The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-07-04

near Palmyra. Known locally as
~ Mormon hill, it is officially called
Hill CumOrah by members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints and venerated by them
as the place where the Angel Moroni gave to
Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the church,
the golden plates from which he translated the
Book of Mormon
According to Mormon history the Angel Mo-
roni a heavenly parsonage who lived on the
American continent centuries ago and who was
the last writer of the Book of Mormon, met
Joseph Smith on this hill once each year for
four years before entrusting him with the Gus
tody of the gold plates hidden therein. SUBJ
sequent appearance of the angel was made to
Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and David Whit
men during which he showed the golden plates
TO them and bore witness that the translation
made from them was correct. They were again
shown TO eight witnesses who received the mes
sage of their truthfulness by inspiration. The
Book of Mormon gives the origin of the Amer
lean Indians and relates the dealings OF COO
with their forefathers
When the monument is unveiled there viii be
revealed at the top of a 40-foot granite shaft
the nine-foot sculptured figure of the Angel
MOroni, bearing the plates in his left arm and
holding aloft his right arm as signal to the
world that the message contained in the gold
plates had been returned to the modern world.
At the base of the monument will be four
plaques.
One will show the boy, Joseph Smith, receiv-
ing the plates from the angel A second will
depict the scene of the three witnesses viewing
the plates at the hands of the angel. third
will show the eight witnesses receiving testi-
mony concerning the plates, and the fourth VIII
contain the exhortatiOn of Moroni found in the
Book of Mormon-"And when We shall receive
these things would exhort you that We would
fbn Of
Christ If these things are not true; and If We
shall ask with sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith in Christ, he will manifest the
truth of it unto you by the power OF the Holy
Ghost" The monument is the work of Torlief 5.
Knaphus Danish convert to the church
Although the three-day fete, of which the mon
ument unwilling is part, is a celebration by
the members of the Mormon church to mark
fttingly the place which they regard as the MT.
Sinai of the New World" it is of interest to all
Americans because this hill in western New
York marks the starting place of migration
which is one of the real epics in the history of
American pioneering. Especially is this true or
it's last phase-the march across the Great
Plains of the West to the valley of the Great
Salt lake In Utah.
Soon after the organization of the church in
1880 in Fayette, Seneca county, New York,
branch was set up in Kirkland. Ohio, and as
the Saints began to gather there in large num-
bers il became for a time the headquarters or
the church's activities A printing press had
been set up, a large mercantile house opened
and in June 1888, the building of temple had
begun.
From the very beginning the expansion Of the
new sect had met with violent opposition from
the adberents of other religious faiths and 1t
now famed out even stronger. The printing press
was destroyed houses pulled down and the
goods from the stores scattered in the streets.
their homes and went to Missouri. to which
Joseph Smith and of the Mormon elders
had gone in the meantime and established
branches of the church in Jackson county and
other places. The refugees from Ohio settled In
Clay county and by industry and economy began
TO acquire land and other wealth But opposi-
ton to them again developed and when they
were forbidden to purchase land or make i'm
provements they moved TO location on
government land in Caldwell county
Here the foundations for another temple were
laid but again the Saints found rest. Gov
ernor Boggs issued an order "for the extermina-
ton of the Mormons from the free republic OF
Missouri" and after a period of persecution,
$4,000 of them were driven from their homes
in midwinter and crossed over the Mississippi
TO Illinois where they established the city of
Nauvoo in Hancock county.
But the frontier population OF Illinois proved
no more tolerant than had the people of New
York. Ohio and Missouri Persecution of the
newcomers continued and after series of ar
rests and acquittals, Joseph Smith was finally
taken in custody on a charge of treason. While