There exists many differences of opinion about the landing site of Lehi. There has been general agreement that Lehi probably began his exodus to the Promised Land near Khor Karfot, Oman before sailing to the New World. Both the Mesoamerican Theory and the Heartland Theory are in agreement here. Those who believe in the Mesoamerican theory (M2C) think they sailed east towards India. Those of the Heartland Model (HM) feel Lehi sailed west toward the tip of Africa.
You will see more about the discussion below. Those of M2C think Lehi landed somewhere on the west coast of South/Central America and the HM think they landed near the Pan Handle of Florida. Those of M2C feel Lehi landed amongst a large population of Mayans. They also believe the Mayan civilization absorbed the Lehites and that is why today you find only Asian DNA amongst those people of South America. Those of us in the HM feel that Lehi landed amongst a few native hunter gathers in North America. We also believe there has been found Hebrew DNA in the Natives near the Great Lakes. National Geographic
As the scripture says, “this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.” 2 Nephi 1:8. This is why the Vikings and others were not allowed to remain upon the land. We would expect a smaller group that Lehi would greet. I can’t imagine how Nephi could be a King amongst just a few of Lehi’s people, if there was a large contingency of natives on the land previously.
“The Book of Mormon explains that Lehi’s sailing party left a coastline they named “Bountiful” in the Old World. Nephi’s descriptions lead us to believe they left the Arabian peninsula, probably in modern-day Oman or Yemen. They crossed the “many waters” and landed at the promised land: “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we sailed again towards the promised land. And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land.” (1 Nephi 18: 22-23) This description is so vague that it leaves readers with many possibilities for the landing site. We know from Moroni’s statements to Joseph Smith that the Book of Mormon is a record of the ancient inhabitants of “this country” meaning the United States, and of “this continent,” meaning the American continent, but that says nothing about where Lehi’s group originally landed.
As the scripture says, “this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.” 2 Nephi 1:8. This is why the Vikings and others were not allowed to remain upon the land. We would expect a smaller group that Lehi would greet. I can’t imagine how Nephi could be a King amongst just a few of Lehi’s people, if there was a large contingency of natives on the land previously.
Nephi does tell us the approximate season of the year when they left the Old World, and knowing when they left tells us something about which direction they would have sailed. He states: “After we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, an whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.” (1 Nephi 18:6). In the Oman area (see map on p. 30 above), there are two honey harvests each year, (spring and fall) but most fruit is harvested in the fall. That they gathered much fruit just prior to leaving suggests a fall departure. Nephi’s account continues, “…we did put forth into the sea and were driven before the wind…” (1 Nephi 18:8), which suggests that the ship was not traveling contrary to, but in concert with the Northeast monsoon winds that prevail at this season of the year and would have driven the ship southwest, along the eastern coast of Africa (see map on p. 35 above). This route would have rounded the cape into the Atlantic Ocean and followed the currents and winds across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Once there, the route picks up the currents that Columbus utilized when he left Spain and sailed to the Canary Islands off the western coast of Africa having the ship proceeding westward.” Annotated Book of Mormon by David Hocking and Rod Meldrum page 30, 35, 535
*The Amazing Replica Phoenicia 600 BC Ship, has been Purchased by some special people from the Heartland Group. See below.
I want to acknowledge that our friend Wayne May feels strongly that the Mulekites entered the St Lawrence seaway, traveled west on the Great Lakes, and ended up in today’s Montrose, Iowa. I believe the Mulekites traveled a similar route above as Philip Beal traveled in the Phoenicia, as the Mulekites likely traveled up the Mississippi River to the Des Moines Rapids near Montrose, Iowa and stayed there in Zarahemla until Mosiah found them in about 200 to 300 BC. Either choice is fine as none of us knows for sure. As Wayne always says, “I report, you decide”
16 FACTORS- APALACHICOLA, FLORIDA AS THE SITE OF LEHI’S LANDING!
- Navigational Proof: Phoenicia 2009 Expedition (See map above) Blog Here
- Navigational Proof: Phoenicia 2020 Expedition (See map above) Blog Here
- Length of voyage: 4-6 months vs. 14-18 months around the Pacific route.
- Time of Year: Leave in Sept or Oct. Full Harvest. Land in March or April?
- Archaeology: 500-700 BC Mounds and Relics. Pierce Mounds, Florida.
- Bees and Honey: Only place in the world for Tupelo Honey. Apalachicola, FL.
