Do We Know Where the Jaredites Landed?

While few people realize it, the location of where the Jaredites landed is found, in part, in Mormon’s insertion into his abridgement of the Book of Alma. At the time Mormon is inserting descriptive information regarding the location of the land of the Lamanite king who sent a proclamation throughout his land (Alma 22:27). In this, Mormon describes where the Lamanites were located and where the Nephites were located and how they were divided. In the course of this discussion, Mormon states that the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land (Alma 22:29).
    In fact, not only did the Nephites control all of the land north of the narrow strip of wilderness, “from the east to the west…but also on the north until they came to the land which they called Bountiful.
    Now the city of Bountiful is mentioned as the northern most major city in the Land Southward. Beyond this city was the narrow neck of land, though how far beyond, or what the distance was between the city of Bountiful and the narrow neck is not listed.
    Now the Land of Bountiful “bordered upon the land which they called Desolation” (Alma 22:30). In addition, there was some sort of “line” or boundary or border between Bountiful and Desolation (Alma 22:32). Years later, when Mormon entered into a treaty with the Lamanites, this “line” between Bountiful and Desolation (Alma 22:32) became the division line dividing the Lamanites and the Nephites, of which Mormon wrote: “And the Lamanites did give unto us the land northward, yea, even to the narrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward” (Mormon 2:29).

“So far Northward”

Now this Land of Desolation was “so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed” (Alma 22:30). Thus, the Land of Desolation was in the Land Northward and the Land of Bountiful was in the Land Southward (Alma 22:31).
    This leads us to the passage that has confused so many theorists over the years, and convinced them that the Mulekites landed in the Land Northward. Here is the passage: “And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their first landing” (Alma 22:30).
    This phrase was inserted was stated within Mormon’s insertion of the Land of Promise geography—it had nothing to do with the Mulekites, but with the Jaredites. To read this properly, it is broken down in the exact words from the scriptural record (in italics) and an explanation added for clarity (in normal type): 
• it being so far northward
In this case, “it” refers to the Land of Bountiful, following the introduction of Bountiful in the previous verse (Alma 22:30);
• that it came into the land
In this case, “the land” refers to the land where the Jaredites lived, or the Land Northward;
• which had been peopled
Referring to the people of the Jaredites who had inhabited the Land Northward;
• and been destroyed
Refers to the location of the destruction of the Jaredites, in a final civil war;
• of whose bones we have spoken 
Mentioned earlier in this insertion that the bones were of the Jaredites who had been destroyed;

Limhi’s 43-man expedition sent out to find Zarahemla

• which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla
Refers to the 43-man expedition sent by king Limhi to find the city of Zarahemla—these people were originally from Zarahemla three generations earlier;
• it being the place
“It” refers to The Land Northward;
• of their first landing
“Their” refers to the people of the bones, or the Jaradites, and was (in the Land Northward) the place of the Jaradites first landing
    As Alma is describing the events in this chapter, his intent is to illustrate that the missionary work went forth, and that a proclamation from the King was issued through all the lands of the Lamanites.  At this point, Mormon interjected a description of the area, size, and location of the Lamanite lands to: 1) help the future reader under-stand Alma's perspective, and 2) to show the future reader his own perspective on how the Lamanites had been bottled up in the south and the Nephites having provided them an escape route in the north.
    Several points are important to keep in mind:
• Lamanites: the subject matter is the Lamanites and their location;
• Land First Settled by the Lamanites: the Lamanites “fathers” were the same as the Nephite fathers if we go back far enough to the Lehi Colony.  In this case, Mormon is illustrating that the landing site of the first colony was on the west coast and that coastal area had always been in the hands of the Lamanites (after Nephi fled following Lehi's death).  This land and area is referred to throughout scripture as the land of the Lamanites first inheritance (and the original land of first inheritance of the entire Lehi colony until Nephi fled, vacating the area and leaving it to Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael);

Nephi fled northward when fleeing from his brothers and the sons of Ishmael

• North of the Lamanites: obviously, Nephi fled north when leaving the land of the colony's first inheritance (the landing area of the Lehi colony).  Thus, from that point forward through to the very end of Mormon's life, the Nephites occupied the land to the north of the Lamanites generally.  On occasion, the Lamanites held land to the west and east of the Nephite area, but as Mormon points out, the Nephites held the land to the north in such a manner as to keep the Lamanites from getting into the northern lands north of the Nephites
• Not in a Straight Line: the word roundabout as defined in an 1828 Noah Webster American Dictionary of the English Language, means "not in a straight line."  Thus, round about meant in some fashion other than a straight line;
• Bountiful: the word "it" in this case, refers to the previous noun...that is, the word "it" refers to Bountiful;
• Land of Desolation: the word "it" in this case, refers to the previous subject noun...that is, the word "it" refers to the Land of Desolation;
• Land of Desolation: the word "it" in this case, refers to the previous subject noun...that is, once again the word "it" refers to the Land of Desolation;
• Jaredites: this land north of the Land of Desolation was the land of the Jaredites; the people that had been destroyed were the Jaredites;
• Previously Mentioned: these bones, which had been earlier mentioned in Alma's abridgement of the Book of Mosiah, belonged to the people who had been destroyed in this far north land—that is, the Jaredites (they were the bones of the Jaredites)

The 43-man expedition to find the city of Zarahemla that became lost

• Limhi’s 43-man Expedition: when Limhi was King of the city and area of Lehi-Nephi (having gone back to reclaim their inheritance in the land of Nephi), he became concerned that the Lamanites might destroy them, having already placed them under bondage, so he sent this 43-man expedition northward to try and find Zarahemla and seek help from their brethren the Nephites.  Instead, they became lost, never found Zarahemla, and stumbled into the land of the Jaredites and saw the remains of the Jaredites total destruction;
• The Land That Had Been Peopled and Destroyed, i.e., the Jaredite Lands: the word "it" in this case, refers to the previous subject noun...that is, "it" refers to the land that had been peopled and destroyed—the land which Limhi's 43-man expedition found;
• Jaredites: in this case, the word "their" refers to the last subject noun, that is the people of the land which had been destroyed who were the Jaredites.  Thus, the place of their first landing referred to the Jaredites.
   Thus, the Jaredites landed in the Land Northward, and went up from there to the Land of Moron.