Did Lehi Land at Apalachicola in Florida? – Part I

Heartland theorists continually claim that “The Lehi Landing c. 591 BC or the Land of First Inheritance was possibly near Tallahassee Florida. Nephi could then travel up the Chattahoochee River to its source at Unicoi Gap, GA. The source of the Hiwassee River could then take the Nephites where the first temple may have been built in Chattanooga, TN.”

There are several erroneous viewpoints regarding the North American claims, and  they can all be answered correctly. As an example:

• Comment: The Mulekites c. 589 BC may have landed at the Gulf of Mexico by the Mississippi River, and continued up the Mississippi and settled upriver at Montrose, IA or Zarahemla. (D&C 125:3)

A Keel Boat was with a very shallow draft. It moved down the Mississippi River easily with the current, but could not go back up against that same current. Most keelboats were from 45 to 75 feet long and seven to nine feet wide

 

Response: It is always amazing that people will make such a claim of sailing up the Mississippi without realizing that the Mississippi River in places was so shallow it took special types of river boats to move up and down the river, such as the Keel Boat of Miche Phinck (Mike Fink) often called Flat Boats or shallow draft boats, or flat bottomed river barges.

Rivers in the early history of movement along the Mississippi River Valley were like living, moving roads. At first people traveled in canoes; light and fast, but they couldn’t carry much cargo. To move goods downstream and bring goods upstream required the use of flat boats, or large keelboats known as Batteaux. When the Mississippi Valley and lead ore from Dubuque moved downstream to St. Louis or New Orleans it would have been mostly relaxing to float down river with little to do other than to keep a sharp eye out for snags. Moving supplies back up the river, well that was when keel-boaters earned their money. They used poles, a sail—if by some miracle the wind was blowing in the right direction—even grabbed bushes and tree limbs to pull them up the river. They even had a song about it sung by the workmen on the boats:

Downward on a keelboat, going down that river feelin’ fine.

Working on a keelboat, just another way to raise a dime.

But when we go back up that river, man, you know we be workin’ over time.

Even though steamboats now haul a lot of the cargo, keelboats are still used. A person can float his good’s downstream, sell his flatboat for the wood it was made from, then ride the streamer (paddle wheeler) back upstream (“From Here to There,” The Iowa Heritage: Program No.6, Iowa PBS, 1978).

The point is, very small flat boats (keel boats) could not move up the Mississippi River, and certainly not a deep water sailing ship—yet Heartland Theorists take Nephi that way for his landing at Zarahemla.

However, there were only four types of commercial or personal movement going inland (up river) on American rivers, which were:

Traveling down the river in 1841

 

Poles and Oars: Most travel up river was with poles from the deck of the boat, or oars from canoes or rowboat.  Using long poles, which were used both to propel boat, like a Keel Boat, up and also to keep the boat or raft from running into the shore, the boat was pushed forward. Keelboats got their name from the keel, a four-inch square timber that extended along the bottom of the vessel from bow to stern. The keel stabilized a heavy boat in dangerous river currents. Keelboats were the boat of choice to carry valuable produce, such as whiskey and pelts, to market in the early Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys. Unlike boats previously used on the western waters, keelboats had a light draft, were maneuverable, and could carry between 20 and 40 tons of freight. The keelboat used on the Lewis and Clark Expedition was custom made to Meriwether Lewis’ specifications—the 55-foot long boat was shaped more like what was then called a barge, but had a keel added for stability. After the Lewis and Clark Expedition, keelboats were used by American fur trapping expeditions on the Missouri River. For movement, men on board pushed poles into the river or canal bottom, then “walked” back on narrow walkways on both sides of the riverboat to push it upriver. They picked up the long pole, walked back to the bow, then did it over and over again.

Horses Pulling barge on the Erie Canal

 

2. Pull from Side Paths: Initially, America had no large ships at all and common in the country, there were hundreds of miles of rivers that Indians in canoes used to travel long distances. One example of European travel on the rivers is shown in the 363-mile Erie Canal, which was built in 1825. These small packet boats, later known as canal boats, were used to carry mail, cargo, and passengers along the canals and rivers. They were 14 feet wide to fit the narrow width of the canals, but could be anywhere from 70 to 90 feet long. Some type of animal, typically horses or mules, were used to power the boats—attached to the boats by a rope, the animals walked along a towpath next to the canal, pulling the boats behind them as they went. The teams of horses or mules worked in shifts.

3. Pulled With Ropes by Manpower: Men along the canal would pull on ropes attached to the canal boat, in a process called cordelling. Like the animals, teams worked in shifts, which were especially important along early rivers where rope pulling was generally in shorter periods. In these early rivers, keel or flat boats were the boat of choice to haul goods downriver as well as picking up a return order to haul other goods up river—a most difficult process.

4. Steam: Paddle Wheels, with a draft of 4 feet was propelled by a high-pressure, horizontally mounted engine turning a single stern paddle wheel.

• Comment: “Zarahemla (Montrose) Iowa is a possible location for the Nephite settlement. The rivers most likely were the highways of the Nephites.”

Response: There is simply no way to get to this area from the Gulf of Mexico, especially up the Mississippi River. It should always be kept in mind that that the Mulekites always remained at their first location when Mosiah found them and had never moved from that initial spot. As Mosiah put it: “And they journeyed in the wilderness and were brought by the hand of the Lord across the great waters, into the land where Mosiah discovered them; and they had dwelt there from that time forth” (Omni 1:16, emphasis added).

• Comment: “Mormon continually states that the Lamanites went down to Zarahemla and the Nephites went up too Nephi. Obviously, the City of Nephi was at a higher altitude than Zarahemla, which matches the height difference between Montrose Iowa or Zarahemlah and Chattanooga, Tennessee.”

(See the next post on this point to show how space and elevation is erroneously stated to confuse or alter the point of view to what is agreeable to the Heartland theory and model)