Porter Rockwell: A Biography

by Richard Lloyd Dewey

Read the true story of Brigham Young’s bodyguard – a man history (and Hollywood) has completely overlooked – the only man to kill more outlaws than Wyatt Earp, Doc Holladay, Tom Horn, and Batt masterson . . . combined. A man who believed from a blessing he received from Joseph Smith that if he never cut his hair he could never die in a fight. Assassins ambushed him, but no one could kill him, as confirmed by the Deseret News in 1918, stating he had passed through dangers "unscathed, as numerous as those recorded in the most lurid fiction" after it had interviewed numerous settlers who had known him. Gunfighters traveled hundreds of miles to "get him" – none succeeded. Outlaws actually sang compfire ballads about him. Latter-day Saints are proud to view him as a folk hero. Reading this book allows us to see what a real hero is. Famed British journalist Jules Remy wrote in 1861, "He is the stuff from which heroes are wrought. It is he who is ever at hand where there is a sacrifice to be made which can be of advantage to the oppressed." Richard Lloyd Dewey quotes hundreds of original sources – journals, letters, and court records – some from sources never before tapped – and weaves them all together in fascinating form. In the process he clarifies the controversies, dispels the shadows, and melts away the myriads of anti-Mormon myths. Journalistic, fast-flowing writing sweeps you through explosive early Mormon history with charm and style. He reports little known events and unravels a bizarre yet faith-promoting tale. The Deseret News of 1986 reports, "The writing is slick and the pace is fast. Dewey has done his homework." It’s a story told with breadth and feeling . . . the most intriguing, ACCURATE account yet of Orrin Porter Rockwell. Also the most comprehensive, by far. As the definitive work on him, this fascinating, epic biography is as exciting to read as a first-rate novel. Beautifully illustrated by western artist Clark Kelley Price.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Lds, Religion, Church

593 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1986

Reviews

[Christopher Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my shelf for at least fifteen years. I'm not sure if I bought it on impulse or if it was given to me, but it had a bookmark that my at-that-time girlfriend gave me after moving three states away to sunny San Diego on page three. There is a beach on the bookmark. Porter Rockwell failed to satisfy my boyish longings fifteen years ago, but I am no longer a lovesick boy. I am a man. And this is the kind of book men read. And like Porter Rockwell would have done, I kicked that girl to the curb long ago.

There are other ways that I am like Porter Rockwell. He didn't shave or cut his hair. I have not shaved in two months and it has been at least one month since I cut my hair. He lived in Lehi, Utah. I've driven through there. So on the first lazy Sunday after school got out for summer break, and I no longer had to deal with thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen-year-olds and their somewhat pleasing but often overly-simplistic YA literature, I decided to give Porter Rockwell another shot. That's a pun, because he shot guns.

This book is okay. I liked reading it. I like Utah history and I can easily get wrapped up in books about what my hometown was like one hundred and fifty years ago. Dewey has clearly done his research and has a source to cite in nearly every paragraph. There are two hundred fifty pages of notes, references, and bibliography. But this book also has some problems. Although he's done a great job including sources, Dewey isn't able to let them speak for themselves. Any time he thinks a source might not support the image of Porter Rockwell he wants the reader to go away with, he interrupts the source to correct it. And these interruptions and corrections never have their own sources, which means that the corrections are unsubstantiated and unsupported. Dewey wants to entice the reader with the image of Porter Rockwell as a gunslinging roustabout going against the grain in early Mormon Utah, but he also wants to make sure the reader knows that Rockwell was an obedient and faithful Latter-day Saint, despite his fondness for whiskey and swearing. And killing people. Though there are more than enough sources to convince me that the author has done the legwork, the information isn't presented objectively, so it doesn't really paint a clear picture of who Porter Rockwell was.

