Jacob Hamblin has long been one of the most enigmatic figures in Mormon history. In this defining biography, Todd Compton reconstructs the fascinating life of the frontiersman, coloniser, missionary to the Indians, and explorer of the American West. With impeccable attention to detail, Compton examines and disentangles many of the myths and controversies surrounding this well-known figure. Hamblin's Grand Canyon adventures and explorations as a guide alongside John Wesley Powell are well documented, as are his roles as a missionary, cultural liaison, and negotiator to the Indian tribes of southern Utah and Arizona. Hamblin struggled in this latter role, sometimes unable to bridge the gulf between Mormonism and Indian culture. He disavowed violent conflict and ceaselessly sought peaceful resolutions where others resorted to punitive action. He strove above all for mutual understanding in the absence of conversion. A Frontier Life provides a rich narrative that fleshes out a picture of a sometimes vilified figure, particularly in regard to his connection to the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre where Compton provides nuanced discussion clarifying Hamblin's postmassacre role-he was not present at the massacre, but reported on it to both Brigham Young and military investigators. Compton's engagement with Mormon historiography and previous Hamblin portrayals will make this work of particular interest to both scholars and students. The casual reader will take pleasure in learning of a true pioneer who lived life at the geographical, cultural, and spiritual boundaries of his era. This dramatic, entertaining biography is a truly significant contribution to Mormon history.
Todd M. Compton specializes in Mormon history and the classics and has published numerous articles and five books in these areas, including In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith and Fire and Sword: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri (coauthored with Leland H. Gentry.)
"A major contribution to American history. ... A Frontier Life opens valuable new perspectives on the Mormon Indian frontier and has much to teach its most experienced students."--Sunstone "A valuable, fresh study of a remarkable frontiersman."--Western Historical Quarterly "Although many authors have analyzed the life of Jacob Hamblin, none have succeeded to the degree that Todd M. Compton has. He has done a masterful job of researching and documenting the totality of Hamblin's experiences, examining and disentangling many legends and controversies and offering cogent, insightful interpretations of the key moments in his life. In sum, this work represents the most scholarly treatment of Jacob Hamblin to date."--BYU Studies Quarterly "Compton's biography is a masterful addition to our understanding of the conflicted, often paradoxical, but always religiously devoted Jacob Hamblin."--New Mexico Historical Review "Compton's biography, the first full-length scholarly treatment of Hamblin's life, presents a positive reevaluation, while not ignoring the frontiersman's flaws. Compton expertly analyzes Hamblin's evolving attitudes toward Indians, showing how the missionary gradually became the 'Apostle to the Lamanites.'" --The Juvenile Instructor: A Mormon History Blog "The biography includes 127 pages of notes that are valuable and of great interest to the careful reader looking for scholarly references and additional insights into the life and times of Jacob Hamblin. The extensive nature of the notes demonstrates the wide-ranging research on which the book is based. ...This book is a most valuable historical contribution."--Utah Historical Quarterly "Todd Compton comes at the current project with previous experience in the biographer's craft. His eye for detail, obvious in his previous writing projects, is evident here also. Jacob Hamblin's eventful life has finally received a fitting chronicle."--Association for Mormon Letters "A magnificent new biography which will immediately become not only the standard biography of Jacob Hamblin, but also one of the greatest biographies in the fields of Mormon and Utah history. Exhaustively researched and documented, and judiciously interpreted."--Gary Topping, editor of If I Get Out Alive: World War II Letters and Diaries of William H. McDougall Jr. (The University of Utah Press, 2007)
