The Book of Mormon speaks of two ancient civilizations which  once resided on the American continent. Their records, a book of golden plates retrieved from the Hill Cumorah in New York State by Joseph Smith in 1827, long since translated into the Book of Mormon by the power of God, speaks to those of our day. The geographical descriptions given in that sacred work also reveal the lands the ancients came to live in, a region consistent with, the territory of the Great Lakes in the United States of America--the promised land foretold by Book of Mormon prophets – with enough evidence present to tie both civilizations to prehistoric New York and surrounding regions.

   The location of Book of Mormon territory has intrigued people since that sacred scripture first came off the press, yet the homeland of the ancient Nephites and Jaredites has continued to elude us although numerous sites have been pro-posed over the years. This website was created to help answer the many questions that arise when searching for Book of Mormon territory, and to foster a setting in the regions of the Hill Cumorah itself which matches in every way the lands described in the scriptures. After careful attention to such things as geography, geology, archaeology, hydro- logy, and mineralogy, the lost lands of the Book of Mormon may well have finally emerged from their hiding place.

The Ancient Jaredites

 As one delves into archaeological record of the American Northeast, long forgotten races of people have been identified, some consistent with the Jaredites. Their story is also a fascinating one, including the various regions they came to live in, and the source of their great wealth. They, too, spread over a wide area, with the archaeological record showing a mixing of races took place in several neighboring regions with some of the blood of Jared thus perpetuate into future generations—even after the destruction of their people. One such merger took place with an offshoot branch who mixed with the people of Illinois, the very place we find the bones of the giant called Zelph, a white Lamanites of Book of Mormon times, and in the very place so many Nephites came to dwell. Read of the migration of the Nephites from New York into Ohio and Illinois and the regions adjacent the Mississippi in The Lost Empires of the Book of Mormon. Now Available-see below.

For a study of the various topics relevant to the New York/Hill Cumorah
 setting click on the topics listed below.
 

The Promised Land

   The importance of the promised land cannot be overstated. It is the first thing that must be studied in preparation for isolating Book of Mormon territory, for without an understanding of the location of the promised land any hope of finding the lost lands of the Book of Mormon would be futile

A simplified account of DNA and the Book of Mormon
A comprehensive account of DNA and the Book of Mormon

    Not only does the topography fit the geographical descriptions given in the Book of Mormon, but now recent DNA evidence links many of the ancient occupants of the region to the Near East, which includes Israel, just as the Book of Mormon claims. 

The Hill Cumorah and its Rightful Place in New York

   There is no more important landmark mentioned in the Book of Mormon than New York’s Hill Cumorah. Both the Jaredites and the Nephites fell in battle around that sacred hill, the first in 600 B.C., and the other in 384 AD. The historians of the past two centuries have written extensively about the relics of war and the amazing fortifications which were discovered in western New York when European colonists first entered the land. Read some of their reports and see how wonderfully they portray the winding up scenes of the civilizations described in the Book of Mormon.
 

   It is obviously not enough just to zero in on a land or territory which fits the topographical features mentioned in the Book of Mormon, peripheral information must also fit, such as the animals which roamed the land during Nephite and Jaredite times and the plants they harvested and the minerals they mined. Not surprisingly, all these things can be reconciled in the ancient New York setting.

Metals and Artifacts

   Metallurgy was a big part of both the Jaredite and Nephite eras. Learn what ores they mined and what relics they left behind in this segment.
 

The Weather During Book of Mormon Times

   Questions about the weather during Book of Mormon times have come up more than any other question. Hopefully, the answers provided in this segment will satisfy any lingering questions about that long debated issue.

Volcanic Activity and Earthquakes in the American Northeast

   Answers to what weather phenomena may have played a part in the great destruction which took place at the time of the Savior’s death are provided in this segment.

Nephite territory in a Nutshell

A brief synopsis of the New York setting, with the proposed Book of Mormon territory stretching from its western borders near Lake Erie, westward to the east end of Lake Ontario, and beyond.

The Narrow Neck of Land & the Sea That Divides the Lands

   Two of the most important landmarks mentioned in the Book of Mormon are the sea that divided the lands, and various references to a narrow neck of land which passed between the waters to either side of the neck and into the land northward. The discovery of these two landmarks helps clarify Book of Mormon territory.

Historical Reports of Ancient Works Found in New York

   Thousands of bones were found across western New York when early white colonists first began to penetrate the area, as were ancient fortifications built exactly like those built in Moroni’s day.
 

The Mound Building Hopewell

    This segment includes an examination of the close ties between the Nephites living in New York’s Zarahemla and the Hopewell populations living in neighboring Ohio and Illinois.

Zarahemla & The Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon
  * MAP *
 click here