Joseph Smith said, “Orrin Porter Rockwell, who is now a fellow-wanderer with myself [is] an exile from his home, because of the murderous deeds, and infernal, fiendish dispositions … and unrelenting hand of the Missourians. He is an innocent and a noble boy. May God Almighty deliver him from the hands of his pursuers. … Let the blessings of salvation and honor be his portion.” (History of the Church, 5:125.)

PRP Mission Statement

1- “Reflected Honor Upon the Church”
Just as Porter Rockwell represents strength against the Lord’s enemies, PRP represents continual push back against laws and rules that offend the true order of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We reflect the truth and values of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

At his funeral service, Elder Joseph F. Smith of the Council of the Twelve said, “He had his little faults, but Porter’s life on earth, taken altogether, was one worthy of example, and reflected honor upon the Church. Through all his trials he had never once forgotten his obligations to his brethren and his God.” Heroes and Heroines: Orrin Porter Rockwell By Lawrence Cummins

2- “People of the Pew”
PRP may have little faults, but their desire to become a “People of the Pew” who stand up for the Church as faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, motivates them to do the will of God. We will be relentless in opposing evil.

“He was a faithful Mormon to the end of his life Despite his no-nonsense demeanor and shady past, Porter Rockwell was a faithful member of the Church until the day he died. He was one of the first members of the Church, baptized in the June of 1830 just a few months after the Church was organized. Later in his life, he was ordained as a member of the Seventy and held the position throughout his life. Amidst the slander and accusations stirred up by his sudden death on June 9, 1878, President Joseph F. Smith praised Porter Rockwell in his eulogy, saying, “They say he was a murderer; if he was he was the friend of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and he was faithful to them, and to his covenants, and he has gone to Heaven . . . clothed with immortality and eternal life, and crowned with all glory which belongs to a departed saint.” Porter Rockwell the “Destroying Angel” by Lawrence Cummings

3- “Conservative Defense of Truth”
The PRP will defend the Lord Jesus Christ until the end, even amid slanders, lack of free-agency, with honest debate, and by upholding the values of the Savior. We won’t be shy in our Conservative Defense of TRUTH over Political Correctness, Liberalism, and Acting Woke!

4- PRP- Avenging Angel’s Against Evil!

The Porter Rockwell Project

Human History

The world has always had a good number of bullies walking around. Bullies often become tyrants and history tells us that preying upon the weak and vulnerable has sadly been the prevalent social order of humankind. 

A Republic if WE can Keep it

The American Experiment, our democratically elected republic, is the exception, not the rule. We are a nation where sovereignty comes from the people, where individual liberty and self determination is protected and promoted. Up until the Constitutional Convention in 1787, human beings only took power and authority for themselves. Frankly, the concept of consent by the governed is nothing short of a political miracle… and I know where miracles come from. 

Plymouth Rock – The Boston Tea Party

To really understand America, look to Plymouth Rock not the Boston Tea Party. It is the freedom to worship, the protection of our churches FROM Government intrusion – not the other way around – that has made America a land of freedom, opportunity and prosperity. A city on a hill that has no equal. 

Orrin Porter Rockwell

Given the constant presence of bullies and tyrants, it is easy to spot the divine nature of 1) the close friendship between the Prophet Joseph Smith and Orrin Porter Rockwell and 2) the sixteen-year-old Porter being the youngest member of the first group to be baptized into the Church, after it was organized in 1830. Porter was there from the beginning. 

It was Divine in nature because Prophets and likely all faith leaders are not adept, nor should they be, at taking on the Tyrants and bullies. Someone, however, must take them on. The lifelong service of Porter Rockwell especially reveals this truth. He was a friend and bodyguard to Joesph Smith as well as Brigham Young. He served as a protector of the Faith and to the Saints. The Lord blessed him and prepared him to serve in a way that the Shepherd of the flock could not. The Church was attacked on many fronts. The Shepherd, the Prophets of the Church, guided and watched over the flock. The sheep dog, Porter Rockwell, not only kept the wolves at bay, he hunted them. 

The Extermination Order of Mormons

On October 27, 1838, Missouri Governor Boggs issued Executive Order 44, known as the “Extermination Order”, which evicted Mormons from his state by any means possible, including violence. The church members were not welcome. Tensions had been rising due to the economic and electoral growth of the church community, along with Joseph Smith’s opposition to slavery. 

This surreal and extraordinary moment in American history was sanctioned with the full political and legal weight of a sitting Governor. It could have resulted in the complete annihilation of the early Saints and their Church which was only 8 years old at the time. Plymouth Rock was clearly far from the minds of the self interested and powerful in Missouri. 

