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 Site of Far West - Far West, Mo. Posted by:  iconions
N 39° 40.277 W 094° 07.858
15S E 402998 N 4391884
Former County seat of Caldwell County - located at State HWY D and Far West Drive.
Waymark Code: WMW091
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 06/20/2017
Views: 2
Site of Far West , 5 m., one-time seat of Caldwell County and Mormon stronghold in Missouri. Driven out of Ohio, the Mormons came to Missouri in large numbers in 1831, settling first in Jackson County. On December 29, 1836, Caldwell County was established by the State Legislature as a Mormon refuge. Within a few moths, most of the Saints had moved into the area, where they established Salem at the mouth of Log Creek, two miles south of Kingston, and Far West, the county seat. At the latter, Elders W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer were joined by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and a city was laid out in magnificent proportions. The square was 396 feet wide, and the four main streets were 100 feet wide; the other streets measured 82 1/2 feet. In 1837, a temple site in the great center square was selected, and an excavation 110 by 80 feet was made. Within a year the population of Far West grew to more than 4,000.
Friction soon developed between the Mormon residents of Caldwell County and their gentile neighbors. Quarrels and shooting frays increased in violence until nervous State officials condemned the Saints as dangerous to the public good, and troops were dispatched to quell them. The massacre at Haun's Mill made clear to the Mormons the hopelessness of their situation. When the State militia arrived at Far West, they surrendered. The leaders were tried by court martial and ordered shot. General Samuel D. Lucas, in command of the State troops, is said to have commanded General A. W. Doniphan to execute the sentence the following morning in the square at Far West. Doniphan replied: "It is cold-blooded murder. I will not obey your order..." The execution did not take place. The prisoners were taken to Independence, and eventually committed to the jail in Columbia. On the way there, most of the prisoners (including Joseph Smith) got away; the others later escaped from the jail, and fled to Illinois (see Tour 10A), where they joined the main forces of their sect, who had left Missouri during the winter of 1838-39 under order of Governor Boggs. After the MOrmons left, the houses of Far West were torn down, although the town remained nominally the county seat until Kingston was platted in 1843. Today, a cornfield maks the site of the once prosperous community.
- Missouri, a guide to the "Show Me" state, 1941, pg. 387-388
Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint (Mormon) settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri. Today it is a historic site.
The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a 1-mile (1.6 km) square area, centered on a public square which was to house a temple. The design of the town resembled Mormon founder and prophet Joseph Smith Jr.'s plan for the City of Zion, which had been planned to be built in the town of Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. As the town of Far West grew, the plat was extended to 4 square miles (10 km2).
Early Latter-day Saints began to settle in northwestern Missouri soon after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized in 1830. According to a revelation given by Joseph Smith Jr., Independence would be the "centerplace" of the City of Zion when Jesus returned. However, disputes between Mormon and Missourian settlers in Independence led to the expulsion of the Mormons from Jackson County in 1833. Most Mormons temporarily settled in Clay County, Missouri. Towards the end of 1836, Caldwell County was created specifically for Mormon settlement to compensate Mormon property losses in Jackson County. Shortly after the creation of Caldwell County, Far West was made the county seat.
Far West became the headquarters of the Latter-day Saint movement in early 1838 when Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon relocated to the town from the previous church headquarters, Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph Smith taught the Latter-day Saints that the Garden of Eden had been in Jackson County and when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they moved to the area now comprising Caldwell and Daviess Counties, Missouri. While headquartered in Far West, the official name of the church was changed from Church of Jesus Christ to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
New problems erupted between the Mormons and their neighbors when the Mormons began to settle in the counties surrounding Caldwell, including De Witt in Carroll County and Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County. A series of escalating conflicts followed and the Governor of Missouri eventually called out 2,500 state militiamen to put down what he alleged to be a "Mormon rebellion." Latter Day Saints poured into Far West for protection and found themselves under siege. Joseph Smith Jr., Sidney Rigdon and others surrendered at the end of October, 1838, and were put on trial by the state for treason. The main body of the Mormons were then forced to sign over their property in Far West and Caldwell County to pay for the militia muster and then leave the state. The main body later settled in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Far West became a ghost town soon after the departure of most of the Mormon population. The county seat was moved to Kingston, Missouri and many of the log houses in Far West were relocated. Former Mormon John Whitmer continued to live in the nearly empty town, where he owned a large farm.
Today Far West is a historic site seven miles (11.26 km) south of U.S. Route 36 on Route D. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains a historic site there, including the cornerstones of the planned temple. It also honors the Far West legacy in the name of a ward (located in Cameron), and, since 2015, a stake (centered in Gallatin). Some Latter Day Saints expect that a temple will be located on this spot at some time in the future. The Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has a branch congregation that meets in Far West.
In 2004 construction began on a historic village adjacent to the temple site. It is operated by the Far West Historical Society to accommodate and increase tourism. The Country Store has been in operation since 2006. Future plans include overnight housing and conference facilities. The progress of this project indicates a major shift in the growth of the area.
On May 2012, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirmed that it purchased 6,000 acres of Missouri farmland and three historical sites from the Community of Christ.
- Wikipedia Entry for Far West, Missouri
Book: Missouri
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 387-388
Year Originally Published: 1941
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