Is American Primeval based on a true story?

The series is a "fictionalised dramatisation", but it's inspired by the Utah War (1857-1858).

Speaking about how inspiration struck for the series, director Peter Berg previously told Netflix’s Tudum: "I read an article on something called the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

"[It] was something that interested me, and I started doing a lot of research on it."

Wondering how much of the Netflix series is based on a true story, and which characters are based on real-life people? Read on for everything you need to know.

American Primeval true story: Why is there conflict between the Mormons, the military and the Native tribes?

Brigham Young, who's portrayed in the drama by Kim Coates, was the leader of the Mormon Church at that time – and also has a university named after him in Provo, Utah.

"I knew how difficult it was going to be, inhabiting this true historical figure," said Coates (via Tudum). "We actors like to throw around the phrase, 'I've never played someone like this before,' but I genuinely have never played a character like Brigham Young before, someone who people are immediately aware of just by their name."

Young and his fellow Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members (LDS) settled in Utah following conflicts with other communities in Missouri and Illinois, which led to the death of founder Joseph Smith Jr.

But 10 years after Young and his followers had arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, during which time the membership of the church had grown, they were once again under threat.

President James Buchanan believed the religious group was rebelling against the government and wanted to replace Young as governor of Utah with a non-Mormon called Alfred Cumming.

In order to facilitate that, he ordered an initial 2,500 federal troops to march on the territory, which sparked panic in the LDS Church, who believed that their leaders would once again be killed.

Young and his followers resisted, with the assistance of local militia the Nauvoo Legion.

There weren't really any battles to speak of on account of the Mormons using "scorched earth" tactics to slow down the army, such as setting fire to government wagons, which destroyed months' worth of food, and capturing large numbers of their cattle.

The Nauvoo Legion's tactics included digging trenches and building stone walls to act as lookouts for snipers.

But there was tragedy.

The Meadow Mountain Massacre, which is depicted in American Primeval's first episode, took place in September 1857.

120-150 Arkansan emigrants (depending on the source) were travelling from Utah to California when they were set upon and killed by LDS militia and Paiute auxiliaries. It's unclear who initiated the attack, with some blaming Young, while some have claimed other local leaders were responsible.

The violent actions of those LSD members have been attributed to the mass hysteria that swept through the Mormon Church upon learning of the government's campaign against, and the years of persecution they suffered prior to establishing themselves in Utah.

The army eventually reached Fort Bridger, also depicted in American Primeval, where they remained for the winter. But the site belonged to the LDS Church and it had already been burned down as part of their pushback against federal forces.

Cumming did eventually visit Salt Lake City, but it had largely been abandoned by the time he arrived.

He was then installed as the new governor of Utah, the LDS were pardoned by the government, and Buchanan's war against the Mormons, which was considered a resounding waste of time, reached its conclusion – although it should be noted that large swathes of Americans continued to reject Mormon practices and beliefs for quite some time.

Which characters in American Primeval are based on real-life people?

Brigham Young isn't the only character in American Primeval that's based on a real-life person.

Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham) was a real-life pioneer who found himself in the middle of the conflict after building Fort Bridger into a small city on the frontier, while Wild Bill Hickman (Alex Breaux) was a notorious lawman and a member of the Nauvoo Legion.

Which characters in American Primeval are fictional?

While Abish (Saura Lightfoot-Leon) is a fictional character, her storyline was inspired by historical accounts. "We wanted to explore the idea of this young Mormon woman who’s being kind of pushed into a life and a marriage that she did not ask for, and through fate, ends up in a much different world and never fully assimilates,” Berg told Tudum.

In a similar vein, while Winter Bird (Irene Bedard) the Shoshone tribal chief, is a fictional character, her storyline was inspired by a real chief who "was purported to be a lesbian [and had] multiple wives," Berg added.

James Wolsey (Joe Tippett) is also a fictional character, but his storyline was inspired by a man who "was actually executed for his role in the Meadows Massacre," producer Eric Newman added.

The family at the heart of the story – Sara (Gilpin), Devin (Preston Mota), Isaac (Kitsch), and Two Moons (Shawnee Pourier) – is also fictional.

American Primeval is available to stream now on Netflix.

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