WARNING: Some material may be disturbing.

On September 11, 1857, 120 people were headed for California when local Mormon settlers and their Indian allies executed them. The massacre of the Arkansas-based Fancher/Baker wagon train was the worst instance of Americans slaughtering Americans prior to the Oklahoma City bombing.

Burying The Past, which recently received the Best of State Award: Utah 2004, is a controversial work that explores issues of forgiveness, reconciliation, and religious intolerance with descendants from both sides of this horrific event.

The exact cause of the massacre remains mysterious, contentious and largely unresolved. It is thought that fear of a military invasion by the Federal government, revenge for anti-Mormon actions, or simple greed may have all played a role. Subsequently, a single man was held responsible for the massacre, and Mormon John D. Lee was convicted and executed for the brutal crime.

Patrick interviews historians, descendents of the s,all children whose lives were spared, descendents of John D. Lee, and he documents the forensic anthropologists as they analyze the physical evidence from the site. The film is a disturbing look at a little-known chapter in American history.