- Similar Latitude: Seeds would grow. 30° 26′ 17″ N (Tallahassee, FL) 30° 04’42” N (Cairo, Egypt) 31° 46′ 48″ N (Jerusalem) 19° 43’ 26” N (Mexico City) 15° 30′ 0″ N (Guatemala)
- Mostly Unoccupied Area: 2 Nephi 1:8/Not overrun. Nephi=King
- Wind Currents: Leaving Oman in Sept (honey & fruit ripe), wind currents flow toward horn of Africa.
- Promised Land: Book of Mormon speaks of a Land of Liberty. (36 others) USA, not Mesoamerica
- Abundance of Food: Oman and Florida both called “A” Land Bountiful
- Same Land as Jaredites: [Cumorah and Ramah]
- Food prehistoric people needed: Deer, small mammals, Turtles. Bison, Mammoths, Bear, Elk further north.
- Signs of Hebrew writing or relics: Bat Creek Stone, Holy Stones, Hebrew Earthworks, etc.
- Access to Rivers: Chattahoochee only river source brings ice into the gulf.
- Cumoros is off the south-east coast of Africa, to the north-west of Madagascar, where Lehi would have been. It’s capital city is MORONI. I doubt it is a coincidence.
- The Phoenicia 2009 ship captain Philip Beale said, the ship was moving backwards but the compass said they were going forward at a few points near the tip of Africa where the currents change. 1 Nephi 18:23
Pierce Mounds in Apalachicola, FL- Most Likely Land of Lehi’s Inheritance
The mounds were named for Alton Pierce, an early owner of the site. Much of the site is now on private property and inaccessible to the public. I personally visited these 13- Pierce mounds with Mike and Betty LaFontaine and a few of their friends on Oct 2017 with George Mahr the owner of the property. We saw and walked and dug around the surface of these mounds which also included a sizeable temple mound and a shell midden more than a mile long, shared with a bustling village the area around what is now Magnolia Cemetery. Daniel Seinfeld of Apalachicola times wrote the following: “The people who lived there were prosperous and powerful, influencing trade traffic to the north along Apalachicola River and to the east and west along the Gulf Coast. They were spared the hard work of farming by an abundance of seafood and game as well as wild fruit and nuts. There is evidence they imported cornmeal to broaden their diet. Skilled potters who produced both fanciful and utilitarian objects, they buried their dead with precious objects including silver, copper and pearls. The settlement was founded around 500 BC. Around the same time, the Scandinavian Iron Age began, the Chinese developed the handheld trigger crossbow, and burnt brick and donkey-powered grain mills were used for the first time in Greece.
World population had reached 100 million, 15 million of whom lived in the Western Hemisphere. “The (Pierce Mounds people) hauled soil in baskets or sacks or dragged it on hides or cloths to pile it up and build mounds,” White wrote. “They made both beautiful and plain pots, paints, points, pipes, musical instruments, and other artifacts, and used many in special ceremonies that also involved burnt offerings to accompany burial of their dead. “Wolves, panthers, other cats, but maybe even grub worms too were among the animals they considered important for more than just food. They hunted, fished, gathered nuts, chopped down and burned trees, made canoes, played chunkey and other games,” she wrote.
Editor’s Note: This sounds just like a people called the Nephites in my opinion.
Daniel continues, “At the time these first mounds were built, Greek engineers invented the catapult and the Acropolis was planned. Socrates lived and was executed for corrupting the youth of Athens. London was a collection of thatched huts boasting a wooden pier and surrounded by a mud wall. 
[Nancy] White writes that the settlement at Turtle Harbor persisted until shortly before “the European invasion of Florida” in the 16th century. Why the Pierce Mound people left is unclear. Complete Archeological report from Nancy White here! Treasures taken from the site are in museum collections as far away as London, along with unpublished records and drawings from early excavations. Much of White’s research on Apalachicola’s prehistory took place in libraries. “This shows the value of the immensely difficult and complex labor of digging into unpublished field notes and maps, museum accession data, courthouse records, and other original sources,” she wrote. ” Today many think research is something done online. But there is a wealth of unpublished, dusty old paper out there with information that can greatly change or help interpretation.” Artifacts at the British Museum were probably purchased, a common practice during the 19th century. The museum’s collection includes a clay pipe and four stone artifacts, obtained in 1869, from a dig at “Turtle Harbor near Apalachicola” and stone and shell tools and pottery, acquired in 1875, are “from mounds near Apalachicola.” Pottery from Pierce Mounds is showcased at the Smithsonian.
