From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Tintic War
was a short series of skirmishes occurring in February through March 1856 in
Uintah County
and
Tooele County
,
Utah
[1]
It occurred after the conclusion of the
Walker War
. It was named after a subchief of the
Ute
and involved several clashes between
Mormon
settlers and
Native Americans
previously residing in the Tintic and Cedar Valleys.
[2]
Conflict
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Initially, the settlers and Indians got along well. However, the war started out as small skirmishes between the two communities, with the first battle occurring at Battle Creek.
[3]
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permanent dead link
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The conflict began when Native Americans took settlers' cattle due to
drought
.
[2]
The local Indians' desperation occurred because they had been displaced from their land by the settlers. During the winter the Indians did not have the necessary resources to survive, and began to starve. The
European Americans
invaded the area, and proceeded to establish mining communities. They depleted the land of timber, game, diverted the water, and most of the land's resources in general.
[4]
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The settlers established successful livestock and agriculture endeavors on the land. The Indians were forced to steal from the settlers in order to survive.
Brigham Young
was among the settlers, and he recounts the early troubles by stating, "They came pretty nigh starving to death last winter; and they now see, if they are driven from these valleys in winter, they must perish".
[3]
Outcome
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The war concluded with the federal government intervening by taking the Utes from their land to the
Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation
. This occurred in the late 1860s and in the
Uinta Basin
. However, the issues did not resolve quickly. The government never legally bought the Ute lands, causing issues that persisted after
World War II
, when the
Indian Claims Commission
demanded money for their confiscated lands.
[2]
References
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