Captain Alexander Fancher: Adventurer, Drover, Wagon Master and Victim of the Mountain Meadows Massacre
Burr Fancher was raised on an Arkansas farm during the Great   Depression. His father was a livestock drover who spent his working life   trailing hogs, sheep, cattle, and turkeys from Ozark hollers to the nearest   railroads or markets. While assisting his father, Burr experienced the   drover life firsthand and learned to admire those who completed the long   drives from Arkansas to California. Early experiences with livestock   eventually led him to advanced college degrees in animal science and   several years of practical experience in livestock production.After serving in World War II in Korea and Germany, Burr taught   agriculture to returning veterans and later drifted into livestock   management jobs. In 1958, he left Arkansas and settled in the Willamette   Valley in Oregon where he returned to his first love - teaching. His career   in education included vocational agriculture instructor, vocational   director, state department specialist, regional coordinator, assistant   professor, and self-employed consultant. Burr holds B.S. and M.S. degrees   in agriculture and animal science from the University of Arkansas and B.S.   and PhD degrees in education and vocational education from Oregon State   University.After his exposure to the Mountain Meadows story at the age of four,   Burr has been captivated by the history of the massacre for over   seventy-five years. That interest led him to become an advocate for those   who died or survived the massacre. The author is related by blood to 16   Dunlap and 11 Fancher individuals who died at Mountain Meadows. He is also   related by blood to seven of the surviving children. Through marriage, Burr   is related to Milum Rush, a 28 year old victim of the massacre. A special   admiration of Captain Alexander Fancher and his ability to lead wagon   trains was a natural outgrowth of Burr's lifelong interest in the   massacre.After his final retirement in 2000, Burr Fancher continues to hunt some,   fish a little, garden, make wine, travel, and serve as President of the   Mountain Meadows Monument Foundation, Inc.