An Ancient Tourist Attraction
Just as ancient cities today hold a charm and fascination, White believes that over time, the attraction of the Pierce Mounds grew. Certainly, it was a center of commerce and drew visitors from far away but it may also have been a place for religious pilgrimages, an ancient tourist attraction. “The earlier mounds may have become sacred places for later people to come to pray, worship ancestors known or thought to have been (buried) there, or just feel a sense of the spiritual beyond everyday life, or a sense of territory and patriotism,” White wrote. European settlers in Apalachicola collected many artifacts, a practice that continued well into the 20th century. Indeed, on the east end of the cemetery, it appears the remains of a mound or midden is currently being bulldozed for fill, she wrote.
In 1888, H. L. Grady of Apalachicola collected artifacts that his heirs apparently donated to what would become the Florida Museum of Natural History. C.B Moore, a well-heeled and colorful archaeologist, carried out the first organized excavation at Pierce Mounds. He published a spectacular account of the dig in 1902. Moore excavated many Native American sites in the Southeast, around the turn of the 19th century, often traveling to them in his steamboat the “Gopher” accompanied by a lifelong male companion who was his personal physician. By the time Moore visited the site around 1898, the temple mound had been mined for fill. He described 99 burials from Mound A, including skeletons, weapons, jewelry and pottery In the 1940s, Gordon Willey, whose work laid the foundation for New World archaeology, visited the Pierce Mounds and performed additional excavations. By the 1990s, Willey was retired but continued to write. Among his works was a mystery novel, “Selena,” a story in which an elderly archaeologist becomes embroiled in sexual antics and murder in a fictitious Panhandle town. White said the Pierce Mounds are featured in the story as the “Bull Mounds.” William Sears, another archaeologist, excavated here in the 1950s, followed by Dan Penton who visited in 1972 and again in 1996. White said Penton told her the Muscogee Indian nation still considers the Pierce site sacred and tobacco offerings are made there. In 1975, architect Willoughby Marshall hired Robert S. Carr to examine historic sites for “Apalachicola: Economic Development through Historic Preservation.” Carr quotes from a manuscript by local memoirist, Dwight Marshall, who said the railroad construction cut through “some of the Indian mounds near the cemetery. They dug up skeletons of Indians that were a foot taller than the average man of today and also other items of pottery. The Smithsonian Institute sent some men here on the Steamer Gopher…” In reality, Moore was sponsored by the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia so it’s unclear how much of Marshall’s account is accurate.
Cool Springs Mound is missing
In 1994, the US Department of State tried and failed to buy part of the Pierce site, both for historical preservation and to conserve surrounding wetlands. Shortly afterwards, a team from the Florida Department of Historical Resources’ Bureau of Archaeological Research visited the Pierce site. White and her students inspected the artifacts DHR recovered and her work on the mounds began. She has located the sites of all but one of the 13 mounds, named Cool Springs Mound, a 7.5-foot high and 90 feet in diameter mound located as of 1902 on the western outskirts of Apalachicola. Now, it is probably in the neighborhood just east of Magnolia Cemetery. What will happen to the Pierce Mounds is unclear. In 1974, Pierce Mounds was added to the National Register of Historic Places but the designation provides no protection.
“The beauty and monumental nature of the Pierce mounds complex remains impressive today, even with the damage to so much of the site,” White wrote. “It is crucial that Pierce be preserved as much as possible, for so many reasons, from heritage conservation to ecological issues to scientific research potential.” Apalachicola resident George Mahr, who owns the undeveloped remains of the Pierce site, invited White to work there and supported much of her research. He hopes either to develop the land preserving the archaeological site or to sell the land for conservation purposes. He has fenced the site in an effort to preserve it but said the problem of trespassers in the area is a constant challenge. White asked to remind everyone these mounds are a burial site and it is illegal to disturb, possess or sell human remains in Florida. If the remains are from someone who has been dead for more than 75 years, activities at the site of a suspected grave may not resume until the state archaeologist has been notified of the unmarked burial. To notify the state archaeologist, call Daniel Seinfeld at 850-245-6301 850-245-6301 or email him at [email protected]
Mounds at Turtle Harbor from Turtle Harbor Mounds on Vimeo.
Truncated Pyramids
Truncated pyramids are associated with all the large Mississippian towns in the Mississippi River Basin . . . hence their anthropological name. The earliest “Mississippian” town in traditional Creek territory, Ocmulgee National Monument, began construction of a rectangular, pyramidal mound (Mound A ~ the Great Temple Mound) around 900 AD. However, at least four pyramidal mounds in Georgia predate the one at Ocmulgee by around 1200 to 800 years. They are at (1) Kolomoki Mounds [300-700 AD] in SW Georgia, (2) the Mandeville [800 BC-600 AD] in SW Georgia, (3) 9FU14 sites on the Chattahoochee River in SW Metro Atlanta and at (3) the Leake Site [300 Bc – 650 AD] on the Etowah River in NW Metro Atlanta. The Kenimer Mound [550-700 AD] also probably predated Ocmulgee’s Mound A [800-900 AD] by about 300 years. However, it is a pentagonal pyramid.
“The Nephites could not possibly have lived among the Mayans” by Jonathan Neville
Moroni’s America position- If you believe in the New York Cumorah, you will likely view this LiDAR discovery as additional evidence that the Nephites could not possibly have lived among the Mayans.
I think the text shows Lehi’s colony landing in the promised land, planting their own seeds, finding animals and ore in the wilderness, all while completely unimpeded by any existing civilization. (1 Ne. 18:23-5). I think Lehi’s observation that “this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations” was accurate; i.e., that there were no “other nations” in the promised land where they landed, “for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance” (2 Nephi 1:8). I do think think there were some indigenous people who went with Nephi when he fled (2 Nephi 5:6), but I infer they were unorganized hunter/gatherers that did not qualify as any sort of “nation” and were impressed by the Jewish immigrants’ technology, language, etc.
In my view, it is difficult enough to believe that Lehi’s family, a relative handful of immigrants from a distant culture speaking a different language, could have arrived and started planting crops on unclaimed land in Mesoamerica, encountering no resistance, but it is even more difficult to believe Lehi’s descendants could have managed to rule as kings and chief judges over even a part of a Mayan civilization, and that in the midst of this Mayan civilization, King Mosiah could have escaped with the Nephites into the wilderness and found a much larger group of illiterate people (the people of Zarahemla) who possessed exactly one engraven stone.
Now that we are learning from LiDAR that the Mayan civilization was even larger, more densely populated, and more sophisticated than we previously realized, the Book of Mormon seems even less plausible in that setting. IOW, the grander the Mayan civilization, the less likely it is that Lehi landed anywhere near that civilization.
This view is based on the text and has nothing directly to do with the New York Cumorah, but it does confirm my bias in favor of the New York Cumorah. _____
M2C position. If you believe the M2C position that Cumorah is not in New York and that the entire Book of Mormon took place in Mesoamerica, you will likely view this LiDAR discovery as additional evidence that the Nephites must have lived among the Mayans.
The basic M2C concept is described in the Meridian Magazine article. It is the idea that the Nephites were absorbed into Mayan culture. That’s why there is no Israelite DNA in Central America, no traces of Nephite languages or the law of Moses or Christian beliefs and practices, etc. M2C proponents believe there were bottlenecks (both DNA-related and cultural) that screened out Nephite cultural influence.” Jonathan Neville blog here
Annotated Book of Mormon
“Within recent years there has arisen among certain students of the Book of Mormon a theory to the effect that within the period covered by the Book of Mormon, the Nephites and Lamanites were confined almost entirely within the borders of the territory comprising Central America and the southern portion of Mexico—the isthmus of Tehuantepec probably being the “narrow neck” of land spoken of in the Book of Mormon rather than the Isthmus of Panama (See Alma 50:34; 52:9; 63:5; Mormon 2:29; 3:5). This theory is founded upon the assumption that it was impossible for the colony of Lehi’s to multiply and fill the hemisphere within the limits of 1,000 years, or from the coming of Lehi from Jerusalem to the time of the destruction of the Nephites at the Hill Cumorah. Moreover, they claim that the story in the Book of Mormon of the migrations, building of cities, and the wars and contentions, preclude the possibility of the people spreading over great distances such as we find within the borders of North and South America. “If we are willing to accept the Bible record, which is confirmed by the Doctrine and Covenants, the entire civilization of the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family (See Gen 6; 7; 8; Moses 7:36–43). Moreover, this destruction took place less than 5,000 years ago, and today the population of the earth, notwithstanding wars and destructions, is estimated [in 1954] at over 2,000,000,000 souls [2018 population estimated at 7,600,000,000, has nearly quadrupled in just 64 years]. The population of Europe, based upon the best records available, is vastly increased over that at the time of the discovery of America; yet upon this hemisphere are to be found hundreds of millions of people, descendants of