateman carried the white flag into the wagon corral at Mountain Meadows. At age thirteen he was the youngest member of the Iron County Militia. The Mormons sent their youngest member with the white flag and the emigrants sent a seven year old girl dressed in white to meet him. Were children braver or more expendable than adults?  I suspect, based on my own chicken tendencies, that there was some cowardice among the adults on both sides. Isaac Haight, chief planner of the massacre and firebrand, avoided the killing but came out to strip the dead next day.  It is hard for me to be critical of William Bateman who was little more than a child. I do have a problem with the man who sent him – John D. Lee.

 

 

 

 

HAVE FUN IN CARROLLTON, HARRISON AND BRANSON DURING SEPTEMBER 11-13

 
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