Tourism Cares, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting responsible tourism, provided a $10,000 grant to help create the 2,000-square-foot museum within the American West welcome center in Wellsville.
The heritage center also received $20,000 from the Utah Office of Museum Services, $5,000 from PacifiCorp and numerous individual donations to educate people about the cultural history of northern Utah and southern Idaho, in this case emphasizing the massacre of 300 to 500 Shoshone Indians by California volunteers under U.S. Army Col. Patrick Edward Connor.
"As a museum and center for history in our area, our goal is to present important stories," said David Sidwell, heritage center program director. "The Bear River Massacre is not a pretty story, but it's an important story. It is a story that should be told."
Tourism Cares' officials agreed. Program director Carolyn Viles said that out of 300 grant applications, the heritage center proposal was one of only seven selected.
"It's important to our board that it's a permanent exhibit," she added. "It's a living history, hands-on approach that educates tourists about the largest Indian massacre in the West. It's a sad thing to highlight, but it's important."
Steven DeLong, executive director of the center's supervising foundation, said the exhibit's development (overall cost $250,000) will be supplemented by a driving tour map that will guide visitors to the massacre site near Preston, Idaho.
The Shoshone had established a winter village there, near the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek, before a surprise attack Jan. 29 by Col. Connor's troops.
Accounts at the time said 210 to 330 Shoshone were killed, including 90 women and children. Three Mormon settlers who rode by the next day estimated 400 died.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday that Danish immigrant Hans Jasperson, who visited the site later that January day, counted 493 bodies. His observations are in a newly discovered autobiography, written in 1911.
Besides Bear River Massacre materials, DeLong said the new display area will be used to exhibit other heritage center artifacts dating from 1820 to 1920.
mikeg@sltrib.com