To an extent, I can understand why Dewey approached the subject in the way he did. It's clear that there was a lot of misinformation in contemporary sources about Rockwell's character, and it's understandable that a Rockwell aficionado would want to clear some of that up. But Dewey over-corrects. It's not enough for Dewey to demonstrate that Rockwell was not a hit man for the early church. He goes out of his way to leave the reader with the impression that Rockwell was pretty conventional as far as LDS doctrinal observance is concerned, that a modern Latter-day Saint might expect to run into him in sacrament meeting if he were alive today, and that he might even be assigned to Rockwell as a home teaching companion. But despite his unwavering loyalty to the church and it's leaders, the guy owned a saloon and was a well-documented alcoholic that, on a handful of occasions, clearly killed people who crossed paths with him in the heat of the moment. Dewey's interpretation of Rockwell's character in this regard seems a bit strained throughout the book.

The first one hundred pages don't really have much to do with Rockwell. I can see why Dewey included them; he wants to paint a picture of the hostile environment Rockwell and the other Mormons endured to show how it shaped Rockwell's character. The problem is that, since Rockwell wasn't a well-known figure at the beginning of this period, there isn't much documentation for his whereabouts. There are a few documents that tie him loosely to various places and events, but nothing to shed any light on what he actually did. As a result, the first hundred pages read like a pretty standard recitation of LDS church history with insertions at the end of each major event saying things like, "Doubtless Porter was there." The problem is that Dewey is reading his history backward, placing Rockwell in the middle of events based on the ways he was known to act twenty years later, when there is more documentation about things he said and did.

I'm getting a little picky here, but I'm also a little annoyed with some of the Dewey's stylistic choices. He likes to set up paragraphs in which he doesn't really say what he's trying to get at, but instead makes a few broad statements and then uses an ellipses to get the reader to infer his meaning. And we all know how effective that can be in a book claiming to be an academic historical work...

I think Dewey would have written a much better book if he had been willing to embrace the more ethereal and folkloric aspects of Rockwell's character instead of trying to cram his personality into Dewey's predetermined mold. It is, after all, that legendary aspect of Porter Rockwell that makes him such a compelling figure.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried reading this book all the way through but kept getting annoyed as the author took too many liberties. I thought this would be a biography as it says that it is but the author supposes and guesses and suggests way too much. Stick to the facts........

[Fredegar Bolger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating read. I had heard about this badass from a friend, and after repeatedly asking for more stories about this guy I was presented with this mammoth tome. While Mr Rockwell is a compelling folk hero to read about, this was also an intriguing window into the Latter Day Saint movement and the strange and (debatably) wonderful things that went on, albeit from the point of view of an LDS rather than detractors through whom you normally hear the more messed up stories.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this biography. It read quickly, and there was a lot of information that I had never learned (since I did not grow up in Utah and did not get that as part of my history lessons).

I thought the Notes section was a bit long, and the numbering in the text for sources has no associated footnotes or numbered works cited section, so that was a bit frustrating.

I also would have liked more details about motive instead of just the old event after event. Of course, I realize that is difficult to achieve for someone who didn't know how to read or write (Rockwell), but for me, that is what is important - not just what someone does, but why they do it. That must be why I like to write science fiction and fantasy ;-)

[Annalisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book disappointed me. I was hoping to find a book that would set straight who Porter Rockwell really was and separate the man from the legend...instead I got a book full of hypothesis and conveniently missing information. There were good references for a lot of overall historical information but when it came to things closely related to Rockwell it was lacking.

Still looking for a book on this legend of a man so if anyone knows one that has solid record and references I'd love to read it. You grow up in Utah hearing all kinds of crazy stories about him, but oy if I could get my hands on something that was less guesswork.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First I should say that I never intended to read this book; but I was stuck in the woods with no book to read, so Porter Rockwell it was. That being said I enjoyed it more then I thought I would. One of the things that I didn't like was the way the author "assumes" Rockwell did this or that; it is a biography, if you don't have evidence to support the things that happened don't include it. So annoying.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting information. Not well written and questionable source material.

[Larsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book lacks organization both in the layout and in the writing. The frontpiece contains 18 pages about guns with one page of Acknowledgements. The narrative itself is 339 pages followed by 129 pages of explanatory Notes, then 46 pages of References documenting the narrative, then 16 pages of References documenting the Notes, and finally 35 pages of Bibliography. (Quantity not Quality) I am not the only reader annoyed by the near impossibility of finding the References cited in the Notes. A table of contents would have helped. On page 25 Dewey writes, "Before his move to Caldwell County, however, Joseph [Smith] had led 204 Mormon soldiers from Ohio in an attempt to redeem Jackson County .... But Zion's Camp, as the army was called, had met with disaster; .... The miserable excursion over, having never reached Missouri, Joseph led them back to Ohio." Zion's Camp did indeed reach Missouri and was disbanded near the Fishing River which anyone familiar with Zion's Camp history knows. The Fishing River flows through Clay and Ray Counties in Missouri. Dewey writes of activities and adventures with only suggestions or assumptions that Orrin Porter Rockwell was present or involved which is not surprising because Rockwell was not literate, and his life was not consistently written about. Dewey's writing leads me to suggest a better title for this book might be Glimpses of History Surrounding the Life of Orrin Porter Rockwell. I was especially disappointed in Dewey's treatment of Colonel Patrick E. Connor in the last 3 pages of Chapter XIII and all of Chapter XIV (also Note 36) which portrays the Battle of Bear River against the Shoshone Indians (also known as the Bear River Massacre) opposite to the honorable character which Dewey probably correctly attributes to Rockwell.

[Riley Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very entertained reading this book, but it was more about Mormon History and then how at times Porter would pop into it. Rockwell grew up with Joseph and was in Missouri for most of the Kirtland drama. He was always loyal to Joseph, Brigham and the church, despite his foibles as a drinker and law man. He was the third Mormon into the Salt Lake Valley, and Dewey convincingly dismisses the allegations of most of his "murders" especially the idea that he tried to kill Boggs. He did kill many as a law man but was always acting with authority when he did. The gentile view that he was a vigilante and blaming him for everything bad that happened in Utah doesn't square with the facts as presented by Dewey. Rockwell was a fixture in pioneer culture and was a good man. I wish this history was more about him and didn't have so many off shoots into Mormon history. He was a rugged pioneer. He ran mail from Independence to California. Whenever there was lost livestock or criminals in the territory it was Porter that found them. He wore his hair long as a modern-day Samson trusting in Joseph's prophecy.

The two best quotes about Porter are the story of Joseph saying that if he had ordered Porter to kill Boggs he would be dead. The second was Joseph F. Smith at his funeral talking about the apostates celebrating his demise. "He is on his way to heaven and they will all go to hell."

[Nadine Lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for I don’t know how many years and finally read it. It wasn’t the easiest read which is why I rated it a 3. For those not of my faith, I’m not sure that you could make it through. It was hard to follow at times, but I appreciate the research that went into it.

I learned a lot about the man who has been both revered and hated among those acquainted with him in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

My favorite part of the book were some of the endnotes. In particular, one that compares Moses’ story of finding and disposing the tablets with no witness and the faith required to believe his story to Joseph Smith’s story who also found tablets and had several witnesses to them and the lack of faith in believing his.

I also appreciated the quotes offering descriptive details of early church leaders and of the historical background as the Saints underwent extreme hardship and persecution.

In a nutshell, Porter Rockwell was a man who didn’t stop and if you wanted something done- you could count on his follow through, he was generous, he was a master tracker, an outdoorsman, a marksman, he didn’t put up with lawlessness, he made a lasting impression on all who met him, he loved the church, and was especially loyal to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young throughout his life.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Porter Rockwell was the Chuck Norris of Mormondom. I loved taking this opportunity to learn more about the man whose name, only ever casually mentioned in any of my church classes, has been so shrouded in legend. With it, I also learned a lot about Latter-day Saint history, and enjoyed getting a fuller context and deeper narrative for events I've read and been taught about but still seemed fairly isolated from one another. I especially appreciated the chapters after Rockwell and his fellow immigrants arrived in Utah; it was so much fun to read a history book about a place where I live, and am so familiar with.

