Sagwitch
Encyclopedia
Chief Sagwitch , his name meant "Orator", (1822– March 20, 1887) was born in 1822 on the lower Bear River
(in today's Box Elder County, Utah
). He was a nineteenth century chieftain of a band of Northwestern Shoshone that converted to Mormonism
. His group were the ones killed in the Bear River Massacre
. Sagwitch himself was injured in the massacre but survived.
In 1873, Sagwitch was baptized
a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) by George Washington Hill. The rest of Sagwitch's band, totalling about 100 people, were also baptized into the LDS Church. Sagwitch was also ordained an elder in the church.
In 1875, Sagwitch and his wife were sealed in the Endowment House
. Wilford Woodruff
performed the ordinance.
In 1880, Sagwitch and his band settled Washakie, Utah
. They operated a farm here. They also contributed large amounts of labor towards the building of the Logan Utah Temple
.
Sagwitch's son, Frank W. Warner
, who was born Pisappih "Red Oquirrh" Timbimboo, but largely raised by the Amos Warner family after his mother was killed during the Bear River Massacre, was one of the earliest Native Americans to serve as a missionary
for the LDS Church. Sagwitch's grandson Moroni Timbimboo was the first Native American to serve as a bishop in the church.
A biography of Sagwitch by Scott R. Christensen entitled Sagwitch: Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder, 1822-1887 was published by Utah State University Press in 1999.
Bear River (Utah)
The Bear River is a river, approximately long, in southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and northern Utah, in the United States. The largest tributary of the Great Salt Lake, it drains a mountainous area and farming valleys northeast of the lake and southeast of the Snake River Plain...
(in today's Box Elder County, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
). He was a nineteenth century chieftain of a band of Northwestern Shoshone that converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
. His group were the ones killed in the Bear River Massacre
Bear River Massacre
The Bear River Massacre, or the Battle of Bear River and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place in present-day Idaho on January 29, 1863. The United States Army attacked Shoshone gathered at the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek in what was then southeastern Washington Territory. The...
. Sagwitch himself was injured in the massacre but survived.
In 1873, Sagwitch was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) by George Washington Hill. The rest of Sagwitch's band, totalling about 100 people, were also baptized into the LDS Church. Sagwitch was also ordained an elder in the church.
In 1875, Sagwitch and his wife were sealed in the Endowment House
Endowment House
The Endowment House was an early building used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to administer temple ordinances in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory. From the construction of the Council House in 1852, Salt Lake City's first public building, until the construction of the Endowment...
. Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
performed the ordinance.
In 1880, Sagwitch and his band settled Washakie, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. They operated a farm here. They also contributed large amounts of labor towards the building of the Logan Utah Temple
Logan Utah Temple
The Logan Utah Temple is the 4th constructed and 2nd operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Logan, Utah, it was the second LDS temple built in the Rocky Mountains .The LDS temple in Logan was announced on May 18, 1877, just after the dedication...
.
Sagwitch's son, Frank W. Warner
Frank W. Warner
Frank W. Warner was one of the first Native Americans to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....
, who was born Pisappih "Red Oquirrh" Timbimboo, but largely raised by the Amos Warner family after his mother was killed during the Bear River Massacre, was one of the earliest Native Americans to serve as a missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
for the LDS Church. Sagwitch's grandson Moroni Timbimboo was the first Native American to serve as a bishop in the church.
A biography of Sagwitch by Scott R. Christensen entitled Sagwitch: Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder, 1822-1887 was published by Utah State University Press in 1999.