Great Lakes Theorists’ Ripliancum, Land Northward and the East Sea –Part II

According to the Great Lakes theorist, one website claims: “Ancient Lake Tonawanda does exist. It is well documented and its perimeter can be identified. At the Wilson-Tuscarora State Park is an image with a description of what ancient Lake Tanowanda looked like in its earliest stages, before the Jaredites arrived.”

This Lake Tonawanda was 25 miles long and 2 to 7 miles in breadth, but only about four feet deep. Today it is basically a marshland and referred to as the Tonawanda State Wildlife Management Area, the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Oak Orchard State Wildlife Management Area, and the Bergen-Byron Swamp—an area considered to be millions of years old—obviously, it would have existed during the time of the Jaredites though we hear nothing of it when the armies of Coriantumr and Shiz fought there (Ether 15:8).

Since one theorist claims a narrow land bridge ran north and south toward the eastern portion of the lake, which they call the narrow neck of land, it would be interesting to see how Hagoth’s “exceedingly large ship” could have been launched into a four feet deep lake. But even if that were possible, the ship would have had to sail the entire 25-mile length of the lake before it could maneuver into the Niagara River and then weave its way into Lake Ontario before it could turn northward. And then where would it go? Across the Lake into what is now Canada?

It would also be interesting to see how the Jaredites arrived in their submarine-barges into this Land Northward. There was no access from the Atlantic Ocean, nor the Gulf of Mexico that would lead any kind of vessel into Lake Erie from the south or Lake Ontario from the east. Evidently, these theorists simply pick up the Jaredite barges in their Atlantic Ocean approach and place them into the lake. Nor could they have managed to obtain any Great Lake area from a Pacific crossing.

In addition, The West Sea ran from along the west of the Land Northward (Helaman 3:8), west of the narrow neck of land (Alma 22:32;63:5), along the Land of Bountiful (Alma 22:33; 63:5), along the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 22:28,32), along the narrow strip of wilderness that divided the Land of Nephi from the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 22:27;27:14), and along the Land of Nephi (22:27-28,32). Thus, we see, that the entire Land of Promise had a west sea, which ran continually from the Land Northward, to the Land Southward, even as far south as where Lehi landed—the land of first inheritance (Alma 22:28).

The East Sea ran along the Land of Nephi (Alma 50:8), along the narrow strip of wilderness (Alma 22:27), along the east of the Land of Zarahemla (Alma 22:32;31:3) and northward past the cities of Nephihah, Lehi, Morianton, Omner, Gid, and Mulek, all of which were on the east borders by the seashore (Alma 51:26), and east along the Land of Bountiful (51:32). The east sea was along the Land Northward (Ether 9:3;14:26). Infact, the sea ran all along the east from the Land Southward to the Land Northward, from the sea west to the sea east (Halaman 3:8)

Thus, we see, that the Land of Promise was nearly surrounded by water, not knowing for certain how large the Waters of Ripliancum in the north were, though it is also called the Sea North. And with a South Sea, we have Jacob’s island (2 Nephi 10:20).

In no way can any location in the Great Lakes area qualify for the Land of Promise no matter how much rhetoric these theorists provide. An island is an island, after all, and a west sea and east sea, and south sea and north sea on all sides of the Land of Promise pretty much eliminate the Great Lakes as a useful model for the promised land.