Bonus points: I also discovered some great information about an ancestor of mine, Thomas McBride, who was murdered during the Church's Missouri years but who otherwise I didn't know much about at all.

While the author does take some annoying liberties here and there, like "supposing" Rockwell was present at a particular scene, I found lots of gems in this book and would recommend it to anyone wanting to get to know the man behind the myths.

[Harold Rust]

The book brought Porter to life for me. A reader could complain (as many other commenters have) that the organization with so many notes at the end is difficult to follow, but I rather appreciated the layout in which the story line moves along and then at the end I go and follow up on details. Maybe it requires some extra effort on the part of the reader, but because so much of Porter's life was both historically legendary and yet twisted into a myriad of myths by reporters of the time, historians who followed soon after and "modern historians" who have flooded us with a mix of half-truths, I believe his approach is well justified. After all, Porter left no meaningful journal and most of his close associates weren't the kind to write down many details of what now most intrigues us. So, good reading, even if it takes work.

[Greg Diehl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Growing up in a Utah Mormon community, it is nearly impossible to escape hearing some of the Orrin Porter Rockwell legends. They are just part of the waters you find yourself swimming in.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for the better part of two decades. I wish I had left it there.

Somehow, Dewey manages to take one of the most colorful characters in early Mormonism and cast him as a two-dimensional devoted (deranged?) Boy Scout with a closeted drinking problem. The writing is as muddled as its tone. Dewey's approach is devotional at best and delusional at worst. Either way, there was minimal meaningful scholarship involved in its production.

It was a slog to finish (I kept thinking it had to get better). By the end, I found myself becoming somewhat envious of Porter's inability to read . . .

[Robert Clancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography delves into a murky period in the history of the American West, early Mormon history and religious persecution. Rockwell was an enigma -- a childhood friend of Joseph Smith, fiercely loyal to the Church his entire life, yet uneducated, illiterate, a heavy drinker, with a bi-polar personality: Rockwell was as likely to give you the shirt off his back as he was to shoot it off your back. Dewey does of credible job of researching events and sources, yet even so, many of the stories and claims in his account are just "hearsay" and legend. This book does give an interesting insight into religious persecution, lawlessness, corruption and bigotry in American politics and society in the first half of the 19th Century. A well-written, understandable read.

[Alethea Hammer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and well researched biography of one of the most controversial men in early Mormon history. Because it stretches from his early youth and friendship with Joseph Smith on through the violence and tribulations of their sojourn in Missouri and later Illinois, the death of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Trail to Utah. It also contains a detailed account of the "Mormon War" of 1857 when President Buchanan sent an army to subdue the Mormons and install a new Territorial Governor. There is also a chapter about his involvement as a scout for the cavalry during the Bear River Massacre.
I would recommend it to anyone interested in Mormon history, or Western American history in general. It's the biography of a man who lived in interesting times.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought "Porter Rockwell: A Biography" by Richard Lloyd Dewey was a very good book. I enjoyed learning more about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and about this unforgettable character in the beginnings of the pioneer history of the church. I believe the author did a commendable job of telling all sides of the story. A very interesting fact is how the media crucified good people in the early days of the church just like they do today.

[Greg Schloesser · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography by Richard Lloyd Dewey was recommended by a neighbor. I knew absolutely nothing about Porter Rockwell, so in that sense the book was informative. However, it is a mish-mash of various stories about his life, some of which are interesting, while others are boring and inconsequential. Nearly half of the book are the author's notes, which go into even greater detail and share dozens of additional stories.

