Lehi’s Landing According to Nephi (not Williams) – Part I

Despite what is written on the back of Frederick G. Williams paper regarding Lehi landing at 30º south Latitude in Chile—and the controversy surrounding that statement—Lehi landed somewhere and wherever that was, it had to be consistent with what Nephi wrote about their landing.

Theorists cannot simply pick out a place because they like it, or it meets some other criteria—it has to meet what Nephi wrote—for he is the only one who wrote about their specific landing site.

And what did he say regarding their landing?

“And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents; and we did call it the promised land…and we did begin to till the earth, and we began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance…and we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper” (1 Nephi 18:23-25).

So they:

1. Went forth upon the land;

2. Pitched their tents;

3. Called it the Land of Promise;

4. Tilled the earth;

5. Planted all their seed brought from Jerusalem—which produced an abundance crop that grew exceedingly;

Nephi and the others journeyed in the land and saw forest, precious metals, and animals

 

6. There was a nearby forest that was large enough to house both wild beasts and previously domesticated (feral) animals;

7. And they found all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper, without digging for it.

Why there is a controversy over Frederick G. Williams note is surprising since Nephi’s statements are the only ones that matter. He tells us quite plainly what was found where they landed, and his statements are precisely clear and inarguable! Nephi found tillable (capable of being tilled; arable; fit for the plow) ground in which they put all their seeds brought from Jerusalem.

Now, tillable ground is that which is ready for the plow—but plowing must follow the tilling, or loosening of the earth for the plow. Whether or not Nephi plowed is unknown, but he did till the ground, that is scratched and turned it over lightly, sufficient with a rake-type instrument to insert and cover seeds.

As has been stated here many times, the climate of the land where they landed must have been the same as the climate of the land from which the seeds grew—i.e., Jerusalem, a Mediterranean Climate. And there are only two such climates in the entire Western Hemisphere—California and 30º south Latitude Chile.

The fact that Frederick G. Williams is noted as being this same place is supportive, not conclusive—However, Nephi’s statement is conclusive!

In order to discredit Williams’ (far left) statement, Mesoamerican and Heartland theorists have gone to great lengths to discount what Williams wrote on the piece of paper including his  son, BYU professor Grederick G. Williams, Jr., (left)—however, discounting Williams remark is not the issue and never was. The issue has always been Nephi’s statement in the scriptural record—and that cannot be discounted.

Whether an angel, as Williams claimed, came in and sat down next to him during the dedication of the Kirtland Temple is also not the issue—the issue is what Nephi wrote and described. Everything else is either supportive or rejective.

Mesoamerican theorists claim that characters and the statement on the back of the Williams paper written by Ezra G. Williams, Frederick’s son, which reads: “G. S. L. City, April 11, 1864. This paper is in the hand writing of my father, Fred G. Williams. The characters thereon I believe to be a representation of those shown to him at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple,” discloses several important facts such as: (1) While Ezra knows that the page is in his father’s handwriting, (2) he only believes the characters had something to do with the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. (3) Nothing ties Ezra’s statement on the back to any of the four items on the front (indeed, it makes no sense to link Doctrine and Covenants 7 from 1829 to the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in 1836). Furthermore, Ezra does not attribute the statement about Lehi’s travels (4) to Joseph or (5) to revelation.

No matter the difference of opinion in the value of William’ statement on the paper, it does not matter what specific importance one attributes to the Williams note—it is not Williams views that matter here, but those expressed by Nephi in the scriptural record!

Forget all the heated rhetoric about Williams’ note, his remarks on the paper, and where he thought Lehi landed. Once again, the only thing that really matters, as in all such cases, is what is said about the matter in the Book of Mormon. And Nephi is very clear—he said upon landing that  they:

1. Went forth upon the land;

2. Pitched their tents (to provide shelter);

3. Called it the Land of Promise, which the Lord provided for them;

4. Tilled the earth to plant food for the coming season when their provisions, hunting and fishing ran out;

5. Planted all their seed brought from Jerusalem—a Mediterranean Climate in a like Mediterranean Climate of south central Chile, which produced an abundance crop that grew exceedingly;

6. There was a nearby forest that was large enough to house both wild beasts and previously domesticated (feral) animals,providing both food and domestic help (ie., moving things about, carrying items; logging, and other transportation;

7. And they found all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper, without digging for it, and began to produce metallurgy, which at least Nephi, was capable of doing (1 Nephi 17:9).

Map of Heartland Laneding—no forests,no precious metals, no wild beasts

 

Now in looking at the Heartland model, there was no extensive forest where Lehi landed—Apalachicola has a humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa), with short, mild winters and hot, humid summers. In addition, Wakulla Springs, a 350 foot deep spring sytem, is located in a region known as the Woodville Karst Plain—and area that runs from Tallahassee, Florida, to the Gulf of Mexico, separated by the Cody Scarp—because the area contains numerous springs, sinkholes and a submerged limestone cave systems formed by the dissolving of limestone over thousands of years and consisting of a dendritic network of conduits of which 12 miles have been surveyed and mapped.