D&C 125 is often cited as a false prophecy of Joseph Smith (e.g., Sharon Banister on p. 365 of her book, For Any Latter-day Saint). As one example, ex-LDS Dick Baer wrote
What happened to Zion? It was supposed to flourish. It was not to be moved out of her place . . .
. History records that Zarahemla failed, along with Nauvoo, Kirtland,
Independence and every other attempt to settle until they finally arrived in
Salt Lake where there was nobody to contend with for the land.
The promises of the Mormon god
have been broken so many times in the past that I wonder why anyone thinks he
will produce on the promise of Eternal Life.
It is an empty promise. (Dick Baer, Letter to Family
& Friends)
In response to the above, John A. Tvedtnes wrote that
. . . Mr. Baer gives us a
commandment, not a prophecy. Even so, what the Lord wanted actually happened.
The revelation does not say that the Latter-day Saints would stay in the place
forever. There are similar examples in the Old Testament. E.g., the Lord told
Noah to go into the ark, but this did not mean he should stay there forever
(Gen 7:1). He later told Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith, but when it dried up,
the prophet was sent to Zarephath (1 Kings 17:2-9). (John A. Tvedntes, A Reply to Dick
Baer)
However, in reality, as noted by Tvedtnes, it is not a prophecy but a series of commandments and contingent promises:
What is the will of the Lord
concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa? Verily, thus saith the Lord, I
say unto you, if those who call themselves by my name and
are essaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and
keep my commandments concerning them, let them gather themselves together unto
the places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up
cities unto my name, that they may be prepared for that
which is in store for a time to come. Let them build up a city unto my name
upon the land opposite the city of Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be
named upon it. And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the
north, and the south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their
inheritance in the same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of
Nauvoo, and in all the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord. (D&C
125:1-4)
Be that as it may, I thought it would be useful to gather together
a series of commentaries on this section in the Doctrine and Covenants:
Joseph Smith Papers, "Revelation, circa Early March 1841 [D&C 125]”
In early March 1841, JS
dictated a revelation directing the Latter-day Saints in Iowa
Territory to settle in Zarahemla, Lee County, Iowa Territory, or in
other appointed gathering sites.1 Beginning
in 1839, many members of the church settled on the Illinois side of the Mississippi
River, in and around Hancock County, while a smaller number settled in
scattered communities across the river in Iowa Territory.
The precise date that JS
dictated this revelation is unclear. In early March 1841 the settlement of
church members in Iowa was apparently a pressing concern. John
Smith, the president of the Iowa stake, recorded in his journal
that on 6 March 1841, Bishop Alanson Ripley “came over to
inform me that Joseph Said it was the will of the Lord the Brethren in
generally in Ambrosia Should move in and about the
City Zerahemla with all convenient Speed which the Saints are willing
to Do Because it is the word of the Lord.”2 A few days later, on
11 March, John Smith and two other elders went to Nauvoo,
Illinois, to see JS and “to learn the will of the Lord” concerning the Saints
in Iowa. According to Smith, JS stated that the Saints were “to move into the
city Speedily but make large fields without [and] rais[e] grain.”3 It is possible that
this 11 March conversation between John Smith and JS led to both the
“interrogatory” and the subsequent revelation featured here. It is also
possible, however, that JS had dictated the revelation earlier and that the
Saints in Iowa were already acting on the commands of the revelation prior to
John Smith’s meeting with JS.4
Robert B.
