Park City Library hosts authors of “Vengeance Is Mine” on April 8

PARK CITY, Utah — Historians Barbara Jones Brown and Richard E. Turley Jr. will speak about their acclaimed book, “Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath,” on Tuesday, April 8, at 6 p.m. as part of its local speaker series..

The presentation will examine the fallout from the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which more than 100 members of a California-bound wagon train were killed by Mormon settlers in southern Utah. The book, published as a sequel to the 2008 volume “Massacre at Mountain Meadows,” delves into the cover-ups by local leaders, legal proceedings, and the execution of John D. Lee, the only person held criminally responsible.

Brown and Turley’s latest work has earned multiple honors, including the Juanita Brooks Best Book in Utah History Award. The authors investigate contested claims about Brigham Young’s involvement, the lives of survivors, and the fates of those responsible, concluding one of the darkest chapters in Utah and Latter-day Saint history.

Dolly’s Bookstore will be on-site selling copies of “Vengeance Is Mine,” which the authors will be available to sign following the event.

Brown, a Park City resident, is the director of Signature Books Publishing and previously served as executive director of the Mormon History Association. She holds a master’s degree in American history from the University of Utah and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English from Brigham Young University. During her research for the book, Brown discovered that she is a descendant of one of the perpetrators.

Turley, who co-authored the original “Massacre at Mountain Meadows,” is a recipient of the Herbert Feis Award from the American Historical Association and played a role in securing National Historic Landmark status for the massacre site. He holds degrees from Brigham Young University and its J. Reuben Clark Law School and lives in Farmington, Utah.

The event is free and open to the public.