Far West & Adam-ondi-Ahman

DAY 5 was our final day in Missouri. We left our hotel and ventured into the peaceful land of northern Missouri. It was so beautiful up there.

Far West

The area surrounding Far West is beautiful and peaceful. We couldn’t get enough of the rolling hills, trees, and fields. After the Saints were forced out of Jackson County, they were given this county for the settlement of the Saints in 1836. The town of Far West grew and had as many as 5,000 individuals at its peak. Several revelations were received here and Joseph Smith moved here in March of 1838. It was then that the headquarters of the Church shifted from Kirtland to Far West.

However, the Saints time here was short. By the autumn of 1838, the extermination order was given and Joseph and other leaders of the Church were arrested (and sent to Richmond Jail and then Liberty Jail – both places we had visited days earlier). The Saints had their homes and properties destroyed. It was a devestating time of the members of the Church. By April of 1839, the city was abandoned and there are no remains of it today, with the exception of the four cornerstones that showed the temple site.

John Whitmer Gravesite

After we left Far West, we went to Kingston. This was a sad little town, not too far from Far West. It is the final resting place of John Whitmer, one of the eight witnesses to the Book of Mormon. In 1836, he played a big role in helping the Church get the land that would become Far West. He also served as the Church Historian and assisted his brother, David Whitmer, in the Missouri Church Presidency. Sadly, the Whitmer family broke ties with the Church and left Far West in the spring of 1838.

In 1840, John Whitmer returned to Far West and bought the land which included the temple site. While most of the Whitmer family stayed in Richmond, John lived in Far West for the next 38 years tending the land until his death, and was later buried in the nearby town of Kingston. The Church purchased the Far West property from the Whitmer family in 1909.

Hawn’s Mill Millstone Monument

This is when we felt like we were really criss-crossing all over this northern portion of Missouri! Our next stop was to the small town of Breckenridge in Caldwell County. There is a small park where there is a monument to the individuals who were killed at Hawn’s Mill.

In 1836, several Saints settled in this area and were employed by a man named Jacob Hawn, who owned a mill. Just a day before Joseph and Hyrum’s arrest, on October 30, 1838, a mob from a neighboring county attacked the Saints at Hawn’s Mill. There was an increased number of Saints visiting the mill at the time. The attack resulted in the death of 14 men, 3 young boys, and wounded 14 others. Sadly, the dead were quickly buried or put into a mass grave in a dry well and the Saints fled the area.

In 1907, a photographer visited the site and found a millstone and painted an inscription on it that said, “In Memory of Victims of Hauns Mill Massacre Oct 30th 1838.” Sometime in the decades that followed, someone removed the millstone and moved it to the town of Breckenridge (about seven miles away). This small memorial is now in their local park to honor those that were killed.

Hawn’s Mill

The ride to Hawn’s Mill was bumpy! It is a rough rough and is very isolated. We were a little surprised when we got there because there is hardly anything there. All that is there is a small parking area with a sign that reads “Hawn’s Mill”. The field that is there is beautiful and peaceful, right alongside Shoal Creek.

Jacob and Lydie chose to stay in the car but Mark, Ben, Sarah, and I went exploring a little. It was pretty squelchy. Lots of mud and therefore lots of baby wipes were used to clean us up afterwards! But I am glad we were able to go and think about that day and what those families had to go through.

Adam-ondi-Ahman

Our ride up to Adam-ondi-Ahman was beautiful and also filled with a whole lot of laughs. Mark was convinced that he was seeing black caterpillars all over the road (and I do have to admit that we finally had to agree) and we had way too much fun teasing him about it.

Adam-ondi-Ahman is such a peaceful place. It feels a little mysterious in ways to me (but in the best way). I have so many questions and I don’t know how many of those questions can even be answered. But we enjoyed our afternoon in this beautiful place.

We had lunch and the kids had a blast running around the Valley Overlook of Adam-ondi-Ahman while Lydie took a little nap. Then while we were driving to Tower Hill we passed a van and Mark said, “I think that was Jon Foote.” We knew the Footes were visiting the Church History sites in October as well but we didn’t know when. A minute after Mark said that, he had a message from Jon! They turned around and met us at the parking lot to talk for a couple of minutes. What are the odds that we would be in that exact same place at that time?! The Footes are friends of ours and it was so fun to run into one another on our family trip.

Tower Hill was definitely my favorite spot because of what we learned there. In 1835, it was revealed that Spring Hill, was the sight of Adam-ondi-Ahman, a place where Adam had blessed his posterity after leaving the Garden of Eden. Joseph also explained that Adam had built an altar there to offer prayer. Later on June 28, 1838, the third stake of the Church was organized there.

While we were walking down a trail to visit the Lyman and Harriet Wight Cabin site, I learned something really exciting for me. Back in 2013, when our family took a trip to Kirtland, I learned more about my ancestor Reynolds Cahoon and his family. He played several large roles back in Kirtland within the Church. And I knew of some things he had been involved in Nauvoo, but I never could find any information about his time in Missouri (which I knew had to be some amount of time).

As I read the sign, he was there! I am so grateful we went and I could learn more about my family. It was such a pleasant surprise! Here is what the sign said:

“This is the site of a home built by Lyman and Harriet Benton Wight. The Wights were among the first Latter-day Saint settlers in this area. Lyman operated a ferry nearby.

In May 1838, Joseph Smith, the first President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to visit Lyman Wight at this home. The Church was growing, and Church leaders hoped to purchase inexpensive land where poorer Latter-day Saints could gather.

When they saw the beauty and potential of this place, Latter-day Saints began laying out a city inland from the Grand River at Wight’s ferry. The Lord revealed the name of the city to be Adam-ondi-Ahman, and its settlers gave it the nickname, “Diahman.”

Within weeks of surveying the town, dozens of log homes were under construction. Joseph Smith organized a stake of Zion here on June 28, 1838, with his uncle John Smith as president and Lyman Wight and Reynolds Cahoon as his counselors.

Then, even more quickly than the community appeared, it was gone. In early November, Missouri militiamen ordered all Latter-day Saints to leave the county. Lyman, Harriet, and others at Diahman joined over 8,000 people who were driven from Missouri during the winter of 1838-1839.”

Such a special moment for me!

We walked down to Preacher’s Rock, where the kids had a good time giving their best sermons. And it was neat to think about my ancestor possibly standing on that rock years and years ago, bearing his testimony.

Dino’s Diner

After we left Adam-ondi-Ahman we had a bit of a pickle. It is so remote (which I love!) but that also means it is remote and not a lot of options for lodging. We knew this and had made reservations at a hotel in Cameron.

Before I get into that though, we had the BEST dinner at Dino’s Diner. The service was great and the food was even better! It may not look like much from the outside, but you could tell it is where EVERYONE went. It was constantly bustling (and we were there at 4:30!). This also happened to be my birthday, so I got a piece of banana creme pie to celebrate and it was delicious. So if you are in the area, I would totally recommend!

After we left the diner, we went to our hotel. And when we pulled up, we were not very thrilled. It was really rundown. And it was a motel, and I realize this sounds really snooty, but I just don’t love motels. Honestly, I was doubting all of my choices. All I could think was we should have just stayed the night where we had been staying OR we should have just gone into Iowa and found a place. Mark went to check us in (and I knew we were going to be separated in two rooms from when I made the reservation) and he came back in and said somehow I had booked a smoking room. AHHH!

I don’t know how that happened! And he said the young woman at the desk didn’t seem willing to switch us. He opened the door into the “smoking room” and turned right around. We decided that either we convince them to give us two non-smoking rooms or we cancel and drive until we found another place. Honestly, I was kind of hoping they wouldn’t work with us because I was not wanting to stay there!

But Mark came out with two non-smoking room keys. So we were staying. I just kept telling myself that it was only one night. So Mark, Jacob, and Lydie stayed in one room, and Ben and Sarah were with me. You know it is a classy place when the first thing you see is a fly swatter when you walk in the room (and trust me, it was put to very good use, so I guess I should be grateful).

It was all fine though and I am probably being far more dramatic about it then I should. But it also made it very motivating to get up and going the next morning!