Item Detail
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24095
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2
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0
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English
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The Mormon Temple Site at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri
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The Missouri Mormon Experience
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Columbia, Mo.
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University of Missouri Press
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75-99
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"As early as 1834, Mormon families had begun moving north and east from Clay into the more sparsely populated areas in Ray County. Still later, in March 1836, Missouri Church leaders began searching out possible sites for permanent settlement in the more uninhabited regions of that county. After making extensive explorations, on August 8, 1836, William W. Phelps and John Whitmer, two members of the Missouri presidency acting as agents in behalf of the Church, purchased a one-mile-square plat near Shoal Creek as the main gathering place in Missouri. The site was subsequently named Far West." [p. 75] "Latter-day Saints have a deep sense of connection with their historical past, particularly the era associated with Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith. This sense stems from the fact that so much of the doctrine and faith tradition of the Church is also associated with its history. This is certainly the case with Far West. Although little remains of the original community, Far West will always remain an important place in the minds and hearts of the Latter-day Saints." [Author's conclusion]