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Show relig ions. Above all, he believed in religious tolerance. To his Mormon friend E. Eugene Gardner he wrote, “The traditions of Mormonism are too precious to you for appreaisal [sic] by another. Cherish them. They are what greatness is made from.”41 Although he was not a member of the LDS church, Beckwith became interested in the religious backg round of Utah in general, and more specifically the local area. After reading the book The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Josiah F. Gibbs, he became enamored with the subject, especially after learning that some of the Frank Beckwith working at the descendants of the men involved lived in the printing press for the Millard area. Kelly wrote that Beckwith “became County Chronicle. more and more interested in his research on ‘MMM’ as he wrote it, until finally he could talk of nothing else. He pursued every possible clue that would furnish additional information.”42 Kelly himself was also interested in the massacre, and the two pursued their research together over a twenty year period, often visiting and camping overnight at the site. After accumulating so much material for so many years on the subject, Kelly approached Beckwith about publishing a book with their findings, but Beckwith, who did not wish to stir up trouble as a gentile in a largely Mormon town, was opposed.43 Beckwith did, however, feel that it was important to place historical monuments at the appropriate sites. He worked tirelessly in an effort to get historical monuments built at the Mountain Meadows Massacre site, and the site of the 1853 Gunnison Massacre (which occurred just west of Delta). Beckwith even spoke at the dedication ceremony of the Mountain Meadows monument on September 9, 1932, marking the 75th 41 Frank A. Beckwith. “Affliction, Agony and Torture to E. Eugene Gardner,” 6, typescript in the possession of Jane Beckwith. 42 Kelly, “Reminiscences.” 43 Ibid,; Kelly wrote a draft of the book, but it was never published. Materials collected by Frank Beckwith were deposited as Manuscript Collection 49 at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. 179 BECKWITH PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION, DELTA CITY LIBRARY FRANK ASAHEL BECKWITH |
