Far West, Missouri

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Far West
Town
FarWestChurch.jpg
Community of Christ chapel in Far West
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Far West
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Far West
Coordinates: 39°40′16″N94°07′54″W / 39.6711°N 94.1317°W / 39.6711; -94.1317
Elevation
[1]
292 m (958 ft)
GNIS feature ID0738427 [1]
Far West
Location5.5 miles (8.9 km) west of Kingston via County Roads D and H, near Kingston, Missouri
Area640 acres (260 ha)
Built1836
NRHP reference No. 70000324 [2]
Added to NRHPSeptember 22, 1970
Far West Temple
Efforts halted in 1830s
FarWestMonument.jpg
Monument at the temple site in Far West.
Far West, Missouri
Site640 acres (260 ha)
News & images
Additional information
AnnouncedApril 16, 1838, by Joseph Smith
GroundbreakingJuly 4, 1838, by Quorum of the Twelve
Location Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, United States
NotesSite Dedicated. Cornerstones laid and dedicated July 4, 1838. Efforts discontinued in 1800s. The cornerstones remain, covered in glass, as part of a memorial park at the site.
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Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. It is owned and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Contents

Foundation and early history

The town was founded by Missouri leaders of the church, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. [3] [4] The town was platted originally as a 1-mile (1.6 km) square area, centered on a public square which was to house a temple. [5] The design of the town resembled the plan of Joseph Smith Jr. (the first prophet of the Latter Day Saint Movement) for the City of Zion, which had been planned to be built in the town of Independence, Missouri. [6] As the town of Far West grew, the plat was extended to 4 square miles (10 km2). [7]

Latter-day Saints first entered Missouri when four of them were called to serve missions there soon after the church was organized in 1830. [8] [9] According to a revelation recorded by Joseph Smith Jr., Independence would be the "centerplace" of the City of Zion when Jesus returned. [10] However, disputes between early members of the church and Missourian settlers in Independence led to the expulsion of the early members of the church from Jackson County in 1833. [11] Most temporarily settled in Clay County, Missouri. [12] Towards the end of 1836, Caldwell County was created specifically for a settlement of members of the church to compensate property losses in Jackson County. Shortly after the creation of Caldwell County, Far West was made the county seat. [13]

Far West became the headquarters of the church in early 1838 when Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon relocated to the town from the previous church headquarters in Kirtland, Ohio. [14] The city grew to about 5,000 people. [15] Joseph Smith taught that the Garden of Eden had been in Jackson County and when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they moved to the area now comprising Caldwell and Daviess Counties, Missouri. [16] While headquartered in Far West, the official name of the church was changed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, after previously being known as the Church of Christ from 1830 to 1834 and as the Church of the Latter Day Saints, and variations of that name, since 1834. [17] [18] Reed Peck, a very early convert to the church, wrote in 1839 that Joseph Smith said that Far West was where Cain slew Abel. [19]

Missourian conflict of 1838

New problems erupted when members of the church began to settle in the counties surrounding Caldwell, including De Witt in Carroll County and Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County. Fear that the growing number of Saints would outnumber the local citizens combined with misunderstandings regarding the doctrine, purposes, and practices of the church to create a series of escalating conflicts which led the Governor of Missouri to eventually call out 2,500 state militiamen to put down what he alleged to be a "Mormon rebellion." He also issued an extermination order to rid the state of the church. Terrified, members of the church poured into Far West for protection and found themselves under siege. Joseph Smith Jr., his brother Hyrum, and others surrendered to the Missouri authorities at the end of October 1838, hoping to alleviate the persecution on the main church body of members, but were put on trial by the state for treason. [20] Joseph and his company escaped when guards moving them to a new venue got drunk. [21] The main body of the church was then forced illegally to sign over their property in Far West and Caldwell County to pay for the militia muster and leave the state. [22] The main body eventually settled in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Aftermath and Far West today

