Meeting the Challenge
 

    A Mesoamerican theorist, David Palmer, lays out thirteen geographic/topographic requirements for any lands claiming to be those of the Book of Mormon. Even though they seem rather limited in relation to all those specified in the scriptures, I will address each of his points.

Palmer’s thirteen Geographical Requirements
 for placement of Book of Mormon territory within any given land.

Any geographical setting claiming to be the Book of Mormon lands must be:

1- Near an eastern seashore.

(Response) The waters that filled the Genesee Valley in ancient times flanked the land southward, which this author places in western New York, on the east. Thus, this criteria is reconciled nicely. (See The Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon for a detailed study of this ancient body of water.)

2- Near narrow neck of land.
 
(Response) The Batavia Moraine (the narrow neck in the New York setting), extended right through the old Lake Tonawanda during that ancient era. It lay to the northwest of Bountiful just as described in the scriptures, thus, meeting this requirement as well.

3- On a coastal plain and near other mountains and valleys.
 
(Response) The lands to the west of both Nephite and Lamanite territory are made up of the flat plains which border Lake Erie with the adjacent Allegheny Plateau and the nearby Allegheny Mountains meeting the requirement for nearby mountains and valleys.

4- One day’s journey south of a large body of water.

(Response) In the ancient setting, both Lake Ontario and Lake Tonawanda lay to the north of Zarahemla, thus, meeting that criteria perfectly.

5- An area of many rivers and water.

(Response) The New York region is simply filled with rivers, lakes, ponds, creeks, streams and numerous swamplands which are remnants of much older bodies of water. - it is truly a land of many waters.

6- Presence of fountains.

(Response) This one is certainly easy to reconcile, for literally dozens of beautiful waterfalls grace the entire region from one end to the other - including the impressive Niagara Falls which lay along its far western borders.

(Response) 7- Water gives military advantage.

The sheer number of large bodies of water in the area, especially in the lands around Cumorah, would surely have provided a military advantage for any fighting in that territory. During the Jaredite era, fighting took place around the sea that divides the land (Lake Tonawanda) which lays just to the west of the Hill Cumorah. Thus any battle mentioned in the scriptures can be reconciled with a body of water in the New York setting perfectly. Even gaining a better understanding the dimensions of the river Sidon helps in our ability to visualize the water battles that took place in the land southward. (All these issues are discussed in the larger manuscript. The Lost Empires of the Book of Mormon.

8- An escape route southward.

(Response) (I’m assuming he means from the Hill Cumorah.) This, too, is a perfect fit, for to the north of the Hill Cumorah is Lake Ontario, to the west were the warring Lamanites, and to the east were the waters of ancient Lake Montezuma and several Finger Lakes. Thus, the only route open for any quick escape would have been southward.

9- Hill Cumorah must be large enough to view hundreds of thousands of bodies.

(Response) The Hill Cumorah is just one of 10,000 small drumlin hills carved out by the advancing and receding ice sheets in the distant past. It is the greatest field of drumlin hills in the world. The Hill Cumorah is one of the most prominent. Standing atop the hill, one can see open plains on all sides stretching out for miles.
Oliver Cowdery describes the Hill Cumorah in New York as follows;

". . . I think I am justified in saying that this is the highest hill for some distance round, and I am certain that its appearance, as it rises so suddenly from the plain on the north, must attract the notice of the travel(l)er as he passes by. . . . From the top of this hill, Mormon, with a few others, after the battle gazed with horror upon the mangled remains of those who, the day before, were filled with anxiety, hope or doubt." (Oliver Cowdery, Papers of Joseph Smith, Vol.1, pp. 78-81.)

10- Hill must be significant landmark.
 
(Response) I do not recall any scriptures referring to the hill as a significant landmark. Nonetheless, it happens to be the most prominent in the area. One can easily see the surrounding territory from the top of it.

11- Hill must be free standing so people can camp around it.

Yes, the Hill Cumorah is free standing. Oliver Cowdery continues his description of the hill as follows:

(Response) At about one mile west rises another ridge of less height running parallel with the former, leaving a beautiful vale between. The soil is of the first quality for the country, and under a state of cultivation, which gives a prospect at once imposing, when one reflects on the fact, that here, between these hills, the entire power and national strength of both the Jaredites and Nephites were destroyed. (Oliver Cowdery, Papers of Joseph Smith, Vol.1, p. 78-81.)

12- In a temperate climate with no cold or snow.

(Response) It seems strange to try and decide on a geographical location based on one lone reference to being bothered by the heat after their hard labors, for so it would be in any climate. (See Alma 51:33). Nonetheless, New York does have a temperate climate. Furthermore, there is every indication that New York enjoyed a warmer climate in the far distant past. According to the New York State archaeologist William Ritchie, a cool moist environment gradually gave way around 3500 B.C. to a warmer and drier climate. Although the region continued to have alternate phases of cooler periods, he believed the weather “considerably surpassed the present in average warmth.” He suggests further that “a cool moist environment once again prevailed over the northeast for most of the period following the birth of Christ.”
    Even so, during one battle the Lamanites wore heavy clothing made of very thick animal furs. (Alma 49:6.) Perhaps it was winter during that battle, for at other times they were described as wearing nothing more than loin cloths - a custom that has followed the North American Indians throughout the centuries. There is historical evidence that they were thus scantily clad as far back as the 16th century when the climate was thought to be even colder than the present. Nonetheless, if we are to reconcile the Book of Mormon setting by one small reference to heat, then New York would most assuredly fit, for no one could possible deny that New York is hot in the summer and the high humidity aggravates the heat further.
    We must not overlook the fact that hail is also mentioned in the Book of Mormon see Mosiah 12:6, and Helaman 5:12). Why would they speak of hail if they had not experienced that type of weather phenomenon? Thus, the New York scenario meets the even broader requirements laid out by the scriptures.