Church leaders met in Porter’s home as they discussed how to keep the Members safe from the violent mobs hunting them. They ultimately left Jackson County Missouri for Illinois. Porter stayed in Missouri until every Member of his Faith arrived in Illinois safely. 

Avenging Angel or Karma?

Less than 4 years after issuing the extermination order the now retired former Governor Boggs was shot and wounded by an unknown gunman. Porter Rockwell, now well known as the Mormon Avenging Angel, was assumed to be responsible and was arrested for the crime. A jury NOT made up of his peers, meaning they were selected because they were anti-Mormon, found him not guilty for lack of any evidence but not before Porter spent 8 months in a dark, dank dungeon of a prison cell. 

Upon his release he walked from the jail all the way to Nauvoo Illinois to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s home. He was ready to resume his duties of protecting the Prophet, the Members and the Church. 

It was said that only Tyrants, Outlaws and Criminals hated Porter Rockwell 

The stories of his unique and loyal service to his fellow beings are legendary. Many better known characters from America’s wild west frontier admired and tried to emulate Porter Rockwell. It is said that Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok grew their hair long to be like Ol’ Port. 

He was the avenging angel, a lawman, a U.S. Mail Courier on The Pony Express (Indians believed he couldn’t be killed and left him alone) and owned a hotel and watering hole. He was loyal to his friends, Church leaders and his Faith. He protected all of them and served in a way that most wouldn’t or couldn’t. Fearlessly and aggressively. 

Porter Rockwell Served Faithfully 

Porter was no stranger to violence but he did not die in a gunfight or any fight for that matter. He passed away from a heart attack at the age of 65. The promise made to him by Joseph Smith was if Porter would stay close to the Lord and continue to fight for what’s right (and also not cut his hair) his enemies would never strike him down. 

At his funeral, Joseph F. Smith then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “He had his little faults, but Porter’s life on earth, taken altogether, was one worthy of example, and reflected honor upon the Church. Through all his trials he had never once forgotten his obligations to his brethren and his God.” He then closed with a chippy observation worthy of the man they were there to eulogize. “They say he was a murderer; if he was he was the friend of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and he was faithful to them, and to his covenants, and he has gone to Heaven and apostates can go to Hell…”

Who is our Porter Rockwell Today?

Only the Lord’s Kingdom will stand forever. Our city on a hill, our American Experiment, can fall in less than one generation if we let pride seep in, lose focus, stop protecting and promoting liberty and freedom and forget that bullies and tyrants continue to walk among us as they do throughout the world. Some are easier to spot than others but understand that they are legion. 

We have Ecclesiastical leaders from all Faiths to shepherd us through dark times and a dark world. As we are spiritually fed we unite as a people and collectively engage in the service of our fellow being and engage in causes bigger than ourselves. It has been said, “America is great because America is good.” That said, something is wrong. The wolves are among the flock and more are coming. 

I don’t know when the moment came when the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Saints in Jackson County Missouri felt the tide turn against them but I feel that tide turning today. Our American Experiment is being attacked from within and from around the world in ways I couldn’t even imagine just a short time ago. 

Caesars Palace vs Calvary Chapel

Did anyone believe less than two years ago that it would be possible that governments of this nation would prohibit the right to assemble and worship? They would force the doors of chapels, synagogues, mosques, etc to be closed? At the same time that religious services were banned – even outdoor services including Sacrament administered in a drive-thru fashion to congregants in their automobiles – these same government powers made sure the casinos, liquor stores, abortion clinics and other establishments, with favor and sway among the tyrants and bullies, remained open. It seems like a very broad extermination order on all religious liberties and religions in effect today.  

The counter culture used to scoff at religion. They would mock and demean our social mores, our commonly held values and principles. Values and principles such as; One nation under God. In God we trust. Love for God and Country. Reverence for our flag, Old Glory. Singing our National Anthem together. Pride and gratitude knowing that we are the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. This was our baseline. Our common thread. 

Today, WE are the counter culture. The mainstream culture now promotes or blindly accepts the destruction of our once common and dearly held beliefs. The conventional wisdom now is that WE are hate mongers, racists and bigots. Our children are being taught to not trust or believe in their parents and the worth of a person depends on the color of their skin. How does a nation of immigrants, the huddled masses of every race, color and creed yearning to breathe free, stick together when the children are taught all curriculum through the lens of the marxist philosophy, critical race theory? 

The View from the Pew, not the Pulpit:

I need my faith. I need my faith leaders. I’m better off and so are a lot of other people because I have religion in my life. I am not alone in this. This nation, founded specifically for those of faith and those that seek faith, must never lose the freedom to worship and the right to exercise religious liberties. I see the tyrants. I see them taking away our religious liberties in real time. America’s religious institutions need bodyguards. As I said, faith leaders make lousy fighters. It’s not what they do. 

I am Porter Rockwell

I am ready to be a Porter Rockwell. 

I am willing to be the tip of the spear. 

I am willing to be attacked and accused of every moral failing. 

I am willing to call attention to those that attack and demean people and institutions of faith. 

I recognize the role reversal and as a member of the new counter culture I am ready to 

• have public debates with religious bigots whoever they are  
• expose the tyrants and bullies with the bright lights of good information and transparency 
• cede no ground. Go to where they live, be it social media, pop culture or the news media.
• hunt the wolves in sheep’s clothes. Find their dens.

The Porter Rockwell Project comes from the perspective of the congregant who needs Church. This is NOT for religious leaders. They already have their hands full! 

The world was a better place when Orrin Porter Rockwell took his talents of fearless aggression and a bias toward action and put it to work for the Lord. I’m glad Porter wanted to stick close to his Church. Imagine if he didn’t?

If you are a faith leader, thank you! We NEED YOU and we will have your back. 

If you go to Church and believe they are worth keeping around, join us! 

If the Lord blessed Porter Rockwell with special talents and blessings to be an early Avenging Angel then it’s clear that the Lord prepares and blesses others to be defenders of the faith. 

We all have different talents and different roles. Wisdom, wealth and work. Too much of one and not enough of the others and the project would fail. 

Identify how you believe you could best contribute to the Project and join us. It’s a tough group to get involved with. By design. 

W.W.P.R.D.?  Greg Hughes Founder

Introducing: Greg Hughes Founder of Porter Rockwell Project

Utah House of Representatives Majority Whip, Speaker of the House, KNRS Radio Host, Co-Host of Take Two on Utah’s CBS Affiliate KUTV

In 2002 he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives where he served as the Chairman of the House Education Committee, House Majority Whip, and was twice elected by colleagues be the Speaker of the House. He retired from the Legislature at the end his term in 2018.

During his time in the Legislature, he was champion of fiscally conservative policies, government reform, and protecting our veterans. Greg worked extensively on issues that created an environment for businesses to thrive and jobs to be created. As Speaker, he led the charge to increase education funding to historic levels while also cutting taxes.

Named the 2015 “Utahn of the Year” by the Salt Lake Tribune, Hughes is best known for his determination to get things done and his ability to bring opposing sides together solve controversial issues such as medical cannabis, moving the state prison, justice reform, developing the inland port, and protecting religious freedom while opposing discrimination.

Recently, Greg finished third place out of eight candidates competing for the Republican nomination for governor. Currently he manages a public policy and government relations consulting firm and has weekly media appearances on KNRS radio and as a co-host of Take Two on Utah’s CBS affiliate KUTV.

Listen to “The Mormon Traditionalist Podcaster, Jaren O’Driscoll

7 Unbelievable Facts About Porter Rockwell by Danielle B. Wagner

“A notorious gunslinger, wanted man, and devout Church member, Orrin Porter Rockwell led a life of paradox. His lethal accuracy with a shotgun and policy to “always shoot first . . . that way they know you’re armed” made his time as a lawman controversial at best. Charged with murder or attempted murder on three occasions, Porter was acquitted twice and died before the last charge could come to courts. Despite his rough-and-tumble attitude, Porter Rockwell remained unshakably faithful to the Church and its leaders until his death in June 1878, serving as a body guard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. The incongruities and myths surrounding Rockwell’s life have drawn the fascination of Mormons and non-Mormons alike. But here are a few curious tidbits you might not have known about Orrin Porter Rockwell.

1. He was known as the “Destroying Angel” Porter Rockwell killed more outlaws than Wyatt Earp, Doc Holladay, Tom Horn, and Bat Masterson combined, earning him the menacing title, the “Destroying Angel.” Rockwell’s hawk-like vision was so acute he could spot landmarks along the trail days before his fellow pioneers. His accuracy was so deadly he once shot a bank robber attempting to escape on horseback in the pitch-black of night. It didn’t take long for Rockwell’s legendary abilities to draw the attention, and sometimes even the competition, of outlaws all throughout the Wild West.

2. He assisted in Joseph Smith’s attempted jail break from Liberty Jail Porter Rockwell and Joseph Smith grew up on neighboring farms in Palmyra, New York. Despite their eight years difference in age, both men had a noticeable limp that cemented their close friendship—Joseph’s resulted from a childhood surgery and Rockwell’s resulted from an improperly set bone that left one leg two inches shorter than the other. When Joseph became imprisoned at Liberty Jail, Rockwell served as his personal messenger and smuggler, sneaking two augers into the jail that the prophet used to chisel a hole through the four-foot wall. When Joseph Smith was finally released from Liberty Jail, he had progressed so far in his digging that only a few inches stood between the inmates and freedom. Rockwell remained close to Joseph until the end of the Prophet’s life, saying when he learned of Joseph’s death, “They killed the only friend I ever had.”

3. He never cut his hair or beard. After a nine-month stint in Missouri awaiting trial for the attempted assassination of Governor Lilburn Boggs (the same Governor Boggs who signed the Mormon extermination order), Porter Rockwell showed up at Joseph Smith’s house in Nauvoo on Christmas night, shaggy and skeletal. Joseph Smith ordered the gruff-looking ruffian out only to find it was his childhood friend, Porter Rockwell. After hearing Rockwell’s story, Joseph Smith made a Samson-like prophecy: as long as Rockwell did not cut his hair and remained Porter Rockwell the “Destroying Angel” faithful to the Gospel, his enemies could never touch him. Rockwell lived by the prophet’s promise, cutting his hair only once to make a wig for Joseph’s widowed sister-in-law recovering from typhoid fever. And until his dying day, the prophecy held true for Rockwell who escaped dozens of showdowns with notable marksmen without a scratch. On one such occasion, sharp-shooter Loren Dibble unloaded both his guns at Rockwell on Lehi Main Street in broad daylight without even ruffling Rockwell’s composure. (Rockwell always professed his innocence in the Governor Boggs’ assassination attempt, using as his evidence, “I’ve never shot at anybody. If I shoot, they get shot. He’s still alive, isn’t he?”)

4. He went to jail on the prophet’s orders. Though a trail blazer for the pioneer’s moving west, Rockwell returned to Nauvoo on an unusual mission for Brigham Young: to shift persecution from the poverty stricken Saints left behind to himself. Rockwell was to accomplish this feat by getting arrested for the murder of Frank Worrell, a man Rockwell shot in self-defense while serving as a deputy. Despite his previous harrowing imprisonment and acquittal, Rockwell obeyed the prophet’s wishes to their fullest. In a stunt crazy enough to capture everyone’s attention, Rockwell barricaded himself in an old boardinghouse after chasing an old enemy through Nauvoo’s streets while firing his pistols above the man’s head. The plan worked: the Saints remained peacefully in Nauvoo until the spring and Rockwell was acquitted.

5. He was involved in the mysterious Aiken brother murders. While Rockwell insisted he “never killed anyone who didn’t need killing,” several murky incidences clouded his reputation as a deputy and later as a sheriff in Utah. Among these cases was the mysterious murder of the Aiken brothers. Charged by Brigham Young with the duty to slow down Johnson’s army using any nonviolent means necessary, Rockwell spent a number of nights on the plains knocking out wheel pins and scattering horses. But as the encroaching army neared its target, tensions rose to a furious pitch. The Aiken brothers arrived in Utah on friendly terms with the army and with the intent to set up a gambling house and brothel for the soldiers. Afraid the Aiken brothers knew too much about Mormon preparations against the army, Brigham Young charged Rockwell to escort four of the brothers back to California. Two of the brothers reappeared in Nephi days later, blood smeared and tattered. Apparently, their two brothers had been killed somewhere in the desert between Nevada and Utah. The two remaining brothers were later killed as they attempted to return to Salt Lake. Some blamed the deaths on Indians, others condemned Porter Rockwell, but the truth is, the murder of the Aiken brothers remains a mystery to this day.

6. He shot Brigham Young’s nephew. After stealing a horse from outside the bishop’s house, Lot Huntington—nephew to Brigham Young— fled to Camp Floyd where he met up with two other petty outlaws. An expert tracker, Rockwell followed the trail all the way to a Pony Express station in Tooele, arriving in the middle of the night. At sunup, the situation quickly escalated into a standoff. The outcome: Lot Huntington tried taking on Porter Rockwell and ended up shot clean through the heart.

7. He was a faithful Mormon to the end of his life. Despite his no-nonsense demeanor and shady past, Porter Rockwell was a faithful member of the Church until the day he died. He was one of the first members of the Church, baptized in the June of 1830 just a few months after the Church was organized. Later in his life, he was ordained as a member of the Seventy and held the position throughout his life. Amidst the slander and accusations stirred up by his sudden death on June 9, 1878, President Joseph F. Smith praised Porter Rockwell in his eulogy, saying, “They say he was a murderer; if he was he was the friend of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and he was faithful to them, and to his covenants, and he has gone to Heaven . . . clothed with immortality and eternal life, and crowned with all glory which belongs to a departed saint.”