Why Do We Keep Claiming the Hill in New York is the Hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon? – Part II

Continued from the previous post, regarding the effort of artifact hunters and official records of the area in Western New York in determining what has been found around the New York hill Cumorah.

No artifact sites have officially been authenticated (white circle) within 60 miles of the hill Cumorah in New York

 

As mentioned in closing the previous article, the nearest site found and officially listed in the State of New York records for ancient indigenous artifacts is sixty miles away from Palmyra. Now sixty miles away from the hill Cumorah for the only location of ancient artifacts found in New York and authenticated by the State of actual ancient artifacts should suggest to even the most skeptical that a battle of the magnitude of that fought between 230,000 or more Nephites and a much larger Lamanite force (Mormon 6:8), which probably numbered close to 350,000 or more, is simply out of the question. Consequently, a war involving around 500,000 warriors or more, with at least 230,000 Nephites being killed and likely a third of that number of Lamanites being killed, or a total of about 300,000 dead, with arrows flying, spears thrown, clubs dropped in death, stone or metal tomahawks embedded in skulls, rocks from slings, etc., used by the thousands, one would expect a large number of artifacts being found there—and many by those searching for them from groups and organizations whose work it was to find such articles and relics.
    However, despite all in that area who had been searching for such finds throughout all of New England, but especially from Vermont to Western New York, nothing closer than 60 miles to the hill Cumorah in Palmyra has ever been authenticated. After all, wherever early American sites are, collectors will find them, plowed fields being the best place to look—and the land around the hill Cumorah, and on the hill, has been the site of numerous plowed fields over the centuries since the early colonial period, with hundreds upon hundreds of acres being plowed and ready for planting, and crops grown since the first settlement in 1624, and the English takeover of the complete New York area in 1664.
    Consequently, in more than 300 years, no artifacts have been authenticated in and around Palmyra, the hill Cumorah, or major finds closer than sixty miles away, despite some theorists’ claims to the contrary.
    So why do we keep hearing people claim the hill in New York known in the early years as “Mormon Hill,” “Gold Bible Hill,” “Inspiration Point,” and later called by early Church members “Cumorah,” is the same hill found in the scriptural record of the Book of Mormon where some 300,000 or more people died in a final battle?
    As Landon Smith wrote about visiting the hill Cumorah in Palmyra: “I have made the seven-hour drive twice in the past few years. Both times I traveled to Palmyra during the early planting season—fields just plowed and harrowed, following a good rain to wash the dirt off any artifacts. There are some areas that are not plowed and cannot easily be hunted, including the seating area west of the hill and the car parking area on the west side of the highway. North of the hill there is a gully going west to east with trees growing along it, circling from west of the road past the north end of the hill to the east side. Along the whole east side of the hill is a large plowed field. To the north of the gully with trees is the farm that is owned by the Clark family. They have several plowed fields in the area.”

Oliver Cowdery’s West Valley battlefield, a rectangular area about a mile or two square in which 500,000 warriors could not have conducted a battle

Now, while apologists for the Heartland theory like to claim that Oliver Cowdery in Letter VII said the entire battle was fought in the west valley, or the valley west of the hill, it should be noted that Mormon places the Nephites surrounding the hill when he wrote: “we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah” (Mormon 6:4).
    The idea, as these Heartland theorists claim, that since the entire battle was fought in the west valley, that there would be no artifacts in the north and east of the hill, seem to forget that not only did the Nephite encampment of their 230,000 warriors, wives and children surround the hill, but that they were all aware of the approaching Lamanites and all had the same feeling of being overwhelmed, with death staring them in the face. Consider: “And it came to pass that my people, with their wives and their children, did now behold the armies of the Lamanites marching towards them; and with that awful fear of death which fills the breasts of all the wicked, did they await to receive them” (Mormon 6:7). And immediately, without fanfare, without palavering, without any assemblage, they attacked.
    “And it came to pass that they came to battle against us, and every soul was filled with terror because of the greatness of their numbers…and they did fall upon my people with the sword, and with the bow, and with the arrow, and with the ax, and with all manner of weapons of war” (Mormon 6:8-9).
    Landon Smith goes on in his letter: “Arriving at Cumorah, I have asked workers on the grounds around the visitors' center and people inside the center about arrowheads. Their comments were:
"Oh yes, people find them around here all the time."
I would then ask, "Have you found any yourself?"
"Well, no."
"Do you know anyone who has found some?"
"No."
"Have you seen any actual pieces found by others?"
"No."
I have walked to the big meadow east of the hill. I have searched it thoroughly. I was thinking, "There have to be remains here, but where?" No artifacts—not even flint chips of any kind. So I went north to the Clark farm. I stopped and asked the owner's wife if I could walk over the corn field.
"What are you looking for?"
"Looking for arrowheads—is it okay?"
"Well, sure."
"You must get pestered a lot by people wanting to go out there looking around."
"We've been here over 40 years, and you're the first to come and ask to hunt for arrowheads."