Far West became a ghost town soon after the departure of most of the church population. [23] The county seat was moved to Kingston, Missouri and many of the log houses in Far West were relocated. [24] John Whitmer, having left the church, decided to remain in Far West and paid reduced prices for the properties of the fleeing Saints, cobbling together a large farm there. [25]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased the temple site and some of the surrounding area in 1909. [26] Since then, Far West has been maintained as a historic site. It is located 7 miles (11 km) south of U.S. Route 36 on Missouri Route D. The site includes the cornerstones of the planned temple, each encased in glass, and a monument to the early settlers that was dedicated in 1968. The church also honors the Far West legacy in the name of a ward located in Cameron and, since 2015, a stake centered in Gallatin.

Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, owns and uses a chapel across the road from the historic site. [27]

In May 2012, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed that it purchased 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) of Missouri farmland and three historical sites from Community of Christ, including land around Far West. [28]

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Far West, Missouri
  2. "National Register Information System  (#70000324)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri. St. Louis: National Historical Company. 1886. p. 120 via The Internet Archive.
  4. Walter B. Stevens (1921). Centennial History of Missouri 1820-1921. Internet Archive. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company.
  5. Smith, Joseph (June 1833). "Plat of the City of Zion, circa Early June–25 June 1833". www.josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  6. Joseph, Smith (August 1833). "Revised Plat of the City of Zion, circa Early August 1833". www.josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  7. H. Roger Grant (April 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Far West" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  8. Pratt, Parley Parker (1888). The autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt. Chicago: Law, King & Law. p. 49.
  9. "32nd Commandment, 1833". www.josephsmithpapers.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  10. "Commandment No. 6". Revelation Book 1. July 20, 1831. p. 93.
  11. Blake, Tandrea Amber (August 5, 2010). “Our god, our religion, and freedom, and our peace”: Jackson County residents and the struggle of Saint emigrants to get along (1831-1834) (Thesis). California State University, Sacramento. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  12. "The Mormons in Missouri". www.religioninamerica.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  13. "Caldwell County, Missouri Place Names, 1928-1945 | The State Historical Society of Missouri". shsmo.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  14. Revelation To The Presidency, January 12, 1838. January 12, 1838.
  15. Hansen, Klaus J. (1967). Quest for empire; the political kingdom of God and the Council of Fifty in Mormon history. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
  16. "I've Been To The Mormon Garden Of Eden, And It's Not What You Think". HuffPost. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  17. Anderson, Richard Lloyd (January 1979). "I Have a Question: What changes have been made in the name of the Church?". Ensign . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  18. "Latter-day Saints leader says use church's full name, not Mormon - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  19. Peck, Reed (September 18, 1839). "Reed Peck manuscript". en.wikisource.org. Line 20. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  20. "Joseph Smith and the Missouri Court of Inquiry: Austin A. King's Quest for Hostages". byustudies.byu.edu. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  21. Roberts, B. H. (1902). History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News.
  22. History of Caldwell and Livingston counties, Missouri. St. Louis, National Historical Company. 1886. pp. 132–7.
  23. History of Caldwell and Livingston counties. St. Louis, National Historical Company. 1886. p. 122.
  24. "Disappearing Missouri Names". The Kansas City Star. March 19, 1911. p. 15. Retrieved August 15, 2014 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  25. "Who was John Whitmer?". www.jwha.info. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  26. Lund, Jennifer L. (2013). "Joseph F. Smith and the Origins of the Church Historic Sites Program". In Manscill, Craig K.; Reeves, Brian D.; Dorius, Guy L.; Haws, J. B. (eds.). Joseph F. Smith: Reflections on the Man and His Times. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. pp. 342–358. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  27. "Congregation". Community of Christ. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  28. Askar, Jamshid Ghazi (May 5, 2012). "LDS Church buys farmland, Haun's Mill, Far West, Kirtland property from Community of Christ". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.

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