2012 Issue

66 arms of the men while in the agonies of death; also, to scalp them, and then rifle their pockets of their contents; and take of their clothes and put them on themselves; and that Eneis cut Capt. Gunnison’s body open and took out his heart while he was yet alive, and the heart so full of blood that it bounded on the ground after being taken out; and not content with this, but cut out his tongue, and otherwise cut and mangled his body. True it is, my dear friend, I know that this dark and bloody picture will prostrate every nerve of your tender form; and painful and heart-sickening as it is for me to think of, let alone pen anything in connection with that revolting murder, but duty to you, duty to the country, duty to a broken and violated law, duty to bleeding and down- trodden humanity, duty to a correct history in connection with the dark and bloody code, and above all, duty to the fair reputation of a brother officer engaged in the faithful discharges of his duty, and one who fell in the noonday of life at the hands of an organized band of systematic pirates, robbers, and murderers, and whose blood yet cries to heaven for a witness to attest in thunder-tones the dread but sad and solemn truth connected with his tragic fate. Drummond continues on to wish the widow Gunnison well, and that she may live to a ripe old age, enjoy all the blessing which this life can afford, until after death when she is re-united to the partner and companion of her youth in that “Grand Lodge above.” Conclusion of Gunnison’s Death These are two completely different versions of what happened that cold Utah morning of October 26, 1853. One is a savage In- dian massacre, and the other is a hideous murder charge blamed on the predominant church in the area. We must also remember the turmoil the church and the federal government were involved in during this time period. That alone could have been the catalyst to this murder, or the background to a possible false letter back to the widow of Captain Gunnison. Both are plausible scenarios based on this turmoil during the mid-1850s in the Utah Territory. There are however, some glaring similarities to both accounts of this murder, such as the ambush from the bushes, the cutting off of limbs, cutting out the entrails, and the Indians being involved. As for discrepancies, one story speaks of Gunnison’s party being scalped and another state that nobody was scalped in the mur- ders. Two chilling murder scenes, but both stories need to be told so history can not only speak through this tragedy, but also that Surveyor and Captain John Williams Gunnison may have peace in that “Grand Lodge above.” One thing is certain; John Gunnison’s life was very full during his time with the Corps of Topographical Engineers between 1837 until his death in 1853. Other than the Salt Lake City expedi- tion, his other works included the Great Lakes expedition and a survey of the boundary line between Wisconsin and Michigan. Two words come to mind regarding the survey and engineer- ing work done by Captain John W. Gunnison, and that is “Truly Professional.” What John Gunnison achieved during his short career is something that each of us strives for everyday in our profession.  About the Author: Michael W. Nadeau, PLS/CFedS is the Survey Operations Manager of Meridian Engineering, Inc. based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He currently holds licenses in Utah and Nevada and is a Certified Federal Surveyor as certified by the BLM. He is the 2011 Chairman of the Utah Council of Land Surveyors, an adjunct CADD instructor at the Salt Lake Community College, and is currently studying Geomatics at Utah Valley University starting during the first semester of the inaugural Bachelor of Science Degree in the Fall of 2011. JOHN WILLIAMS | continued from page 65