THIS BOOK CHRONICLES the life of CAPTAIN ALEXANDER FANCHER as a Tennesse infant, Ilinois teenager, Missouri hog man, Arkansas catlle drover, and leader of the ill-fated Mountain Meadows wagon train. Alexander Fancher started his third overland trek in 1857 with some 140 family members, 900 cattle, over 20 wagons, four carriages, many horses, and gold to establish a ranch in California. That trip ended with $100,000 worth of property stolen, 121 men, women, and children killed, and 17 orphaned children. After an exciting life, 45-year-old Captain Alexander Fancher was robbed and killed by religious fanatics on September 11, 1857.
CAPTAIN ALEXANDER FANCHER was a man of great integrity and extraordinary ability from Piney Creek down in the Ozark Mountains. He deserves to be recognized in the historical context of western expansion, wagon trains and long cattle drives.
Robert Paul Wilson
great grandson of Captain Alexander Fancher
This book chronicles the life journey of a dynamic and tragic character. Alexander's story is uniquely told and reminds us of power and lasting influence of oral history. Along the way, it offers some fascinating insights into pioneer America and its ever westward march. More importantly, it defends the character of a leader of the Arkansas emigrants who lost their lives at Mountain Meadows. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in family history or who hopes to better understand the lasting controversy of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Scott Fancher,
collateral descendant from Harrison, Arkansas
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Burr Fancher was raised on an Arkansas farm during the Great Depression. His father was a livestock drover who spent his working life trailing hogs, sheep, cattle, and turkeys from Ozark hollers to the rearest railroads or markets. While assisting his father, Burr experienced the drover lifed firsthand and learned toadmire those who completed the long drives from Arkansas to California. Early experiences with livestock eventually led him to advanced college degrees in animal sience and several years of practical experience in livestock production.
After serving in World War II in Korea and Germany, Burr taught agriculture to returning veterans and later drifted into livestock management jobs. In 1958, he left Arkansas and settled in the Willamette Valley in Oregon where he returned to his first love - teaching. His career in education included vocational agriculture instructor, vocational director, state department specialist, regional coordinator, assistant professor, and self-employed consultant. Burr hold B.S. and M.S. degrees in agriculture and animal science from the University of Arkansas and B.S. and PhD degrees in education and vocational education from Oregon State University.
After his exposure to the Moutain Meadows story at the age of four, Burr has been captivated by the history of the massacre for over seventy-five years. That interest led him to become and advocate for those who died or survived the massacre. The author is related by blood to 16 Dunlap and 11 Fancher individuals who died at Mountain Meadows. He is also related by bloood to seve of the surviving children. Through marriage, Burr is related to Milum Rush, a 28 year old victim of the massacre. A special admiration of Captain Alexander Fancher and his ability to lead wagon trains was a natural outgrowth of Burr's lifelong interest in the massacre.
After his final retirement in 2000, Burr Fancher continues to hunt some, fish alittle, garden, make wine, travel, and serve as President of the Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation, Inc.
