It was in 1853, while Zemira’s family was living at Provo, that serious trouble with the Indians broke out, beginning at Payson, Utah, which is located in the Sanpete valley east of the Wasatch Mountains. Old Chief Walker from the Sanpete Valley was the terror of the entire country, and “The Walker War brought terror to most of the settlements throughout Utah and lasted for several years . . . Pitiless and bloodthirsty, the smallest injury is avenged in deeds of blackest barbarity. Even when the Indians were most peaceable, the settlers were never free from apprehension. Scarcely a week passed that did not bring the tidings of scenes of blood and carnage enacted in some portion of the territory. Cattle and horses were driven off, settlements burned, plundered, and people inhumanely massacred.
“The settlers began to build forts, and the smaller towns were evacuated by people moving to larger settlements for protection. Forts were built to accommodate the horses and cattle. Standing guard was the order of the day. Every man was compelled to come at the beat of the drum each morning to answer roll call and report for duty . . . The men went in companies of not less than ten or twelve for wood, with mounted guards keeping a constant watch from lookout positions, while the company worked. They had comparable guards for those who worked in the gardens.”63
This war was no light issue, and every man was expected to fight and/or assist in preparations for protections at the home front for their families. In the book Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p. 1085, Zemira is described as: “Teacher, Veteran Indian war, Took part in Echo Canyon trouble, Farmer.” The word Veteran means a former member of the armed forces, which in regards to Zemira, refers to an Indian War— in which he would have been an active participant.
At this point no more information has been located about his participation in the Walker War. And if it weren’t for the fact that more serious troubles were to confront them, the Saints could have rejoiced.
63- History of Our Pioneer Ancestors, History of Orville S. Cox, p. 71 – Walker War
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