As you watch Netflix's "American Primeval," learn more about a key moment in the first episode: the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Yes, and no. American Primeval is a work of historic fiction. Meaning, Sara and Isaac’s story is made up, as is the story of Jacob and Abish. However, the backdrop of American Primeval is based on reality.

While the story that unfolds on-screen took place in the 19th century Utah Territory – now Utah state – the show was filmed entirely in New Mexico, 600 miles to the south east.

American Primeval has just landed on Netflix and the Western series is a fictional story set in 1857, but it is based on real events including the Mountain Meadows Massacre

While Brigham Young (Kim Coates) succeeds in burning down Jim Bridger’s (Shea Whigham) beloved fort, Bridger survives the fire. In real life, Jim Bridger would head east to plea his case to the U.S. Government against Young. Fort Bridger would be resurrected as a key U.S. military base of operations and Bridger wouldn’t die until 1881.

Peter Berg directs an epic six-part drama about the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, in which more than 100 settlers were murdered by militant Mormons.

This unsparingly grim Netflix western draws from a tradition of works eager to push beyond sanitized frontier myths. Here’s a supplementary guide.

American Primeval ’s director and executive producer Peter Berg ( Friday Night Lights) knows that depicting real events isn’t without its challenges, and while much of what’s depicted on screen is dramatized,

Caught in the middle of it all is none other than mountain man Jim Bridger. Portrayed by legendary character actor Shea Whigham, Bridger is a connective tissue between many of the supporting characters in Primeval.