European and Asiatic ancestors who knew nothing of this land before the discovery by Columbus. The rapid increase of posterity is known to every genealogist who has traced the record of the early settlers in this western country. “This modernistic theory of necessity, in order to be consistent, must place the waters of Ripliancum and the Hill Cumorah some place within the restricted territory of Central America, notwithstanding the teachings of the Church to the contrary for upwards of 100 years. Because of this theory some members of the Church have become confused and greatly disturbed in their faith in the Book of Mormon. It is for this reason that evidence is here presented to show that it is not only possible that these places could be located as the Church has held during the past century, but that in very deed such is the case. It is known that the Hill Cumorah where the Nephites were destroyed is the hill where the Jaredites were also destroyed. This hill was known to the Jaredites as Ramah. It was approximately near to the waters of Ripliancum, which the Book of Ether says, ‘by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all’ – Ether 15:8. Mormon adds: ‘And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents round about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites,’ (Mormon 6:4)” –
Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, Edited by Bruce R. McConkie, Vol. 3 [1999] 232–243. As stated on page 441 SPECULATION ABOUT BOOK OF MORMON GEOGRAPHY
Moroni’s America
“In an effort to explain the discrepancy between the enumerated (small) population and the large population implied by having wars and building a temple, proponents of a Mesoamerican setting suggest that–
“When the Book of Mormon peoples entered the not-empty New World, they entered a land that was not only populated, but which already boasted highly developed civilizations. The Book of Mormon does not explain Mesoamerican peoples—but Mesoamerican peoples help explain the Book of Mormon… With such a small Lehite population entering an established region with a significantly larger population, the most logical direction of cultural borrowing would have been from the established indigenous population to the small population that had originated in Jerusalem.[i]
This suggestion contradicts the text, in my opinion. I agree with the likelihood that the Nephites encountered indigenous people, but far from “cultural borrowing” from any “established indigenous population,” Nephi keeps the law of Moses and is soon teaching his people how to build a temple, make weapons, etc., as we’ll see in the next section.
Father Lehi’s statement about “other nations” directly contradicts the idea that the Nephites landed among “highly developed civilizations” that existed in Mesoamerica. On the other hand, Lehi’s statement is compatible with the various hunter/gatherer groups identified in the archaeological evidence in the southeastern United States at the time. Such groups would naturally be attracted to new arrivals who brought with them productive seeds for food, advanced technology for weapons and buildings, a written language and other benefits.
Another possibility for the relatively large population during Nephi’s lifetime is that Lehi brought servants along with him. I consider this likely.
Erastus Snow noted that, “The Prophet Joseph informed us that… Ishmael was of the lineage of Ephraim, and that his sons married into Lehi’s family, and Lehi’s sons married Ishmael’s daughters…these descendants of Manasseh and Ephraim grew together upon this American continent.”[ii]
In his analysis of Lehi’s group, John Sorenson noted that “Nothing is said about Zoram’s ancestry, but it seems statistically likely, given his bureaucratic/military role in Jerusalem, that he was a Jew, while both Lehi and Ishmael counted descent from Joseph.”[iii] This would make all of Lehi’s group “Israelites, principally the descendants of Joseph,” which is how Orson Pratt described them in his 1840 pamphlet.[iv] However, Joseph Smith made a correction to this language when he wrote the Wentworth Letter. Joseph wrote, “They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph.”[v] It is possible that Joseph Smith was referring to Zoram after all, clarifying he was not a Jew. He may have been referring to those who accompanied the Mulekites (presumably Phoenicians). But it is also possible that he was referring to others who accompanied Lehi.
Here are John Sorenson’s comments on that topic.
Were there servants? No mention is made of male or female servants, yet it is possible that there were some. At first glance, 1 Nephi 2:4 would seem to rule that out, since reference is made only to Lehi’s taking “his family.” Yet Near Eastern usage would not rule out including servants under that heading without specifically distinguishing them. Lehi’s “great wealth” would seem to have called for at least female servants in the household. Nephi’s hesitancy about even adding Zoram to their party would not apply in the case of family retainers, who would have known no other life than service to Lehi and Sariah and had no alternative place in society in the land of Jerusalem even if they dreamed of defecting. I do not consider it likely that there were such people along, but the door should not be shut on the possibility, for they might account for some genetic variety in the colony as well as providing additional hands for the construction of the ship when they reached Bountiful.
Finally, I note that Lynn M. Hilton has proposed in an unpublished paper that Laman and Lemuel took dark-skinned South Arabian women as second wives during the sojourn in Bountiful, thus accounting for the skin color attributed to the Lamanites in the promised land in America. That the party had social interaction with local inhabitants in Bountiful on the south Arabian coast does seem likely, even inevitable. Among other things, Nephi claims “neither did I build the ship after the manner of men” (1 Nephi 18:2), implying that he had knowledge of other ships which almost certainly would have existed on that coast. However, Jacob 3:5, which credits the Lamanites with a tradition of strict monogamy, goes against the Hilton suggestion, but Lehi could have picked up families, or single people who married Lehi’s servants. We simply don’t know.
I think it is likely Lehi brought servants. The journey from Jerusalem through the wilderness would have been arduous for any small group, but also dangerous. Lehi was a wealthy man, and likely accustomed to desert travel; in the context of the times, he would have had servants to assist him in his work, as well as to assist the household. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that Lehi would have sent all of his sons back to Jerusalem, leaving Lehi and Sariah and their daughters alone in the wilderness, if he did not have servants. Perhaps he also sent servants to accompany his sons on their trips to Jerusalem.
Joseph Smith said the group was “principally Israelites,” so some of them were not. Apart from Zoram, the record gives no specifics on the identity of these non-Israelites. Had Zoram been the only exception, would Joseph have used the term “principally?” The term refers to rank or importance, not merely numbers, so even a significant number of non-Israelite servants would leave the group “principally Israelites.”
Mesoamerican advocates have considered but rejected the notion that Lehi’s party included servants or people from Arabia,[vi] but I think that approach reflects a desire to show that Lehi landed among a sophisticated Mesoamerican population. In my view, that idea contradicts the text.
To summarize: I think Lehi brought servants and landed in a mostly uninhabited area in Florida, among a small population of hunter/gatherers who lacked a well-organized society.” Moroni’s America pages 84-85
[i] Brant Gardner, Traditions of the Fathers, pp. 153-4.
[ii] Erastus Snow, “God’s Peculiar People,” Journal of Discourses, 23:184, available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni38.
[iii] John Sorenson, “The Composition of Lehi’s Family,” in By Study and Also by Faith, (Neal A. Maxwell Institute), available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni39.
[iv] Orson Pratt, A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, p. 15, available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni40.
[v] The Wentworth letter was published in the 1 March 1842 Times and Seasons. The Historical Introduction in the Joseph Smith Papers explains that the letter echoes some wording from Pratt’s pamphlet. The letter is available online at http://bit.ly/Moroni41.
[vi] E.g., Brant Gardner, Traditions of the Fathers, p. 156.
*Heartland Research Agreed to Purchase the Phoenicia for Display on the West Bank of the River Sidon at the Zarahemla Temple Site in Montrose, Iowa.
December 13, 2021, inspired and special members of Heartland Research, John Lefgren and Mike and Betty LaFontaine, negotiated with the shipowner Philip Beale, the terms for purchasing the Phoenicia, a faithful replica of a ship which made two voyages in 2009 and in 2020 of over 30,000 nautical miles.
It was demonstrated in this replica 600 BC Phoenician style Ship which Captain Beale built and sailed, validating the possible sea route of bringing Mulek, the Prince of Judah, from Jerusalem to Zarahemla in the 6th Century before Christ. (Tunisia to Florida in 2020), along with the voyage of the same Phoenicia in 2009 making a voyage possible of bringing Lehi and his family from Oman, to Florida, as Captain Beale demonstrated in his voyage to circumnavigate a trade-route around Africa similar to Herodotus in 500 BC. (The 2009 Phoenicia traveled from Oman to near Florida and finally to Lebanon). These friends of the Heartland Group have done the world a service.
There are current Sept 2023 updates at the heartland Research website phoenicia.rocks
To read and download a special 26-page book called “Sidon to Sidon” See below
Click to Download: https://bookofmormonevidence.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Sidon-to-Sidon-Slides-2.pdf
Put cursor on picture below to begin reading and scrolling the article.