Thompson recorded this revelation in the Book of the Law of the Lord
sometime around or after 20 March 1841, but he did not inscribe the date
of its dictation. He placed the revelation after a 20 March 1841 revelation,
and it was therefore included under that date in Willard
Richards’s rough draft notes for JS’s multivolume manuscript history.5 This early March
revelation was read, along with a 19 January 1841 revelation, at the
April 1841 general conference of the church in Nauvoo.6
According to William
Clayton’s diary, JS believed the intent of the revelation was to consolidate
the scattered Latter-day Saint settlements in Iowa for the sake of
safety. JS even invoked the grim specter of the 1838 massacre at Hawn’s
Mill, Missouri, which occurred in part because Hawn’s Mill was isolated from
other settlements.7 On
24 May 1841, JS wrote a letter in which he informed the Saints
that all stakes except for those approved in Hancock
County and Lee County were “discontinued” and that Saints living
outside of those stakes should relocate to one of the approved areas as soon as
they were able.8 In
an August 1841 church conference held in Zarahemla, apostle John
Taylor reemphasized the revelation’s call to gather there. A “large number
present agreed to move in and assist in building up Zarahemla,” as the
revelation directed. By August 1841, there were 326 members living in the
Zarahemla branch.9
Footnotes
1 Zarahemla was named
after a prominent settlement in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon
indicates that the land and city of Zarahemla were named after a king of that
same name who lived approximately two centuries before Christ. (See Book of
Mormon, 1840 ed., 146–147, 221 [Omni 1:12–19; Alma 2:26].)
2 Ambrosia was a
small Latter-day Saint settlement a few miles west of Montrose,
Iowa Territory. John Smith added this supplication in his journal: “O
Lord Help they people to gather out of Babylon.” (John Smith, Journal,
6 Mar. 1841.)
Smith, John (1781-1854). Journal,
1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1, fd. 1.
3 John Smith, Journal,
11 Mar. 1841.
Smith, John (1781-1854).
Journal, 1833–1841. John Smith, Papers, 1833-1854. CHL. MS 1326, box 1,
fd. 1.
4 Elias
Smith, bishop in the Nashville, Iowa Territory, settlement,
noted by 16 March that the “first locations [were] made
in Zarahemla by the citizens of Ambrosia.” (Elias Smith, Journal,
16 Mar. 1841.)
Smith, Elias. Journals,
1836–1888. CHL. MS 1319.
5 Historian’s Office,
JS History, Draft Notes, 20 Mar. 1841.
6 See Revelation,
19 Jan. 1841 [D&C 124]. According to the published minutes of
the conference, “Gen. [John C.] Bennett then read the
revelations from ‘The Book of the Law of the Lord,’ which had been received
since the last general Conference. . . . Pres. Jos. Smith
rose and made some observations in explanation of the same.” While the
published account does not specifically reference the featured
revelation, William Clayton’s account of the conference meeting recorded
that “a short revelation was also read concerning the saints in Iowa.”
(Minutes, 7–11 Apr. 1841; Clayton, Diary, 8 Apr. 1841.)
Clayton, William. Diary, Vol.
1, 1840–1842. BYU.
7
Clayton recorded: “Brother Joseph when speaking to one of the brethren on
this subject says you have Haun’s Mill for a sample. Many of the
brethren immediately made preparations for moving in here but on account of its
being so late in the season President John Smith advised to get
through with planting and then proceed to move in.” (Clayton, Diary,
8 Apr. 1841.)
Clayton, William. Diary, Vol.
1, 1840–1842. BYU.
8 See Letter to the
Saints Abroad, 24 May 1841.
9 Iowa Stake, Record,
9 Aug. 1841, 102–103.
Iowa Stake, Record. / Iowa
Stake. “Church Record,” 1840–1841. CHL. LR 7817 21.
Hyrum M. Smith, Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants
Commentary
REVELATION given
through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March, 1841, concerning
the Saints in the Territory of Iowa.
WHAT
is the will of the Lord concerning the saints in the Territory of Iowa?
2.
Verily, thus saith the Lord, I say unto you, if those who call themselves by my
name and are essaying to be my saints, if they will do my will and keep my
commandments concerning them, let them gather themselves together unto the
places which I shall appoint unto them by my servant Joseph, and build up
cities unto my name, that they may be prepared for that which is in store for a
time to come.
3.
Let them build up a city unto my name upon the land opposite the city of
Nauvoo, and let the name of Zarahemla be named upon it.
4.
And let all those who come from the east, and the west, and the north, and the
south, that have desires to dwell therein, take up their inheritance in the
same, as well as in the city of Nashville, or in the city of Nauvoo, and in all
the stakes which I have appointed, saith the Lord.
