Saturday. March 14, 2009 all the missionaries were taken for a tour of the property by Dave McEwen. Dave has been studying Adam-ondi-Ahman for years and has many maps, pictures and written things about it. He spoke in the fireside last Sunday and now was willing to hike around and show us places that we had never seen.
We started at Spring Hill. This is the highest point for miles around. Many people feel this is the place where Joseph dedicated as a temple site. There has also been recorded that he said that he found an altar site. There are probably several altar sites on AOA. The temple site dedication was recorded by Wilford Woodruff. In 1895 Benjamin Johnson wrote about Joseph teaching them here that Adam gathered his posterity here. At the time of his writing, there were still remains of an altar of Adam, though not one stone was upon another.
People for years have been searching on the property for a grotto where gold was supposed to be hidden, though that seems a legend. We drove down by “Preacher’s Rock.” A number of cabins were built near here. There is a marker where Lyman Wight’s second cabin was located and also one for John D. Lee. John’s was built down in the valley and probably was flooded out. The little valley across from Preacher’s Rock was once named Robinson’s Grove and now is know as the Pecan Grove. There are very acoustics there. It is recorded that Adam blessed his family here. Also Joseph is reported to have given sermons at Preacher’s Rock.
Br. McEwen told us about a cannon that the mob has acquired that they were going to use against the Mormons. Joseph sent out his “spy company” (or the Danites ) to find the cannon. It has been buried and the ammo hidden. When our men found it, they brought it back to AOA and fired it three times across the Valley. Then the men gave a Hosanna Shout. The cannon was reported to have been taken to SLC and called “Ol’ Sow.” Now days there are seven cannons in SLC and no one is sure which one was at AOA.
In June 1838 John Smith, an uncle, was called as the third stake president in the church here in Adam-ondi-Ahman. During the Missouri Wars, our men camped under terrible circumstances in Robinson’s Grove. They had very little in supplies and were freezing. To warm the men up, they held mock battles throwing snowballs at each other. It did the trick of warming them up and also of lifting their spirits.
There is a well near Preacher’s Rock that belonged to Lyman Wight. The prophet Joseph helped hand dig the well. We were able to see it and there is water in it today. A young boy was asked to dedicate it and blessed it so it would always flow. After two weeks, the well was dry. The boy lost his testimony over this. There is a wagon wheel road near the well that leads back into an area where cabins were built. One of the sister missionaries had ancestors that had a cabin there. Today there is a cement foundation of was under a cabin built in 1895 by Clayton Barlow. Clayton for years was the person that tourists came to learn from on the property.
We drove to the other end of Spring Hill. John Smith’s home was here among the 25 cabins built on this site. They said that they could make one cabin a day. Once again things were organized to act as if they would stay there. There was a brick manufactory site and also a blacksmith site. This is where the town square was laid out by Joseph Smith, and where the town of Adam-ondi-Ahman was started. Most people there were living in tents or wagon boxes. The orange posts have been placed where building of any sort were built.
It is true that the Mormons went into Gallatin and stole food and clothing. They were starving. By the end the year 1839, the Mormons had been driven from the area all together.
We started at Spring Hill. This is the highest point for miles around. Many people feel this is the place where Joseph dedicated as a temple site. There has also been recorded that he said that he found an altar site. There are probably several altar sites on AOA. The temple site dedication was recorded by Wilford Woodruff. In 1895 Benjamin Johnson wrote about Joseph teaching them here that Adam gathered his posterity here. At the time of his writing, there were still remains of an altar of Adam, though not one stone was upon another.
People for years have been searching on the property for a grotto where gold was supposed to be hidden, though that seems a legend. We drove down by “Preacher’s Rock.” A number of cabins were built near here. There is a marker where Lyman Wight’s second cabin was located and also one for John D. Lee. John’s was built down in the valley and probably was flooded out. The little valley across from Preacher’s Rock was once named Robinson’s Grove and now is know as the Pecan Grove. There are very acoustics there. It is recorded that Adam blessed his family here. Also Joseph is reported to have given sermons at Preacher’s Rock.
Br. McEwen told us about a cannon that the mob has acquired that they were going to use against the Mormons. Joseph sent out his “spy company” (or the Danites ) to find the cannon. It has been buried and the ammo hidden. When our men found it, they brought it back to AOA and fired it three times across the Valley. Then the men gave a Hosanna Shout. The cannon was reported to have been taken to SLC and called “Ol’ Sow.” Now days there are seven cannons in SLC and no one is sure which one was at AOA.
In June 1838 John Smith, an uncle, was called as the third stake president in the church here in Adam-ondi-Ahman. During the Missouri Wars, our men camped under terrible circumstances in Robinson’s Grove. They had very little in supplies and were freezing. To warm the men up, they held mock battles throwing snowballs at each other. It did the trick of warming them up and also of lifting their spirits.
There is a well near Preacher’s Rock that belonged to Lyman Wight. The prophet Joseph helped hand dig the well. We were able to see it and there is water in it today. A young boy was asked to dedicate it and blessed it so it would always flow. After two weeks, the well was dry. The boy lost his testimony over this. There is a wagon wheel road near the well that leads back into an area where cabins were built. One of the sister missionaries had ancestors that had a cabin there. Today there is a cement foundation of was under a cabin built in 1895 by Clayton Barlow. Clayton for years was the person that tourists came to learn from on the property.
We drove to the other end of Spring Hill. John Smith’s home was here among the 25 cabins built on this site. They said that they could make one cabin a day. Once again things were organized to act as if they would stay there. There was a brick manufactory site and also a blacksmith site. This is where the town square was laid out by Joseph Smith, and where the town of Adam-ondi-Ahman was started. Most people there were living in tents or wagon boxes. The orange posts have been placed where building of any sort were built.
It is true that the Mormons went into Gallatin and stole food and clothing. They were starving. By the end the year 1839, the Mormons had been driven from the area all together.
2 comments:
That was so interesting to read! Thanks for the tour and the history lesson. I hope when we are there we will be able to find the gold though. :-)
That sounds really cool. I would love to get to see all of that.
Post a Comment