“The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated, or driven from the State, if necessary for the public peace.” — Lilburn W. Boggs¹

“The Orders of the Governor to me were, that you should be exterminated, and not allowed to remain in the State, and had your leaders not have been given up and the terms of the treaty complied with, before this, you and your families would have been destroyed and your houses in ashes.” — John Bullock Clark²

The Extermination Order, issued by Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs on October 27, 1838, called for the expulsion or extermination of the Latter-day Saints from the state. This drastic measure was influenced by exaggerated reports of Latter-day Saint aggression, including the skirmish at Crooked River, which falsely claimed the Saints had massacred many Missourians. Boggs, who had supported the Saints' expulsion from Jackson County, directed Major General John Bullock Clark of the state militia to suppress the supposed insurrection. The order led to increased violence against the Saints, culminating in their mass exodus to Illinois. The order remained in effect until 1976 when Missouri Governor Christopher S. Bond officially rescinded it and expressed regret for the suffering it had caused.³

1. Lilburn W. Boggs, Executive Order to John B. Clark, Oct. 27, 1838

2. History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842], josephsmithpapers.org

3. Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 29, 345-346; “Extermination Order,” churchofjesuschrist.org