When
the Saints left Missouri, a large number of fugitives found their way into the
Territory of Iowa. Large tracts of land were purchased, and several settlements
were built up in the southeastern portion of that Territory. Before the arrival
of the Saints, there were only 2,839 inhabitants in Lee County. In 1846 the
population was estimated at 12,860. So rapidly did the County develop, when
touched by the magic wand of "Mormon" industry. Nauvoo was the
central point of gathering at this time, and the question, stated in the first
verse of this Revelation, arose. The answer follows. The Saints were to gather
and build cities in Iowa.
2. Essaying
to be Saints] This expression is both instructive and
comforting. To "essay" means to "endeavor," to "make
an effort." All the exiles, notwithstanding their faith and patience in
sufferings, may not have been "Saints," but if they were trying to be
worthy of that name, they were acceptable to God. Children who are earnestly
striving to do their best, please their parents, even if they do not always
succeed.
Let
them gather * * * and build up cities] They did build up Montrose,
Zarahemla, Ambrosia, Augusta, Keokuk. A Stake was organized in 1839, with John
Smith as president.
3. Zarahemla] This
settlement was founded by the Saints in 1839, on the uplands about a mile west
of the Mississippi River, near Montrose and opposite Nauvoo, III. The Church
had bought an extensive tract of land here. At a conference held at Zarahemla,
August 7th, 1841, seven hundred and fifty Church members were represented, of
whom three hundred and twenty-six lived in Zarahemla. But when the Saints left
for the Rocky Mountains, that city was lost sight of.
4. Nashville]
"A little town, pleasantly situated on the Mississippi River, at the head
of Des Moines Rapids, in Lee County, Iowa, three miles by rail southeast of
Montrose, and eight miles north of Keokuk, was purchased by the Church,
together with 20,000 acres of land adjoining it, June 24th, 1839, * * * It
continued to exist as a 'Mormon' town until the general exodus in 1846"(Hist.
Rec. p. 983).
Daniel H. Ludlow, Companion to Your Study of the Doctrine and
Covenants, vol. 1
Background
information on section 125
"When
the Saints left Missouri, a large number of fugitives found their way into the
Territory of Iowa. Large tracts of land were purchased, and several settlements
were built up in the southeastern portion of that Territory. Before the arrival
of the Saints, there were only 2,839 inhabitants in Lee County. In 1846 the
population was estimated at 12,860. So rapidly did the County develop, when
touched by the magic wand of 'Mormon' industry. Nauvoo was the central point of
gathering at this time, and the question, stated in the first verse of this
Revelation, arose. The answer follows." (Smith and Sjodahl, DCC,
p. 795.)
"Mr.
[Isaac] Galland in a communication to David W. Rogers [May 1839], suggested
that the Saints locate in Iowa, which was a territory; for he thought they
would be more likely to receive protection from mobs under the jurisdiction of
the United States, than they would in a state of the Union, 'where murder,
rapine and robbery are admirable (!) traits in the character of a demagogue;
and where the greatest villains often reach the highest offices.' He also wrote
to Governor Robert Lucas of Iowa, who had known the 'Mormon' people in Ohio,
and who spoke very highly of them as good citizens." (Joseph Fielding
Smith, ECH, p. 266.)
125:2-4
"Zarahemla"
The
name Zarahemla was obviously taken from one of the major
cities mentioned in the Book of Mormon. It has been suggested that the basic
meaning of the word in Hebrew is "place of abundance"; thus, its meaning
would be very similar to that of Bountiful, another Book of Mormon city. (Ancient
America and the Book of Mormon, p. 152.)
"This
settlement was founded by the Saints in 1839, on the uplands about a mile west
of the Mississippi River, near Montrose and opposite Nauvoo, Ill. The Church
had bought an extensive tract of land here. At a conference held at Zarahemla,
August 7th, 1841, seven hundred and fifty Church members were represented, of
whom three hundred and twenty-six lived in Zarahemla. But when the Saints left
for the Rocky Mountains, that city was lost sight of." (Smith and
Sjodahl, DCC, p. 796.)