Collectors of relics generally can find artifacts just by walking through wilderness areas, especially where known routes of the ancients are located

If there are artifacts out there, collectors will find them, and they and their friends will be all over that area. However, as Landon continued: “The Clarks' fields yielded the same as the one east of the hill: not one single arrowhead and not one single piece of flint chipping. Crisscrossing all those plowed fields, which are hundreds of acres, I found no evidence of any kind. If a large group of people came to this hill and had a big battle, they would have been making and sharpening more tools—artifacts. If there are no arrowheads, what about all of the broken pieces, the chips, the flakes—leftovers from making and sharpening? Some of these pieces would be smaller than a little fingernail. Where are these pieces? People do not generally pick up that kind of trash.”
    However, as Landon shows, not a single piece has been found. He adds, “Since I had the experience of searching and finding sites, my interest in finding sites of possible Nephit-Lamanite arrowheads was high. There were also stories of how Brother Willard Bean found arrowheads by the basketful around the hill and sold them to tourists. If battles took place at the hill, and a lot of people took part—everything sounds about right—the area should be covered with all kinds of artifacts.”
    But it was not then, not now, evidently not ever, for such numbers of artifacts always leave traces, other pieces being plowed up, moved toward the surface from underground and soil activity. Having been arrowhead hunting in the wilderness of central and southern Utah, a person with a keen eye can still find arrowheads just lying on the ground. We have seen cases where several of us walked right over several arrowheads without seeing them, but one among us with a background in arrowhead hunting, saw them all.

Lastly, Landon Smith finished his letter by commenting that J. Sheldon Fisher, who lived in the small town of Fishers, about 10 miles southwest of the hill Cumorah owned what he called the Valentown Museum, which was full of American artifacts and all types of antiques. Not only was he a great historian of the happenings down through time in that area, he supplied most of the early-1800s furniture used in the area's visitors' centers. He worked as a professional archaeologist for the state of New York for over 30 years. In fact, an article in the March 3, 2001 Church News, covered his finds of an old Brigham Young home (Shaun D. Stahle, "Excavating Brigham Young's mill site").
    Landon says of him: “He said that he had a standing agreement with all of the bulldozer and backhoe people in the county that they would call him when they were about to start jobs in the area. Many times, he said, "I'd beat them to the site—I'd get there before they would." He always watched the soil as they dug it or pushed it around. But he never found any artifacts of any kind. I have spent evenings on both trips to Palmyra talking with him about the area and its history. His comment on my last trip was, "Oh, I hope this doesn't shake your faith." I answered, "No, it doesn't. The Church is still true. The Book of Mormon is true. And those plates came out of that hill. The battle—well, it must have been at some other hill.”
    So once again, we ask “Why do we keep hearing people claim that the hill in New York known in the early years as “Mormon Hill,” “Gold Bible Hill,” “Inspiration Point,” and later called by early Church members “Cumorah,” is the same hill found in the scriptural record of the Book of Mormon where some 300,000 or more people died in a final battle, and not a single authenticated artifact has ever been found there.