[David Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The life Porter Rockwell lived was full of adventure and danger. A movie could easily be made about his life. I also enjoyed learning more about the early days and the members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. A lot of the stories in this book about the early saints and Porter Rockwell you don't hear about in other history books.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Porter Rockwell is "the stuff of legend." I've heard stories of him, but it was fun to read more! Many are presented as may or may not be true, which I appreciated.
Amazingly well researched, written in a way that's hard to put down. I did not read all the notes, which are about 1/3 of the book.
"I didn't kill anyone who didn't need killing."

[Thomas Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no doubt that there probably is a special place in Heaven for Porter Rockwell. I recommend this one to all who like informative early American historical literature of the 5th kind. I liked it.

[Terryl Eck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction, Porter is portrayed as the lovable underdog and also the bigger than life bodyguard to Brigham Young - leaving out some of the scoundrel character traits & actions. Good read, not a true biography

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

great research

[Cindy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a chatacter!

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched and presented portrait of a true frontiersman and faithful man.

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moral of the story: Never trust politicians, newspapers, or drunkards.

[Kenneth C. Rueckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to get a realistic life of pioneer times in western Utah. Shocking funeral speech by Pres. Joseph F. Smith. Well worth the time to read it.

[Michael D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read. He was a one of a kind, and a legend in the old West. But I'm not sure I'd want to hang out! Especially when he was drinking, or on a manhunt.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Kinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's long but amazing!!!!

[David Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW - Porter Rockwell, A Biography, by Richard Lloyd Dewey (1987)

Orrin Porter Rockwell presents one of the most colorful and controversial figures in Mormon history. Dewey manages to balance folklore, legend, and hard documentary evidence in painting a portrait of Joseph Smith’s friend, bodyguard, and the so-called “Destroying Angel” of the church.

The book traces Rockwell’s life from his humble beginnings in Massachusetts to his close friendship with Joseph Smith in Palmyra as young boys. His father, Orin Rockwell, purchased land not long after the Erie Canal was being surveyed, and the Rockwell family settled just a short distance from the Smith family. This move set the stage for young Porter (he was about 11 years old at the time) to become acquainted with Joseph Smith Jr. The two boys grew up as neighbors, and that early proximity developed into the lifelong loyalty that defined Rockwell’s place in Mormon history.

Dewey shows how Rockwell’s reputation as a gunfighter and enforcer was both a reality and a product of exaggerated frontier tales. The biography makes clear that Rockwell was fiercely loyal, fearless, and unyielding in his defense of the Prophet and later Brigham Young, but also a man of contradictions: violent yet deeply religious, feared yet admired.

What stands out in Dewey’s treatment is his effort to move past caricature. He does not shy from the darker episodes—allegations of assassinations, intimidation of enemies, and participation in frontier justice—but he also highlights Rockwell’s generosity, his endurance through persecution, and his role as a folk hero. The narrative situates Rockwell within the broader sweep of 19th-century Mormon and Western history, making the book both biography and cultural study.

A touching scene is described where Rockwell, after escaping from prison in Missouri on suspicion for the murder of Lilborn Boggs, makes his way to Nauvoo, arriving after the Martyrdom. The streets are deserted and it’s a rainy day when Joseph Smith III sees Porter outside on his horse in the rain. Twelve year old Joseph runs outside and embraces Porter. Porter crying says to Jospeh, “They have killed the only friend I ever had.”

Dewey’s demonstrates that Rockwell cannot be understood apart from the turbulent times in which he lived. Mormonism in the mid-19th century was beset by external hostility and internal schisms, and Rockwell embodied both the violent necessity of survival and the mythmaking that arose from it. The biography, though written with sympathy, remains valuable for anyone wanting to understand not just Rockwell, but the frontier faith that made him possible.


Quotes:

“It is he who is ever at hand where there is a sacrifice to be made which can be of advantage to the oppressed.”

“I never broke a promise to my Prophet, and I never will.”

“If I die I’ll meet him in heaven; if I live, I’ll stand by his boy.”

“I never killed anybody who didn’t need killing.”

“I never shed innocent blood, and I never will.”