In 1846 in Springfield, Illinois, the Donner family teams up with the Reed family to form the core of a caravan that will travel to the rich farmland of California. The problem is, they’re already late. They soon discover that they’re among the very last travelers to begin the journey to the West, and the hardships begin almost immediately.

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FRONTIER TRAGEDY Ep. 1 | Donner Party, Part 1

Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, and Butch and Sundance. Lakota, Comanche and Apache. Wars, gunfights and robberies. This show covers the toughest lawmen, the wildest outlaws, and the deadliest towns — all the people and events that shaped the American West.

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An investigation into the Mountain Meadows Massacre takes years, and in meantime, Porter Rockwell continues his roles as lawman and mail carrier. He builds a hotel and becomes a successful businessman, but he remains a figure of controversy. Acts of violence throughout Utah Territory become part of his lore, regardless of whether or not he was involved in them. By the time of his death, he has achieved legendary status in the history of the American West.
 
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ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL Ep. 6 | “Sinner and Saint”

In August of 1857, a wagon train of travelers from Missouri and Arkansas rolls into Utah Territory. It’s called the Baker-Fancher party and it’s headed for California. The group camps in a high mountain valley called Mountain Meadows in southern Utah Territory, but Mormon settlers in the area believe the emigrants are more than just travelers. The Mormons believe the Baker-Fancher party is connected to the approaching U.S. Army column. As fear and suspicion grow, a Mormon militia attacks the travelers in a tragic event called the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
 
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ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL Ep. 5 | “Mountain Meadows Massacre”

New church leader Brigham Young declares that the Saints must go west to find a place where they can worship in peace. Porter Rockwell becomes the lead scout for the great exodus to Utah Territory. The Saints build Salt Lake City and navigate tensions with local Native American tribes. Rockwell acts as a guide for U.S. Army troops and helps establish the Brigham Young’s mail route through the territory. In 1857, Rockwell learns news of a major threat to the LDS church: President James Buchanan is sending 2,500 soldiers and a new governor to take over Utah Territory. The perceived invasion sets the stage for one of the darkest chapters in the history of the American West.
 
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ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL Ep. 4 | “New Zion”

Porter Rockwell is arrested for the attempted murder of Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs, and Rockwell rots in jail for nearly a year. After a perilous journey to his new home in the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo, Illinois, Rockwell is reunited with the head of his church, Joseph Smith. But the reunion doesn’t last long. The LDS church suffers a devastating tragedy that requires a change of leadership.
 
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ORRIN PORTER ROCKWELL Ep. 3 | “A Mormon Samson”

In the 1830s, Porter Rockwell and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints – commonly known as the Mormons – battle locals and militias in Missouri. Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs is determined to push the Mormons out of his state, and he succeeds at a bloody cost. After the Mormons move to Illinois, Porter Rockwell returns to Missouri to fulfill a prophecy to kill Governor Boggs.
 
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FRONTIER TRAGEDY Ep. 1 | Donner Party, Part 1

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