What Was American Primeval Based Off Of? Is It True?

In a new Netflix series, the American Primeval follows a horrifying massacre. During the killings over 120 settlers’ lives were taken. Fans jumped to watch the series. Keep reading to find out more about this.

American Primeval Soars To The Top

The new series dropped on Netflix on January 9, 2024. Within 24 hours American Primeval soared to the top 10. The series follows Sara Rowell and her journey west. Sara was a determined mother anxious to get her son, Dustin Rowell, to safety. Rowell hired a guide, Isaac, to take them west. The supposed safe journey became entangled in a battle for the western frontier. During their travels, things took a turn for the worse when an army of Mormon soldiers attacked their party.

The Director of American Primeval said that he was inspired after reading about the Utah War. The war was a battle between the Mormon people and the U.S. government for land ownership and control.  During the Utah War over 120 settlers were killed. Eric Newman, the executive producer of American Primeval described the dramatization as “an anti-nostalgic truthful look at our history.”

So Is American Primeval True?

Unfortunately, American Primeval is based on a true story. Producer Eric Newman told Tudum, “These rose-colored glasses in which we view the past, from the first Thanksgiving onward, is a lie. It’s a lie meant to make us feel good about this really rugged, brutal path we’ve taken.” Berg shared that he found his inspiration for the series after reading about the Utah War. Many of the show’s characters and their stories are fiction although the events are based on real circumstances. He also shared that the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre inspired the battle in the first episode.

Who And What Was Real?

The American Primeval features many characters during Sara and her son’s journey west. So, were any of the show’s characters and places real?

The Mountain Meadows massacre did horrifically take place. In 1857 a wagon trial of 140 settlers heading west from Arkansas set up camp in what was called the Mountain Meadows. They were attacked by a band of attackers with painted faces. However, the battle continued for 5 days. The battle ended when a white man came carrying a white flag, or so they thought. The man had claimed that the Mormon men had stopped the attackers. Unfortunately, the man was lying. The Mormon army shot and killed every settler over the age of 7.

After over 150 years of the Mormons blaming the attack on the Native Americans, they finally took responsibility. In 2007 the Mormon Church formally acknowledged their role in the massacre. To follow a few characters and places were real. Bringham Young, depicted in American Primeval, was the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the 19th century. Jim Bridger and Fort Bridger were also real depictions in the series.

Sadly, for us all, the American Primeval had some fictional accounts but did depict real-life events and tragedy. The West was not easily won by American settlers. The goal for the series was to take off the rose-colored glasses, and that they did.