Today marks the 158th Anniversary of the Massacre at Bear River, where well over 400 Shoshone—the majority women and children—were killed one early morning just 20 miles away.
If you live in Utah and Idaho, this is a story integrally connected to your own. If your ancestors homesteaded here, it's a part of your lineage too. If your Mormon faith led your forefathers to these mountains, today is in your sacraments, whether you know it or not.
But today is not just about history and pain and tragedy. It's about the future. The story of the Shoshone across Utah and Idaho did not end that day.
Right now, a vibrant and diverse community, under the passionate leadership of Shoshone Elders, like Darren Parry, are gathered on the massacre site, which they have since purchased. As we speak, they gather to both commemorate this loss and celebrate the creation of the Boa Ogoi Cultural and Interpretive Center.
That's right, the same land that buried our Native brothers and sisters will soon birth a Center like no other to honor their culture, knowledge, life, and death.
This effort is 100 percent funded by small donations, large family contributions, foundations, businesses like ours, and many others, and thoughtful guests like you who love this River Valley.
For its complicated past, its inspiring future, and its timeless natural beauty.
If you want to see this Center move forward at the pace it deserves, we invite you to donate to Boa Ogoi and reach out to learn more!