Honey Locust at Far West

Several weeks ago when we visited Far West, I noticed a large tree at the edge of the parking lot with all these huge thorns that had grown out from the trunk. I don’t recall ever seeing a tree with so many thorns that were that long. It was clearly not a tree that someone would want to try to climb.  I asked Sister Anderson to take a picture of it, which she did. I will try to post the picture. Another visitor came by and I asked him if he knew what kind of tree it was and he said it was a Honey Locust. I Googled honey locust and found the following:

Tree at Far West Thorns were close to 6 inches long.

Honey Locust at Far West Up Close and Personal

 Honey locusts commonly have thorns 3–10 cm long growing out of the branches, some reaching lengths up to 8 inches; these may be single, or branched into several points, and commonly form dense clusters. The thorns are fairly soft and green when young, harden and turn red as they age, then fade to ash grey and turn brittle when mature

Far West

After visiting Independence and the Liberty jail we traveled further north to Far West. The Church owns a plot of ground where the Far West Temple was to be built. The four corner stones are in place with several monuments on the grounds. I thought the countryside on the drive to Far West was very picturesque.  Other than the four corner stone’s for the temple there is no indication that Mormon settlements existed in the area. It is basically farmland with rolling hills.

In 1838 the Lord said to Joseph Smith, "let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy"  (D&C 115:7)

Temple site at Far West

Sister Anderson at Far West Temple lot

 

The following is a little background on Far West.

Far West became the principal city and county seat of Caldwell County, but by the middle of 1838, at least 19 other Mormon settlements had been established in Caldwell County.  Some researchers estimate that Latter-day saints had begun about 2000 farms by the summer of 1838 in Caldwell County, paying $318,000 to the federal government for the land. At the minimum price of $1.25 per acre this gave them more than 250,000 acres. When Saints in Clay county and Kirtland, Ohio, and elsewhere were encouraged to gather and settle in Missouri from 1836 to 1839, Caldwell County’s population increased to about 10,000. The Mormons greatly outnumbered the population of the old settlers. At the same time Mormons lived in other counties.  The Mormon population in Missouri during this time was about 12,000. It is possible that a number of these members were forced to move three to five times, in a period of 8 years, from Jackson County to Clay County, and from Clay County to Caldwell County and from Caldwell County to Quincy, Illinois and from Quincy, Illinois to Nauvoo, Illinois.

 

It is ironic that the Mormons had that heavy population in Caldwell County but today the only visible physical remains of the Mormon settlements are the four cornerstones of the Far West temple and three millstones from Haun’s Mill.