What happened to Brigham in American Primeval? Character's fate explored

Netflix's latest miniseries, American Primeval, sees men and women from different groups trying to claim control of the untamed lands of the Old American West during 1857.

The primary groups in this fight are the Mormons (led by Kim Coates' Brigham Young), Piautees, pioneers, and the US Government.

Coates' Young is based on the real-life Mormon President, a religious man who wanted to spread his word of faith through the Church of Latter-Day Saints. He also used violent tactics against people who opposed his vision or claimed control over the Mormon land.

In the American Primeval finale, Brigham bought Fort Bridger but immediately set it on fire because it was an asset that could be used against the Mormons in a potential war with the US Government. Brigham survived Season 1 of the show because the real-life figure died in 1877, twenty years after the events of the show.

More on Brigham Young in American Primeval in our story.

Why did Brigham Young order the Massacre in American Primeval Episode 1?

The attack, commissioned by the Mormon militia, was against hundreds of pioneers camping in the Utah territory who were traveling to settle in the East.

As the Mormon leader, Brigham has spread the religious word to many Piautes and brainwashed them to join his cause, to wage war against the US Government, which is trying to take control of the land.

While the Mormon men try to warn them that this is their land and they cannot stop there without a permit, they later attack them while disguising themselves as Piautes. When Sara and Devin run away, they even offer money to the Piautes for killing the 'witnesses.'

In an interview with Decider, executive producer Peter Berg discussed Brigham's motives behind this act:

“The Mormon Church has taken responsibility for that crime...Something that we try and do is offer some context as to at least understanding how tensions got so great in that area where Brigham Young and the Mormon leadership felt that the most prudent course of action for their self-preservation was this attack.”

How did Brigham Young die in real life? Why did he burn Fort Bridger in the American Primeval finale?

We do not see Brigham Young die in American Primeval because he did not die in real life when the events of this story are set. He died approximately twenty years after the events of the show, i.e., 1877.

According to a contemporary report in The New York Times, Young died in 1877 of complications from appendicitis.

In the American Primeval finale, after Bridger sells him his Fort Bridger, Brigham immediately burns it down to the ground because it is a great asset that could be used as the staging ground for a future battle between the US Government and the Mormons. Fearing that the government might use the fort to their advantage and against his Mormon people, Brigham burns the fort to the ground in the finale.

In an interview with Netflix's Tudum, Bert discussed the importance of Fort Bridger: