I am here suggesting some of the possible cities of today that may match up with ancient Book of Mormon cities. This blog will focus on Tennessee area, but I will cover other surrounding areas briefly as well. I base this off of the following pins on the map that are based on scripture, revelation, and the words of Joseph Smith. With this matching archaeology the words of elder Perry make sense, “The United States is the promised land foretold in the Book of Mormon—a place where divine guidance directed inspired men to create the conditions necessary for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Elder L. Tom Perry Ensign Dec. 2012
1- Cumorah is Ontario County, NY D&C 128, Letter VII
2- Zarahemla in Montrose, IA Blog,D&C 125
3- Joseph’s Letter to Emma from Atlas, IL- “Wandering over the Plains of the Nephites.”
4- The story of Zelph in Valley, City, IL, during Zion’s Camp
Other possible locations of the Nephites that are plausible based on rivers, geology, text, archaeology, wind currents, available ores, days of travel, latitudes, and other criteria are below. I have no desire to convince anyone, but to allow you the opportunity to travel a possible route to help make sense of the geography.
1- Lehi landing near Tallahassee, FL Blog
2- Nephi escaping north by the Chattahoochee River to north GA, and eastern TN Blog
3- City Nephi near the city of Chattanooga, TN
4- Amulon near Nephi with Zarahemla being about 8 days north of Helam
Additional Geography in the Book of Mormon
Nearly all those familiar with the early statements by the Prophet touching on potential Book of Mormon lands know that he clearly indicated them to be in North America. This is evident in the historically verified accounts wherein he declared revelation such as in the Wentworth Letter, the American Revivalist Account, the Zelph Accounts and Joseph’s handwritten letter to Emma while on Zion’s camp. In addition, the prophet revealed a Nephite altar at Adam-ondi-Ahman, mentioned the land of Manti was near Huntsville, Missouri, and revealed that this land was “the borders of the Lamanites” (see D&C 54:8). Furthermore he received revelation from the Lord for the location of Zarahemla (see D&C 125:3) and New Jerusalem (see D&C 84:1-6) which Christ Himself declared to be on Book of Mormon lands (3 Nephi 20:22), both of which are absolutely located in North America. These accounts and their indications are not speculation based, but historically documented.
Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 1841, concerning the Saints in the territory of Iowa. D&C 125:3-4 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.
AMULON & HELAM
“AMULON (Near Old Stone Fort TN)- One of the most prominent of the degraded priests of king Noah. He undoubtedly took an active part in the martyrdom of the Prophet Abinadi, though not mentioned by name. (About B. C. 150). When king Noah was burned to death by his enraged subjects, they would have killed his priests also, but the latter fled before them into the depths of the wilderness. Here the priests hid for a lengthened period, both afraid and ashamed to return to their families. In this dilemma, being without wives, they surprised and carried off a number of Lamanite maidens, who had gathered to a much-frequented spot in the land of Shemlon, on mirth and pleasure intent. This act led to a war between the Lamanites and the Nephites in the land of Lehi-Nephi, which was soon put to an end when the trouble was understood. Amulon and his associates with their Lamanite wives settled in and commenced to cultivate the land of Amulon. There they were discovered by the Lamanite soldiery who were searching for the people of Limhi, but as they plead most abjectly for mercy, in which petitions they were joined by their Lamanite companions, the Lamanites had compassion on them and did not destroy them, because of their wives (B. C. 121). Amulon and his brethren then joined the Lamanites, and soon after the king made Amulon the ruler, under his supreme authority, of the lands of Amulon and Helam. By this appointment Amulon and his associates became the overseers of the people of Alma, and right brutally did they use their authority in oppressing the people of God, until the day that the Lord delivered them. Amulon and his brethren were also made teachers and educators of the Lamanites by king Laman. These ex-priests instructed the people in the learning of the Nephites, but they taught them nothing concerning the Lord or the law of Moses. Of Amulon’s death we have no record.” A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon by George Reynolds AMULON, LAND OF. A portion of the great wilderness tying between the lands of Zarahemla and Nephi, settled by Amulon and his associate priests of Noah. Amulon was made its tributary ruler by the reigning monarch of the Lamanites, whose sovereignty he was compelled to acknowledge. This land afterwards became a stronghold for Nephite apostates. [See Alma chapter 24:1.] A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon by George Reynolds HELAM. A Nephite of the land of Lehi-Nephi, in the days of king Noah. He accepted the teachings of Alma, the elder, and was the first man baptized by him in the waters of Mormon. One thing remarkable about his baptism is that both he and Alma were together buried in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit of God. We have no further mention of Helam; but from the fact that the land (eight days’ journey from Mormon) to which Alma and the saints soon fled, received the name of Helam from them, it is highly probable that Helam was one of the leading officers of the church established by Alma, and greatly respected by the people. HELAM, LAND OF. The country immediately surrounding the city of Helam. It lay somewhere between the cities of Lehi-Nephi and Zarahemla; eight days’ journey, for emigrants, from the former city, and fourteen from the latter. It is only mentioned in the Book of Mormon in connection with its occupancy for a few years by the persecuted people of Alma. After they left, it fell into the hands of the Lamanites and became a subdivision of the land of Nephi.” A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon by George Reynolds 
HELAM, CITY OF.(Near Pinson Mounds TN) The city built by the people of Alma, the elder, in the land of Helam, eight days’ journey from the waters of Mormon, in the direction of Zarahemla, when that people fled from the murderous persecutions of king Noah. After a few years of peaceful occupancy it was discovered and taken possession of by the Lamanites, and placed by the king under the rule of Amulon, one of the former priests of Noah. By him and his associates the Christian people of Helam were outrageously abused, until the Lord, in His mercy, opened up the way for their escape. These events took place, as near as can be told, between the years B. C. 147 and B. C. 122. Nothing is recorded of the history of this city after it was deserted by the people of Helam.” A Dictionary of the Book of Mormon by George Reynolds
Below I will share with you some amazing archaeological finds near the proposed cities of Amulon, Helam, and Nephi. There are hundreds of artifacts that fit into the timeline of the Book of Mormon in these areas.
SABERTOOTH CAT 7500 BC IN NASHVILLE, TN HUMAN BONES FOUND IN THE SAME GRAVE 1800 BC-33 AD
THE NASHVILLE SMILODON: AN ACCOUNT OF THE 1971 FIRST AMERICAN CENTER SITE INVESTIGATIONS IN DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE John T. Dowd During the summer of 1971, construction activity in downtown Nashville, Tennessee exposed cave deposits containing the remains of a saber-tooth cat. Salvage excavation of the deposits by the Southeastern Indian Antiquities Survey (SIAS) yielded other early faunal remains as well, including horse, mammoth, peccary, and possibly musk ox. Human remains discovered above the early faunal remains were determined to be of much later origin. This report documents the author’s first-hand account of events surrounding the 1971 site discovery. Brief Summary of the 1977 Guilday Analysis Results The First American Center was completed in 1974 with a preserved Pleistocene cave section 30 feet under its lowest floor level. 
REGARDING THE HUMAN SPECIMENS, Ferguson noted “The human material represents four persons buried in prepared, rock-lined crypts near the ceiling of the cavern, in a narrow space. They were secondary , or bundle, burials and were moderately flattened on the frontal bone…. Radiocarbon dates later proved that the separation was 7,000 years or better. The Sabertooth cat had died about 9,000 years ago while the bones of the human had been buried in the fill near the top of the cave about the time of Christ. Tennessee Archaeology volume 5 summer 2010 NUMBER 1 Michael C. Moore Tennessee Division of Archaeology Kevin E. Smith Middle Tennessee State University Well over 1000 pieces of bone were found (including human) and his report lists some 520 pieces that could be identified. The fauna (and number of specimens) identified from the site included: A HUMAN tibia submitted to Geochron (Sample GX-2471) was dated at 1690 + 115 years B.P. A human tibia was also submitted to the University of Georgia Geochronology Laboratory (Betty Brandau) (Sample UGA-334). The date obtained was 2390 + 145 B.P. Given the disparity of these datings one may assume the time of Christ as central, or more generally the Woodland Period as first surmised.
Minimally they were deposited some 6,000 years after the Sabertooth and were separated by many feet of cave fill. Archaeological, geological, and radiocarbon age determination dates all indicate a wide separation in time between the deposition of the Pleistocene animal and the human bones. TWO BONE SAMPLES FROM THE SABERTOOTH cat were also sent to two different labs to see how they would match up. Rib and vertebrae fragments sent to Teledyne Isotopes (I-6125) yielded a date of 9410 + 155 years B.P. The proximal end of a humerus sent to Geochron Labs (GX- 2562) dated 10,035 + 650 years B.P.
North American Skeletal Evidence
SABER-TOOTH CAT (119) HORSE (92) COTTONTAIL RABBIT (44) NORTHERN PINE SNAKE (41) UNIDENTIFIED SNAKE (40) RACCOON (36) BOBCAT (24) LONG-NOSED PECCARY (23) RATTLESNAKE (20) RACER (18) WHITE-TAILED DEER (12) EASTERN MOLE (8) SWAMP RABBIT (7) DEER MOUSE (5) TOAD (5) UNIDENTIFIED FISH SCALES (3) DOG (3) PINE OR PRAIRIE VOLE (3) 
COPPERHEAD (3) DOMESTIC HOG (2) OPOSSUM (2) POSSIBLE BISON (1) MASTODON (1) MUSK OX (1) MUD TURTLE (1) WATER SNAKE (1) GARTER SNAKE (1) WORM SNAKE (1) MILK SNAKE (1) AMERICAN COOT (1) LEAST SHREW (1) SHORT-TAILED SHREW (1) GRAY OR FOX SQUIRREL (1) POCKET GOPHER (1) STRIPED SKUNK (1)
Approximately 9,500 years ago (7,500 B.C), a Smilodon (Smilodon floridanus), more commonly known as a Saber-toothed Cat… entered a cave in the area of what is now downtown Nashville. It wasn’t the first creature to enter this cave, we know that a long-nosed peccary as well as mastodon entered and all met their fate. After they died, their remains lay bare on the cave floor and over the millennia the cave began to fill with boulders and other material. Eventually this material went through a dessication (drying-out) process and cracks formed. Over 30 other species of animal entered the cave and died including toads, mud turtle’s, various snakes, opossums, shrews, moles, rabbits, squirrels, gophers, dog/wolf, bobcat, bison, and deer. Native American’s of the Woodland Period also entered to bury their dead (4) in prepared, rock-lined crypts. From the period where the Smilodon entered on, the cave slowly filled with boulders and other material that washed in from above, sending some of these remains down through the cracks resulting from the desiccation, below the original level at which they laid. 
At some point later, possibly in more modern times, the original entrance was possibly built over sealing the contents of the cave like a time capsule. Fast forward to August of 1971… mechanical excavations were proceeding of what would become the foundation of the then First American National Bank (now the UBS Building) when one of the contractors removing blasted limestone bedrock for the building foundation noticed a bone in the bucket of his excavator. It ended up being a 9-inch long upper maxillary canine, the iconic fang of a saber tooth cat.
1,000 Bones Recovered
Once the bones were identified, Vanderbilt University and the Southeastern Indian Antiquities Survey (SIAS) were contacted and conducted excavations during the fall of 1971. More than 1,000 bones were recovered. Sadly, geologic analysis revealed that 80-90% of the cave was destroyed by construction efforts before the remains were found so it is not known how large the actual cavern was or where exactly the original entrance was. Since the find clearly generated a great deal of interest in the local community, the First American National Bank had the foresight to redesign the building to preserve the remaining intact portion of the site for future archaeological investigations. The foundation was vaulted over the remaining cave and the cave made accessible via a steel hatch and 20-foot ladder bolted into the substructure in the bank’s parking garage. 
