The Dotson Cabin Preservation Project

"Peter Dotson was a man of great courage. In the heated atmosphere of the Utah War, he represented the rule of law. As Marshal for the territory, he secured the evidence to convict forgers counterfeiting United States Treasury drafts. He protected the territorial court and brought in witnesses for its proceedings. He did all this in an atmosphere of threatened and sometimes actual violence against United States officials in the territory. He did his duty to his profession and to his country. "

 Nicole Etcheson, Professor of History at Ball State University.  

Etcheson’s book, A Generation at War: The Civil War Era in a Northern Community (2011), won  the 2012 Avery O. Craven Award from the Organization of American Historians for most original book on the Civil War era and the 2012 Best Nonfiction Book of Indiana from the Indiana Center for the Book, Indiana State Library. 

“Peter K. Dotson was an exemplary example of a United States Marshal. He went into a situation he did not desire. He performed a duty no one else wanted. He earned the respect and trust of his most powerful enemy. He changed our nation for the better.  It is the stance at the United States Marshals Museum that any decisions regarding Dotson, his story, and his lasting heritage should be made while considering his role in American History.”

Peter Weeks, CEO, President