In a sworn statement dated July 31, 1903, Paulina Eliza Phelps Lyman (1827-1912) recalled a blessing she received from Joseph that she would "go to the Rocky Mountains":
My father became a member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1831, and moved, with his
family, to Jackson County, Missouri, in 1832. I was a little girl when the
Prophet Joseph came to Jackson County, and distinctly remember attending a
meeting at the house of Lyman Wight, at which he was present. At this meeting
the Prophet Joseph blessed the children who were present, and I was one of
them. In blessing me he said that I should live to go to the Rocky Mountains. I
did not know at the time what the term "Rocky Mountains" meant, but I
supposed it to be something connected with the Indians. This frightened me for
the reason that I dreaded the very sight of an Indian, and it was this
circumstance that impressed this prediction made in my blessing, upon my mind.
I have always retained this circumstance in my memory, and now remember it was
though it happened yesterday.
Of course, one must be cautious about this, as Paulina would have only been 5 years of age in 1832, and it is 71 years after the fact, so it is a late remembrance. For more on the Saints going to the Rocky Mountains in Joseph Smith's teachings, see
Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies
