The Danites in the Sierras was published by Jansen, McClurg in 1882, a novelization of Miller’s hugely successful play The Danites (first performed in 1877 and one of the most commercially successful American plays of the decade, running for years in various productions). The Danites were a supposed secret enforcement arm of the Mormon Church — historical existence debated — who punished apostates and enemies of the faith.
The novel follows a woman fleeing the Danites (she has betrayed Mormon secrets, or witnessed something she should not have, or broken a covenant — the specifics vary between versions) through the California gold country. She is sheltered by a community of miners who must decide whether to protect her against the relentless pursuers or hand her over to avoid their own destruction.
Miller exploits the gold-country setting for its full dramatic potential: mountain passes, mining camps, sudden violence, rough justice, and the frontier code that protects women (even those with secrets) against organized persecution. The Danites are rendered as implacable agents of religious fanaticism — dark figures emerging from the landscape, driven by conviction beyond reason.
The anti-Mormon element reflects widespread nineteenth-century Protestant hostility toward the Latter-Day Saints, and the novel participates in a genre (anti-Mormon fiction) that was commercially robust through the 1880s and 1890s. Modern readers may find this dimension uncomfortable, but the novel remains a vivid document of frontier adventure narrative.
Collecting The Danites in the Sierras
First edition (Jansen, McClurg, Chicago, 1882): Cloth binding.
Market values:
- First edition: $40–$100
- Play script editions (1877–1880s): $30–$80
- Later editions: $10–$25