"Across
the river [Mississippi at Nauvoo, Illinois] on the Iowa side, extensive
holdings also were obtained. [1839.] The village of Nashville, in Lee County,
with twenty thousand acres adjoining, were purchased; also other lands opposite
Nauvoo. Here the Prophet instructed the Saints that a city should be built, to
be called Zarahemla. A number of members of the Church had located here when
the Saints were driven from Missouri, and it appeared to be a suitable location
for a permanent settlement of the people. . . . The idea seemed to be that the
Latter-day Saints should spread out over considerable territory, and form
organizations in various parts of the country, but this plan was abandoned, and
the Saints scattered abroad were commanded by revelation in January, 1841, to
gather to Hancock County, Illinois, and to Lee County, Iowa, and to build up
the settlements in these parts occupied by the members of the Church. This was,
the presidency wrote, 'agreeable to the order of heaven.' Consequently the
Saints began to immigrate to Nauvoo, and the city grew rapidly by such
additions. About one year after the location of the site, Nauvoo had a
population of over three thousand souls, and six years later, at the time of
the great western exodus, about twenty thousand. The stake at Zarahemla was
later discontinued, but John Smith remained there to preside over the Saints in
Iowa. [1846.]" (Joseph Fielding Smith, ECH, pp. 268-69.)
H. Dean Garrett and Stephen E. Robinson, A Commentary on the
Doctrine and Covenants, vol. 4
1–3.
Let them build up a city unto my name . . . and let the name of Zarahemla be
named upon it. The Saints were commanded to gather to the places
that the Lord had commanded them through his Prophet. In this case, it was
appropriate for them to gather to Zarahemla and build a city for him. Why the
Lord chose Zarahemla, a Book of Mormon name, for the area is not known. A stake
was organized in Zarahemla with John Smith, uncle to the Prophet, as president.
When the Prophet called all the Saints to move to Nauvoo, the stake was
disbanded, and most of the members moved across the river to Nauvoo.
2.
If those who call themselves by my name and are essaying to be my saints. In
Joseph Smith's time, the word essaying meant "trying,
making an effort, attempting." (Webster, American
Dictionary of the English Language, 1828, s.v. "essay")
Thus, those who were willing to take upon themselves the name of the Lord and
try to be his Saints were called to gather.
4.
Nashville. The village of Nashville was located in Lee County,
Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo and a little south of Zarahemla. It was
settled by Saints who had emigrated from Missouri and the East in response to
the call to gather to Nauvoo. Nashville and Zarahemla were used as gathering
places for the Saints as they fled from Nauvoo and as stopping points for the
members as they gathered to Winter Quarters and then traveled on to Salt Lake
City.
Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, ed. Donald Q. Cannon,
Richard O. Cowan, Arnold K. Garr
LEE COUNTY, IOWA.
Lee
County, located across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo, was
the scene of many Latter-day Saint developments between 1839 and 1853. Iowa's
most southeastern county, its main cities are Ft. Madison (north), Montrose (middle),
and Keokuk (south).
While
fleeing Missouri in 1839, some 40 LDS families, including
those of Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Wilford
Woodruff, occupied Old Fort Des Moines's deserted army barracks at
Montrose. On 22 July 1839, a great day of healing, Joseph
Smith and five apostles came to the barracks, where
they healed Brigham Young and Elijah Fordham.
In
late 1839 the Church purchased a townsite named Zarahemla at Montrose's west
side and created the Iowa Stake. When this became Zarahemla Stake
in 1841 (with John Smith as president), it included
eight branches and nearly 700 members. For a brief time
Zarahemla Stake was the second largest community of Saints in America.
Ambrosia Branch (Hawley's Settlement), three miles west of Montrose, once had
109 members. In 1839 the Church bought some 20,000 acres three miles south of
Montrose and established Nashville. In 1839 some Saints settled in Keokuk, 10
miles south of Montrose. The Church bought land there and established a branch.