The next known entry to the cave was by Larry Johnson and members of the Nashville Grotto in 1978 hoping to find remaining passages but only found only the open space. I reached out to Mr. Johnson who was kind enough to speak with me about the trip, but sadly, no photos remain from this trip. For the next several decades, a portion of the sabertooth cat remains resided in building lobby on display (then called the Regions Bank (Nashville branch), though the centerpiece skull is actually a replica cast from a Smilodon found in the La Brea Tar Pits site in California. The iconic fang is that was found at the site was not present. The location of the fang is unknown though it is thought that the human remains from the site reside at Vanderbilt University. In 1997, the National Hockey League awarded Nashville an expansion franchise and it was decided that their name and logo would be inspired by the smilodon remains that were found back in 1971. Their name became The Nashville Predators. In 2008, Tennessee Archaeologists including Aaron Deter-Wolf visited the site to see if the site was of future archaeological interest. They found that very little of the original cavern was intact and what remains was only approximately 5 feet below the base of the entrance ladder. This lies below the layers that the Smilodon was found so it was determined that it would be unlikely that any archaeological remains could be found, but there might be material of interest from a geological or paleontological perspective. 
More recently, the saber-toothed cat remains were moved from the UBS building to Nashville Visitor Center in the Arena tower of Bridgestone Arena and were unveiled at the November 8, 2016 game against Ottawa. In researching, attempts were made to request gain access to the First American Cave under the UBS building to allow more current photos to be taken, but building ownership declined. A special thanks to TDOA Archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf for his support and providing photos and information for this post. https://www.exploringthisbluedot.com/2017/05/the-nashville-predator-first-american.html
THE SOGOM SITE (40DV68): A MISSISSIPPIAN FARMSTEAD ONCOCKRILL BEND, DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE Mark R. Norton and John B. Broster Archaeological excavations for a new state prison in Davidson County uncovered a Mississippian farmstead at the Sogom site (40Dv68). A refuse-filled pit with shell-tempered plain and cord marked ceramics near the Mississippian structure yielded a corrected radiocarbon date of cal A.D. 1033-1160. This date places the Mississippian occupation at 40Dv68 within the Dowd phase (A.D. 1050-1250). Also exposed during the limited investigations were features dating to earlier Archaic and Woodland occupations. These features include a refuse-filled pit with an uncorrected date of 6590 +/- 90 B.P., and a semi-flexed pit burial with an uncorrected date of 1250 +/- B.P. 
THE ENSWORTH SCHOOL SITE (40DV184): A MIDDLE ARCHAIC BENTON OCCUPATION ALONG THE HARPETH RIVER DRAINAGE IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE Aaron Deter-Wolf During the summer of 2003, TRC, Inc. conducted a burial removal project at site 40Dv184 on the grounds of the new Ensworth High School in Davidson County, Tennessee. A total of 335prehistoric features were exposed during the search for human graves. Sixty-four of these features contained human skeletal remains. Artifacts recovered during the removal project indicate an enduring use of the site area from the Early Archaic through Mississippian periods. Seven burials yielded Benton biface caches along with other lithic and bone artifacts. These caches along with additional Benton artifacts from non-mortuary pit features and surface collections indicate a significant site habitation at 40Dv184 during the late Middle Archaic Benton phase. Over two-thirds of the Benton specimens were manufactured from non-local lithic resources 
FIELDWORK AT SWALLOW BLUFF ISLAND MOUNDS, TENNESSEE (40HR16) IN 2003 Paul D. Welch Swallow Bluff Island, located in the Tennessee River portion of Hardin County, has two Mississippian period mounds that have been known to archaeologists for nearly 100 years. Unfortunately, erosion of the riverbank has removed most of the larger mound. A short expedition to the site in 2003 mapped the remaining part of the site, and recorded information about the stratigraphy of the large mound. The mound had been constructed in four stages, achieving a final height of 5.5 meters. To see all of the articles and pictures above, see TENNESSEE ARCHAEOLOGY Volume 1 Number 1 Summer 2004 http://www.sitemason.com/files/i7rFzG/Volume1Issue1small.pdf
