The Grave Site of Parley Platt

The burial monument of Parley Platt.

Welcome back! In the previous entry I brought you back to Arkansas. This week, I want to stay in the state. Arkansas is a great place to explore because of the rich and diverse history throughout the state.
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The year 2017, marks the 160th anniversary of a tragic event that affected early Arkansans. The event, The Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857. It began in April of 1857, with a group of Arkansans looking to move to California. In September of 1857, while in the middle of their travels the Fancher Party were ambushed by a group of Mormons and Native Americans. The massacre led to the death of approximately 120 men, women, and children. Only 17 children survived the attack. John Lee would be the only person found guilty for the massacre. Lee would be hung in 1877.
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The question remains why would the Fancher Party was attacked. However, one possible reason brings us to this week’s historical location, the grave of Parley Platt. The gravesite is located on the service road off of Interstate 49 in Rudy, Arkansas. Platt is considered to be one of the 12 apostles of the Mormon faith. Platt is said to have converted Eleanor McComb McLean and would become one of his wives. In planning to travel back to Utah after visiting her children in New Orleans, Eleanor and Parley were to meet in Fort Smith. Eleanor’s estranged husband, Hector heard of the planned meeting in Fort Smith. Hector would arrive in Arkansas and file charges against the two. Following the failure of charges in the courts, Hector would follow Parley north to the Zealey Wynn Property. The Wynn Property was located in the area today that is the Wynn Cemetery, I49, and Arkansas Hwy 282.  It would be here that Hector shot and killed Parley. The gravesite of Parley Platt is now in the Wynn Cemetery. This cemetery is also the final resting place of the Wynn family, who were said to have witnessed Platt’s murder.

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The grave site of William Wynn. While other Wynn family members are buried here, no markers are present for them.

While Platt’s murder maybe not be the cause of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, it happened only months before the massacre in Utah. Arkansas has two monuments to the remember those killed in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I hope to highlight those in future posts.
Until next time,
Jason


For more information on the Mountain Meadows Massacre, visit here.
For more information on Parley Platt, visit here. 

Sources:
Encyclopedia of Arkansas
Explore Southern History

*Other information on both these items can be accessed from other sources.  However, keep in mind some have suggested that view points on both the Massacre and Platt may vary.