The Tragic Cost of the Diamond Fork Battle

The Battle of Diamond Fork: A High-Stakes Showdown in the Black Hawk War On June 26, 1866, during the peak of the Utah Black Hawk War, a daring raid escalated into a deadly engagement known as the Battle of Diamond Fork (or Diamond Creek Battle). The Midnight Raid Before daybreak, a band of approximately 12 Timpanogos and Ute warriors, led by a Colorado Ute chief named Mountain, raided Roundy's pasture near Mapleton. They successfully drove off 53 animals (38 cattle and 15 horses), performing the "amazing feat" of driving the herd up the rugged, steep, and rocky Maple Canyon trail in total darkness in just two hours. The Pursuit Believing they had made a clean getaway, the warriors stopped to graze their horses in a "broad open meadow" where Little Diamond Creek and the Diamond Fork River converge. However, they were pursued by *Colonel Creer* and a Mormon militia from Springville, followed by a second squad of volunteers. The Engagement The militia surprised the party and cut off their escape route. As the sides exchanged fire from cover, Chief Mountain began taunting militiaman Albert Dimmick, calling him a "coward and a squaw". Enraged, Dimmick stood up from his cover and was immediately shot; he died later that night while being carried back over the mountain summit. The Outcome and Human Cost A total of eight people died in the conflict: two militiamen (Dimmick and 18-year-old Jonathan Edmiston) and six Indians. The warriors eventually retreated up the steep canyon walls, abandoning the stolen livestock and their gear. Among the abandoned supplies, the militia found U.S.-issued items, fueling local fears that the government was aiding the Timpanogos Indians against the settlers. Fact vs. Folklore While local legend long claimed that Chief Black Hawk was shot by Colonel Creer at a distance of 800 yards during this battle, modern field research confirms Black Hawk was not present. He had been wounded 16 days earlier at Gravelly Ford. Furthermore, surveyor measurements suggest the actual distance of the exchange was closer to 250 yards, not 800. A great resource and additional information about The Battle of Diamond Fork can be found here: https://www.blackhawkproductions.com/... #horsebackadventure #horse #trailriding #trailriders #oldwest #oldwestern #oldstories #frontier #frontierhistory