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American Primeval is a Western drama series directed by Peter Berg and created and written by Mark L. Smith. The series, featuring six episodes, premiered on Netflix on January 9, 2025. It is produced by Peter Berg, Alexander H. Gayner, Eric Newman, and Mark L. Smith.
The Mountain Meadows Massacre, depicted in American Primeval, was a heinous attack orchestrated by the Mormon militia group that led to the deaths of 120 emigrants traveling west through the Utah Territory in September 1857.
The show's official logline, as per Netflix, reads:
"A mother and son fleeing from their past form a found family while confronting a harsh landscape of freedom and cruelty in the American West."
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What is the real story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre from American Primeval?
The Mountain Meadows Massacre occurred in the midst of the Utah War that was fought between Mormon settlers and the US military over religious and political differences from June 1857 to April 1858. The massacre took place at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah, a few months into the war, in September 1857.
As tensions between the two groups escalated, the Mormons became increasingly disillusioned with outsiders whom they suspected of scheming against them. On September 7, 1857, their militia group, Nauvoo Legion, disguised themselves as Native Americans (to evade capture) and attacked a wagon train that was passing through the Utah Territory. The train comprised members of the Baker–Fancher party making the journey from Arkansas to California.
The initial attack led to a siege and turned into a mass murder after the white militia group members started fearing that their identities would be exposed. As such, they decided to leave no witnesses behind.
On September 11, 1857, the Nauvoo Legion, with help from the Southern Paiute Native American tribe, killed around 120 men, women, and children in cold blood. Only kids under six were spared as they were considered too young to speak out about the incident.
Initially, the Mormons denied their role in the mass murder and solely blamed the Native Americans for the brutal killings. But, four decades later, the Mormon church took full responsibility for the massacre. At a memorial ceremony on September 11, 2007, the Mormon church released an official statement that read as follows:
"We express profound regret for the massacre carried out in this valley 150 years ago today, and for the undue and untold suffering experienced by the victims then and by their relatives to the present time."
It continued:
"A separate expression of regret is owed the Paiute people who have unjustly borne for too long the principal blame for what occurred during the massacre. Although the extent of their involvement is disputed, it is believed they would not have participated without the direction and stimulus provided by local church leaders and members."
How was the massacre depicted in American Primeval?
The Mountain Meadows Massacre is shown in the first episode of American Primeval from the perspective of Sara and her son Devin, who find themselves in the middle of the brutal attack. The bloody battle sequence plays out over six to seven minutes in the episode and reportedly took about four months to plan and over 280 actors to reenact.
While speaking to Tudum by Netflix on January 9, 2025, the show's executive producer, Eric Newman, said that the Mountain Meadows Massacre was added to the series as it served as an "inciting incident of conflict" for the show's characters.
"We chose that because there was this intersection between a few different Native nations, the US government, the Mormons, and the American citizens who felt they had the right to move through this area."
He continued:
"The Mountain Meadows Massacre did happen … and it became, for our narrative purposes, an inciting incident of conflict for our cast of characters."
Also Read: Is American Primeval a true story? Explained
Plot summary and cast
American Primeval tells the story of Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch), who helps the fugitive Sara Rowell (Betty Gilpin) and her son Devin (Preston Mota) cross the frontier to reach Crooks Springs and reunite with her husband. The trio is accompanied by Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier), a member of the Shoshone tribe.
Sara is chased by the bounty hunter Virgil Cutter (Jai Courtney), who wants to capture her for the prize money of $1500 offered by the family of Luther Hitchens of Philadelphia, whom she had killed and looted previously.
Elsewhere, Sara meets the young Mormon couple, Jacob (Dane DeHaan) and Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon). The couple gets separated during the Mountain Meadows Massacre, with Jacob spending the rest of the series looking for his new bride. Abish is captured by Red Feather (Derek Hinkey), the leader of the Wolf clan, a native American tribe seeking vengeance for the massacre.
She ends up with the peaceful Shoshone tribe, led by Winter Bird (Irene Bedard), and becomes a member of their tribe before getting accidentally shot by Jacob in the show's climax.
Other supporting cast members of the series include Joe Tippett as James Wolsey, Shea Whigham as Jim Bridger, Andrew P. Logan as Lucas, Alex Breaux as Wild Bill Hickman, Kip Weeks as Pepper, Nick Hargrove as Cottrell, and Kyle Davis as Tilly, among others.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the Netflix series American Primeval.
