Porter Rockwell | Need Fear No Enemy

Why We Chose the Porter Rockwell “Need Fear No Enemy” Logo

The Porter Rockwell “Need Fear No Enemy” logo was chosen to represent more than a legendary figure from early Latter-day Saint history. It represents loyalty, courage, faith, family, and a willingness to serve—qualities that made Orrin Porter Rockwell one of the most unforgettable personalities of the Restoration.

Porter Rockwell’s relationship with Joseph Smith began long before the Church was organized. The Rockwell and Smith families lived near one another in New York, and Porter grew up knowing Joseph. When the Church was organized in 1830, Porter became one of its earliest converts. His loyalty to Joseph Smith remained remarkably strong through years of persecution, imprisonment, violence, and forced migration. The Church History Library describes Porter as a close friend and protector of Joseph, including his efforts to bring food and water to Joseph during the Liberty Jail period.

That loyalty became especially powerful during the final days of Joseph Smith’s life. When Joseph contemplated returning to Nauvoo and facing arrest, Porter reportedly expressed his willingness to remain with him, saying, “As you make your bed I will lay with you.” Porter ultimately accompanied Joseph part of the way toward Carthage before Joseph instructed him to return.

But Porter Rockwell was more than a tough frontier protector. He was a family man who experienced the same struggles, sacrifices, and responsibilities that shaped the lives of countless early Saints. He worked to provide for his family and later established businesses, raised horses and cattle, and served in numerous roles on the Utah frontier. His story reminds us that strength is not simply about physical toughness—it is about taking responsibility for the people and principles entrusted to us.

Service was another defining characteristic of Rockwell’s life. He served as a scout, lawman, protector, messenger, guide, and peacekeeper. After the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, he continued serving the Church and his community in difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances.

And then there is the legend of Porter Rockwell.

Stories surrounding him have grown into a larger-than-life piece of Latter-day Saint and American frontier folklore. Perhaps the most famous is the reported promise from Joseph Smith that, as long as Porter remained “loyal and true to thy faith,” he would “need fear no enemy,” accompanied by the legendary instruction not to cut his hair. The Church History Library notes that the story has historical traditions behind it, but that the surviving evidence is largely secondhand.

One of the most remarkable stories is that Porter eventually cut his famous hair—not for vanity, but to help make a wig for Agnes Smith, the widow of Joseph Smith’s brother Don Carlos, after illness caused her hair to fall out. Whether every detail of the story can be documented or not, it captures something important about the man behind the legend: the feared frontier figure could also be compassionate and generous.

That is why we chose the “Need Fear No Enemy” Porter Rockwell logo.

It is not meant to glorify violence or turn a complicated historical figure into a caricature. Instead, it celebrates the qualities we can learn from Porter Rockwell: stand by your friends, remain loyal to your faith, protect and provide for your family, and be willing to serve when you are needed.

The legend makes Porter Rockwell memorable.

His loyalty makes him worth remembering.

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