KENNETH W. MERRELL
Scottish Shepherd
The Life and Times of
John Murray Murdoch, Utah Pioneer
One of the unique migrations in the history of this nation was the large infusion of immigrants--primarily from northern and western Europe--who came to America to gather with the "Saints," members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during the nineteenth century. Thousands of Europeans--especially those from the British Isles--embraced the message of Mormonism and sought a spiritual refuge on the frontiers of the American West
John Murray Murdoch was one such immigrant, and this volume tells the story of his life and the unique times in which he lived. He immigrated from Scotland to Utah in 1852, in response to Brigham Young's request for two "Scottish Shepherds"; He participated in the military preparations against the United States in the 1857 Utah War; he helped to settle the Wasatch County area, becoming one of its first elected officials; and he organized the first sheep cooperative in Wasatch County and helped established the sheep industry in Utah. This volume details his travails and grief at astounding losses, as well as the resilient optimism that defined his character. It is the "everyman" aspect of John Murdoch's life that makes his story so compelling.
"In reading this account even a person unacquainted with Scottish and Mormon history will receive an excellent introduction to the larger context of John Murdoch's 'life and times,' while at the same time gaining an appreciation of his personal values as a committed member of the Mormon community."
-Frederick S. Buchanan,
emeritus professor of educational studies, University of Utah; author, A Good Time Coming: Mormon Letters to Scotland
KENNETH W. MERRELL, a second great-grandson of John Murray Murdoch, lives in Eugene, Oregon. He has interests in western social history with particular interests in Mormon history, Utah history, and the history of the Oregon Trail.
The University of Utah Press
(800) 621-2736
September 2006
256 pp., 6 x 9, 30 black & white photos
Cloth $27.95 ISBN-10: 0-87480-880-4 ISBN-13: 978-0-87480-880-3
Biography