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Brigham's Prophecy at Fort Harmony
The background for this prophecy occurred in 1854, May 19, &
20 when President Brigham Young with a group of some 32 wagons visited
Harmony Valley for the purpose of establishing Fort Harmony and the
Southern Utah Indian Mission.
Most of this information comes from the book, "Journal of the
Southern Indian Mission", by Juanita Brooks where she transcribed
the Dairy of Thomas D. Brown. He was the historian . The
first 40 pages of this book has the
information about the events during this visit. Last October Fort
Harmony did a re enactment of this event and in it are the words
of Parley P. Pratt and others about the Fort site. If
anyone would like the text, I would be happy to forward a copy. Bleak
claims that the prophecy was fulfilled, but I think only parts of it
were. The Native Americans did not come in any significant number
that we know of to the temple in St. George to have their temple work
done. Lyman has studied the first three years of the temple endowments
and did not see allot of Native American names. Personally, I
think some of the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, particularly the
temple part. Although the Southern Indian Mission had
some success, we have yet to see the Native Americans come to the temple
in droves. The closest historical event of that nature was the
Honeymoon Trail from Arizona area, and I don't know how many that came
were Native Americans. I am thinking not many.
There is another prophecy that was made concerning the Native Americans
at the Anasi site near Santa Clara by Elder Featherstone. In it
there is the statement that Native Americans will come from all over
the world to learn of
their heritage in this area. The Anasi site currently has monetary
and leadership problems and I am not sure what is happening there but
it is very significant site.
"President Heber B. Kimball prophesied that a wagon road would
be made from Harmony over the Black Ridge; and a temple would be built
in the vicinity of the Rio Virgin, to which Lamanites would come from
the other side of the Colorado, and would get their endowments in it.
All these prophecies have since been fulfilled. The company
of Indian missionaries had expected that Apostle Parley P. Pratt would
direct their labors, but he had been appointed to go on a second mission
to the Pacific Coast, and with other missionaries, parted with President
Young's company at this place [harmony]. (James G. Bleak, "Annals
of the Southern Utah Mission," written between 1898 and 1907.)"
While President Young was at the Fort Harmony, Harmony Valley site,
the company spent 2 to 3 days giving instructions to the saints about
the treatment of the Native Americans. In my opinion, they were
voicing the counsel they received from the Prophet Joseph Smith and
had very high hopes that at last the Church could take a major role
in redeeming the "covenant people". Specific instructions
were given to how the saints were to treat the Native Americans. Some
of the missionaries followed the instructions and made wonderful progress,
like Llewellyn Harris that blessed the Zuni tribe, over 400, that were
dying of small pox. Jacob Hamblin, Ira Hatch, Thales Haskell and
others were lifetime missionaries, loved the
Native Americans and served them as best they could.
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