Shoshone and Bannock attack Fort Lemhi, causing Mormons to abandon the settlement

Fort Lemhi or Limhi was a Mormon settlement established in 1855 two miles north of present day Lemhi Idaho. The mission was initially created as part of a larger effort by Mormons to proselytize Native Americans throughout western North America; however, the fort eventually became a critical piece of Brigham Young's strategy in the Utah War. The surprise attack on Fort Lemhi in 1858 was the catalyst for bringing the Utah War to a resolution. On this day in 1858, Shoshoni and Bannock warriors attacked the Mormon fort, killing two settlers and driving off ~250 cattle and 29 horses. Brigham Young ordered the fort abandoned and the Mormons withdrew to the Salt Lake valley.