Customer Reviews

"Wild Bill" Hickman and the Mormon Frontier

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Wild Bill Hickman and the Mormon Fronter is an action-packed biography of the author's grandfather that puts together the life of one of Utah's living legends. Not much has been written about Bill Hickman in book-length form. Though a direct descendant of the subject of the book, Hope Hilton remains detached and avoids the glorification syndrome so often seen with family history writing. Bill Hickman led a colorful life, a life that many would consider to be the antithesis of the ideals which are espoused by the Mormon church. Hilton maintained that Hickman "killed more men than he saved." In this biography one learns that Brigham Young may have been responsible for ordering some of the killings allegedly perpetrated by Hickman. Hilton obtained much of her information from Hickman's autobiography Brigham's Destroying Angel, which Hickman wrote following his apostasy from the Mormon church. Therefore, much of his material might be questionable, as his autobiography was written during bitter times. The author takes the reader through every major phase of Hickman's life, from the east to the west coast, and finally ending with Hickman's death, couched in relative obscurity. I would recommend this book to all those who enjoy a touch of rebellion and excitement.

Bill Hickman was one of the most interesting rogues in Mormonism. A self¬styled enforcer for the church, his career is deserving of a high-caliber biography. Unfortunately, "`Wild Bill' Hickman and the Mormon Frontier" is not of high caliber.

Bill Hickman grew up in Missouri and in 1838 affiliated with the Mormon church, quickly becoming a member of the Danite vigilante group that terrorized dissidents. Migrating to Utah, Hickman continued his violent lifestyle, where his activities included, among others, guerilla operations in the 1857-1858 Mormon War. Hickman admitted to the murders of several people, suggesting that he had been taking orders from Brigham Young. When his activities became embarrassing to the church, Hickman engaged in a game of power politics, playing Mormon and government officials against each other. He was successful for a time, but his violence eventually made him persona non grata in both camps. In 1872 he published an expose, "Brigham's Destroying Angel," which implicated the Mormon leadership in his misdeeds. Hickman finally died in 1883 in obscurity near Lander, Wyoming.

Hilton's book has several problems. As one example, there is a disturbing lack of documentation. She declares in the preface that footnotes "can be distracting," and that she "instead tried to provide enough information within the text to allow the reader to locate the appropriate reference in the bibliography" (p. xi). Unfortunately, locating sources is nearly impossible in many cases, especially in instances where it would be most useful.

The author also fails to organize the work into a coherent form. For instance, in a chapter entitled "The RLDS in Utah," less than a full page is devoted to that subject, and the remainder is concerned with other Hickman activities not related to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

But these are minor difficulties compared to central questions left perplexingly unexplored. Hilton's inability to deal with the difficult issue of what was fact and what was fancy in "Brigham's Destroying Angel," despite a promise to do so in the preface, was disappointing. Was it written out of spite? What basis in fact did it have? Additionally, and it is fundamental to considering the career of Hickman, what was his relationship to Brigham Young? Young was clearly aware of Hickman's lawlessness but still used him to carry out dangerous assignments, until Hickman's reputation became so colored that it significantly hurt the church. Hilton does not know or does not care about Young's role in murders and other felonies apparently committed by Hickman. Did Hickman carry out his activities at the direction of the church? The work is unclear on such crucial questions.

"`Wild Bill' Hickman and the Mormon Frontier" is a mildly interesting book, but a full understanding of this man's career awaits additional work. Hickman remains a subject in need of a good critical biography.

Interestingly enough, this book was written by a lady who found out that she was related to Mr. Hickman. This is a man who was a bodyguard for both Joseph Smith as well as Brigham Young. There is the forever question, Were there Danites?" And, if so, "What were they? And, what did they do?" This is a well thought out book. Her report is mostly documentary with personal pursuasions regarding the validity of certain things said by Mr. Hickman in his autobiography. I feel as though the author has a pretty good common sense approach in applying her rearch and explaining her reasons for accepting or rejecting certain statements make by him. I read it as a companion book to "Wild Bills'" autobiography. An excellent read for me.

I am sort of a Mormon Western history buff. I knew something about Bill Hickman, but haven't had the opportunity to read much about him. He was similar to Porter Rockwell, but without the protection that Porter enjoyed. He was a killer, but maybe it was the survival of the fittist in those days. I couldn't put it down, read it in three days. Enjoyed it very much.

I found this book to be very informative on a factual and personal level as I am one of Hickman's descendants. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the early days of Utah.

"Wild Bill" Hickman And The Mormon Frontier is a fascinating biography of William Adams ("Wild Bill") Hickman, by his descendant, Hope A. Hilton. Wild Bill was one of the most notorious figures of the 19th century American frontier. A Mormon (who was eventually excommunicated) married ten wives under the Mormon doctrine of polygamy, and who fathered thirty-five children, served as a spy for church presidents Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and operated as a guerilla of the Utah war. All of this and much, much more, accurately depicts a colorful western figure's life is plainly presented, and makes for a fascinating look at the Old West within the context of the Mormon community in the western frontier that was to eventual form the states of Utah, Idaho, western Nevada, and northern Arizona.