Battle Creek Canyon's Memorial to the 1849 Massacre
1700 E 200 S, Pleasant Grove, UT 84062
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public park
Access
Limited Access
Mixed paved and unpaved trail surfaces; canyon trails are uneven
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1849 · Indigenous History · Mormon Pioneer Era · Massacre Site · Utah Territory History
On March 5, 1849, thirty-five Mormon militiamen rode into the canyon then known as Mepah — the Timpanogos word for Little Water — and killed at least four Native American men in what became known as the Battle Creek massacre. The operation had been authorized by Brigham Young, then both territorial governor and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in response to reported theft of livestock. Critically, the stolen horses were reportedly recovered before the militia reached the canyon, yet the mission continued.
The victims were Timpanogos people from a group that included seventeen women, children, and men. At least one young survivor, later known as Antonga Black Hawk, grew to adulthood bearing the memory of the attack. He became a prominent war chief during the Black Hawk War of 1865-1872, and historians have documented his account that the 1849 massacre 'put bitterness in his heart.'
The settlement near the canyon mouth was known as Battle Creek for several years before residents voted to rename it Pleasant Grove. The creek, the canyon, and the waterfall at its head still carry the Battle Creek name. A monument with a descriptive plaque was erected at Kiwanis Park, positioned at the canyon entrance, and identifies the event as 'the first armed engagement between the Mormon Pioneers and the Native Americans that inhabited Utah Valley.'
The Axios Salt Lake City published a 175th-anniversary retrospective on the massacre in March 2024, noting renewed interest from historians and members of the Timpanogos community in accurately marking the site and acknowledging the circumstances of the attack.
Sources
The Utah Paranormal Society visited Kiwanis Park in 2016 and documented witness accounts that had circulated locally for years. The most consistent report involves shadow figures seen moving through the darkened edges of the park at night, running in patterns that don't correspond to any visible person.
More specific is the account attached to the arc of tall trees at the canyon mouth. Multiple witnesses describe walking through this natural passage and experiencing an abrupt shift: screaming audible with no identifiable source, followed almost immediately by an intense, unpleasant odor. The screaming does not appear to follow visitors beyond the passage.
A blog post documented by Kirk Baer in 2012 collected and analyzed the local folklore, noting the connection between the 1849 massacre site and the reported phenomena. The accounts describe phenomena consistent with what researchers classify as residual impressions — localized, non-interactive, tied to a specific physical corridor.
The Ghost Society of Utah has included the park on its regional survey of documented paranormal sites, citing the historical context of violent death at the location as consistent with the character of reported phenomena.
Walk the canyon trails from the park to the base of Battle Creek Falls, passing the commemorative monument marking the site of the 1849 massacre. The arch of mature trees at the canyon mouth — the same passage described in paranormal accounts — frames the trailhead.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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