Faith and Betrayal (20 page)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have been gathering information on Jean Rio for decades—beginning years before I had any idea how I might put the information to use. I am deeply grateful for the assistance I received from librarians and archivists in England, France, Denmark, Scotland, California, and Utah. From the tiny Antioch Historical Society to the imposing British Museum, from the volunteer-based Daughters of the Utah Pioneers to the esoteric maritime division of the Library of Congress, my inquiries met with the most professional and courteous response.
I communicated with dozens of Jean Rio’s descendants, but I want especially to thank my very “distant” cousins: Jeffrey Johnson, Kenvin Lyman, Barbara Baker, Robert Gill, David Seegmiller, and David Neighbor.
I am deeply indebted to my agent, Gloria Loomis, a dear friend and my most staunch supporter. Jonathan Segal at Knopf has worked his magic with Jean Rio as he has for me so many times before.
Once again, I have Roger Morris to thank for his generosity in taking time from his own overwhelming writing schedule to serve as my first reader.
Finally, my family is the light that shows me the way. My parents, Ralph and Sara Denton, are my solid and enthusiastic backers, always there to make my life easier as rolling deadlines loom. My beautiful sons—Ralph, Grant, and Carson—are a daily reminder of what is important and why history matters.
SALLY DENTON
Faith and Betrayal
Sally Denton is the author of
American Massacre: The Tragedy
at Mountain Meadows, September 1857
;
The Bluegrass Conspiracy: An Inside Story of Power, Greed, Drugs, and Murder
; and, with Roger Morris,
The Money and the Power: The Making of
Las Vegas and Its Hold on America, 1947–2000.
She received Western Heritage Awards in 2002 and 2004, a Lannan Literary grant in 2000, and, for her body of work, the Nevada Silver Pen Award of 2003 for distinguished literary achievement. Her award-winning investigative reporting has appeared in
The
New York Times
,
The Washington Post
, and
American Heritage.
She lives with her three children in New Mexico.
ALSO BY SALLY DENTON
The Bluegrass Conspiracy:
An Inside Story of Power, Greed, Drugs, and Murder
The Money and the Power:
The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America,
1947–2000
(with Roger Morris)
American Massacre:
The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September 1857
FIRST VINTAGE BOOKS EDITION, JULY 2006
Copyright © 2005 by Sally Denton
Vintage and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
All photographs and illustrations are from the author’s personal collection.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the Knopf edition as follows: Denton, Sally.
Faith and betrayal: a pioneer woman’s passage in the American West / Sally Denton.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.) and index.
1. Rio, Jean, 1810–1883. 2. Ex-church members—Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Biography. 3. Mormons—United States—Biography.
I. Title.
BX8678.R56D46 2005
978’.02’092—dc22
2004057742 [B]
eISBN: 978-0-307-42583-6
v3.0