In
Montrose on 6 August 1842, according to Anson Call, Joseph Smith pronounced
his Rocky Mountain prophecy. On 23 June 1844, the Prophet fled
from Nauvoo by boat to Montrose, planning an escape to the West, but he
returned to Nauvoo at the urging of others and was ultimately killed at Carthage
Jail.
During
the exodus from Nauvoo, February through October 1846, Saints crossed to
Montrose, Nashville, and Ft. Madison to begin their trek west. The pioneers' first
camp, at Sugar Creek, was seven miles west of Montrose, and their
next two campsites (Sugar Creek #2 and Lick Creek) were in Lee County. Poor
Saints forced from Nauvoo in September 1846 camped at Potter's Slough, 1.5
miles north of Montrose's riverfront. On 9 October the Poor Camp Saints
experienced the miracle of the quail when exhausted quail fell
to the ground, easy to catch and cook for food.
In
1853 at Keokuk's north edge, some 2,000 Saints from Europe and
the United States outfitted and assembled into nine wagon trains. Many of the
men performed vital street grading work for Keokuk before heading across Iowa
for Utah.
SOURCES
Black, Susan Easton, and William
G. Hartley, eds. The Iowa Mormon Trail: Legacy of Faith and Courage. Orem,
Utah: Helix Publishing, 1997.
Brown, S. Kent, Donald Q. Cannon,
and Richard H. Jackson, eds. Historical Atlas of Mormonism. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. 58-59.
Kimball, Stanley B. "Nauvoo
West: The Mormons of the Iowa Shore." BYU Studies 18
(Winter 1978): 132-42.
Smith, Joseph. History of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Edited by B. H.
Roberts. 2d ed. rev. 7 vols. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 1932-51.
Deseret News, 1964.
3:345, 4:4, 6:548-49.
WILLIAM G. HARTLEY
MONTROSE, IOWA.
Montrose,
Iowa, located across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo,
Illinois, had been a trading site for the Sac and Fox Indians since
the famed explorers Marquette and Joliet visited them in 1674. In 1799 Louis
Tesson, the first white man to settle in the area, set up a trading post with
the nearby tribes and planted extensive orchards. After 1824 the Indians began
selling off most of their 119,000-acre half-breed tract to newcomers and land
speculators, including James White, David W. Kilbourne, and Isaac
Galland. Kilbourne named the site "Mount of Roses" because of the
many wild roses blooming on nearby bluffs—a name soon shortened to Montrose. In
1834 the U.S. Army established Fort Des Moines at Montrose to protect the
rights of the Indians from unlawful encroachments by dishonest land
speculators.
With
the rising tide of Latter-day Saint refugees streaming into the area from Missouri in
1839, Galland, later a Mormon convert, sold the Church large plots of land on
both sides of the river, including several thousand acres in and near
Montrose. John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Brigham
Young set up temporary residences in the abandoned Fort before moving
across the river into Nauvoo. It was here that Joseph Smith performed
several miraculous healings among the sick in 1839. Eventually
enough Latter-day Saints settled in and around Montrose (about 600) that the
short-lived Iowa or Zarahemla Stake was
organized in 1841 (D&C 125:3-4). Gradually most of the Saints crossed over
the river into Nauvoo. Montrose was later remembered as the sad gathering place
of many in the "poor camps" in the wake of the Battle of Nauvoo in
September 1846. The "miracle of the quails" occurred in
October 1846 not far from Montrose.
The
present city of Montrose was incorporated in 1857, and for several years it was
a thriving sawmill and ship repair center on the upper Mississippi. The
construction of the Keokuk Dam in 1912 flooded part of the original townsite.
Today Montrose is a quiet river town of barely 1,000 inhabitants.
SOURCES
Cook, Lyndon W. "Isaac
Galland—Mormon Benefactor." BYU Studies 19 (Spring 1979):
261-84.
Hancock, Russell (Mrs.). Montrose
in Retrospect. Montrose: Telcon, 1969.
Kimball, Stanley B. "Nauvoo
West: The Mormons of the Iowa Shore." BYU Studies 18
(Winter 1978): 132-42.
RICHARD E. BENNETT