13- In a Volcanic Zone susceptible to earthquakes.

(Response) Regardless of comments to the contrary, New York has experienced many earthquakes over the years. In the last 200 years there have been over 400. Most are unimpressive, but, nonetheless, when big ones hit they are significant. In 1944, when one hit the Messina - Cornwall area just to the north of New York (on the New York/Canadian border) it registered 6 on the Richter Scale. But because the crust and upper mantle of New York is more ridged than elsewhere the intensity factor was that of an eight. (Y. W. Isachsen, E. Landing, J. M. Lauber, L. V. Rickard, and W. B. Rogers, editors, Geology of New York a Simplified Account, p. 236, New York State Museum, Albany, New York, 1991.)
    There is a layer of volcanic ash over most of the central portion of the state which indicates that somewhere nearby volcanoes erupted with enough explosive power that vast amounts of volcanic ash and dust were cast up - blotting out the sun for the three days of darkness described at the time of the Savior’s death. Evidence of volcanoes in the area is discussed tin the segment on earthquakes and volcanic activity. Thus, the New York setting meets this criteria as well..)
~~~~~~
    The New York setting meets all thirteen requirements set down by Palmer. Nonetheless, the greatest challenge for those searching for the lost lands of the Book of Mormon will be pulling away from the preconceived ideas of the past. The seas mentioned in the Book of Mormon have been equated with the great oceans for a very long time. Consequently many may have difficulty accepting the fact that there just may be land on one or both sides of the seas mentioned in the text. The enormous Isthmus thought to be the narrow neck in the Mesoamerican setting has been so ingrained in our minds that it may be difficult to envision the rather small neck of land that extends from the land southward to the land northward in the New York setting. Even so - each and every land or territory can be laid out in New York precisely as described in the scriptures even though it may appear to be different from those we have thus far been exposed to.

Extending the Challenge

    While the various geographical requirements laid out by David Palmer are critical to the placement of book of Mormon territory, hundreds of geographical descriptions were given in the scriptures, not all of which were addressed by Palmer. Thus, this author will include them here for those wishing to evaluate any setting which may show up on the scene.

    Obviously anyone searching for the lost lands of the Nephites and Jaredites must concentrate heavily on the descriptions of lands and cities so painstakingly carved onto the plates. Numerous clues and directions have been interspersed throughout the entire text. The challenge is, and always has been, to find a land that fits those descriptions. Not only is it imperative that any given land meet several major requirements in the quest for the elusive Book of Mormon lands, but there are other correlations that must be met as well. These include the distances from place to place, puzzling descriptions of seas that divided lands, lines and boundaries between lands, and the reason why the entire land southward was nearly surrounded by water. Many such questions would need to be resolved before we dare claim any specific territory to be that of the lost lands of the Nephites and the Jaredites.
    Anyone searching for these lands must focus on only two things. The scriptural descriptions of the various lands described within the text and the physical geology of the lands in question. Any archaeological finds would be meaningless without a reasonable correlation between these two things. The next challenge, of course, would be to find a geographical area within the land of promise that matches in every way the descriptions of lands and places given within the text. To do so we must find a location that has several landmarks and topographical features including the following, each of which can be reconciled with the New York setting:

1- It must have highlands to the south and lowlands to the north.
2- It must have a river that flows north and then out to a sea.
3- It must have an eastern border of some kind.
4- It must have seas on both the east and on the west.
5- It must be in a land filled with many forests.
6- It must be filled with hills and valleys.
7- It must also have mountains.
8- The lands of Zarahemla and Nephi must be nearly surrounded by water.
9- It must have a barrier of some kind that divided the land northward from the land southward.
10-It must have evidence of some kind of a passage through the barrier.
11-There must be an area filled with large bodies of water, fountains and rivers.
12-The land Desolation must extend to the present day Hill Cumorah.
13-It must have a northernmost border.
14-The Hill Cumorah must be in a land of hills and valleys.
15-The ups and downs of the topography must fit.
16-There must be a river (Sidon) between the main body of land and its eastern borders which flows
      northward and out to a sea.
17-It must be in a land filled with much water in order to reconcile the many seashores mentioned.
18-There should be some evidence of ancient warfare.
19-There should be the remains of fortifications such as those described in the Book of Mormon.
20-There should be the remains of human bones including the presence of large bones.
21-The area should have natural minerals such as iron, copper, silver and gold.
22-It must be a land where fruit and grains would grow.
23-It must be land where vineyards can flourish.
24-It must be located in the promised land.

   After a careful study of archaeology, geology, hydrology, anthropology and a study of the topography of the land, all the evidence points to western New York as the homeland of the ancient Nephites and Jaredites; a land which meets every requirement laid out in the scriptures perfectly. Although some of the requirements do not readily show up in the modern New York setting, by going back in time to an era shortly after the Universal Flood when primeval forests and great inland seas filled the land from one end to the other, the descriptions of lands and places mentioned in the Book of Mormon seem to appear out of nowhere. Thus, the past holds the key to unlocking the mystery surrounding the lost lands of the Book of Mormon, a study of which can be examined in depth in this author’s The Lost Lands of the Book of Mormon.
 

Copyright © 1998 by Phyllis Carol Olive