Show WEST description of crooked river biver bat tle tie ground other matters ash AOL of interest FAR caldwell co missouri sept D IM editor deseret news having davial given you some jottings cottings jot tings by the wayside up to richmond missouri we resumed our journey on the latu inot taking train at a m on the st joseph st louis anti and santa fe railroad twenty miles to lawson north from richmond where we were compelled to draw on our already taxed patience aad and await the tardy arrival of the railway coach as ali a change ot of train was necessary to convey us to crooked river battle ground bobards Bo gards battle field by which title it lb ft so readily known in these parts it was over two hours which seemed to us much nuch longer before we could leave this insignificant town how ever we felt much better aud not half bait so cross after a square breakfast we proceeded to the station and at 9 J were delighted to hear the scream of the locomotive and the call of all aboard for almira six miles northeast where we safely arrived arrived on the well named crooked river two miles from the fated spot we have heard so much about during our twenty six miles ride today we have had a variety of scenery aery and passed over sacred land beautiful 0 to o behold and very fertile bertil I 1 e why should it not be so wh when we realize that h at we are in ia what was tadeu eden and its vicinity and surroundings aud and are on our way to visit the land where our father adam dwelt in adam ondi ahman abman when he was driven oat of the garden ot of eden which is jackson county missouri and adam ondi ahman is situated northeast about beigh eighty 1 miles from the gardes garden of eden owl wil chos able to even imagine the depth ot of thought and pleasure it affords us to know we are per peri i bitted and are worthy to live in this momentous day of gospel dis sensation pensa tion in a day in which god has f ul filled his promises us as found recorded in our text which was read by us on the sacred temple lot iu in independence jackson county MIsso missouri url it was as follows and the angel which spoke to me said the prophet Z zecharia zacharia second chapter 25 who said run speak to this young wan man saying jerusalem shall ue be inhabited Inabit ed as towns without walls etc ane visitation ot of an angel has created much prejudice throughout the world and we are about to visit some of the results and consequences of it 10 securing a guide we at once be began an our journey mr J M trout guidd guided us through the woods where we bound many trees laden with nuts and wild fruits until we came near old field ford on crooked river known hereabouts as aa bogrod Bo arod battle ground round being somewhat some whai weary and thirsty thirsty for the heat is ia much more oppressive in in this lower tute even at the same degree than in our higher ra rifled mountain air missouri bulter milk and corn bread made our lunch lancil while hile sitting on a log near a binand ca I 1 in n full of the scene and conflict of nov 20 25 1838 nearly 50 years ago after reviewing the grounds and ford we dined with mr J L thompson one fourth of a mile south on the river bluff he with his two sons well knew the grounds and had bad of often ten pinked up bullets and seen trees marked with these missives also a mr absalom mcdonald who owns the land and has cut the timber there and is now 72 years of age rode his horse down to the ground and marked out bobards Bo gards camp yards from oldfield crossing bobards Bo gards ford and now known as the mcdonald ford two large trees stand as mementoes in the line of the old camp one a very large burr oak alive and the other one already dead it was about yards east of the river to the line of camp and a bank ran parallel between the river and camp with heavy timber in the background it was with solemn and peculiar feelings that we traced those grounds especially as we continued up the old ell road to the rather steep hill where re stood the picket guard mr john lockard who killed kille Arether brother obanion mr absalom mcdonald pointed out the very spot saying mr john lock that ne he just below this elevated and very sightly point As the men were going down the old road only one of the two guards fired alred and both ran for camp about a quarter of a mile distant still further up the inan in an old field stands mr fields double two iwo story house 30 by 18 feet built of hewed logs it looks very lonely and in a state of decay it has been abandoned tor for the past ten years and add with the surrounding fields looks forsaken one of the party said that he had bad killed three hedge bedge hogs recently in the old bid house bouse it was back of this old house bouse where captain fearnot had bad divided his forces into three divisions and marched on to the ford where the conflict occurred just as the day was dawning giving the enemy every advantage as they were looking towards the light and had bad the bank to serve as a breastwork yet soon were routed and plunged into the river and scattered many are the rumors as to the cause of this conflict it is well authenticated that mr bobards Bo gards company was burning mormon houses killing stock and had bad already taken three such scenes are very pleasant to contemplate and it 16 even not consoling to review the grounds far west having been turned into a plow field there mere is no railroad communication muni cation to that point much to our inconvenience ence we therefore resolved to walk the distance dia tance about sixteen miles and we were delighted with the rolling prairies mingled with timber land oa prairie ridge an ohio farmer as well as many others on our way beset us to purchase chase laud land and farms e us as we suppo supposed ced tor for land speculators we had bad off offra ra rs of 0 excellent land for from 10 to ya 50 per acre all through cald well county oar onia oai man explained that he had W and a halt half acres mostly cultivated with an excellent dwelling house bouse bars barb well of good water line fene fences e 8 etc and indeed I 1 is place looked looked very tempting arid and desirable indeed the land in the whole count county is most moat delightful and rich well I 1 said he 1138 38 per acre or will take it all al i 11 he was very anxious to sell mr jacob whitmer DWhit D mer who has the best farm and improvements embracing the very best beat portion of old eld far west city including the tae temple block would like to sell out for io per acre ard it is remarkable to see the spirit of selling out tue whole people so BO far as we could learn felt as though though they had bad no desire to live in the country elder stevenson St avenson pointed out a portion of the whitmer field which his bis widowed mother was compelled to leave unsold also a parcel of timber land on goose creek within one mile of far west where governor lucass mob meb camped 50 years vears ago many v vary y many can point out ol 01 old homesteads N ads until wry little of ane county will remain with a government title and those now in possession would be puzzled to td show a clear chain of of tittle from the government perhaps this is one great cause for the mania of selling out this once very desirable laud land what a contrast in the price of real estate where the mormons cormons Mor mons now reside as compared with this eden une one coiner lot in salt lake city b has been transformed from a barren sage brush desert would sell for sufficient to purchase the whole ol of far west city plot as it now stands a city of weeds and grass far west was laid out in 1830 and consisted of the south west quarter of section 11 southeast quarter of section 10 northeast quarter of section 15 I 1 noth northwest west quarter of section 14 all in township og 66 range 29 09 containing acres ue tue blocks were feet feer square f four oar main streets 3 32 feet wide all other streets 82 i feet in width six hundred and forty acres at mr Whit mers highest figure 50 per acre would amount to A certain party refused 2000 tf for his bis corner lot in salt lake city we dare say that a similar state of affairs exists at nauvoo hancock ancock ll county illinois it is a fact that wherever the mor alor mons go even in the desert 1000 miles out into the wilderness as tile the ancient prophets have foretold they make the solitary place glad and the desert to blossom blosom as the rose one old oarn narn is all the building I 1 which remains of this the original town of far west eleb excepting ting I 1 a portion of josept joseph smiths oad old frame house bouse which has been removed we crossed goose creek one mile south of ef far west shoal creek is one wile mile north norm on the adam ondi ahman road and both streams unite one and a bait miles northeast norta nort east west we found the temple excavation west of mr whit mers house bouse tracing each corner stone distinctly except the northwest which was to find we sat upon the corner stone i at the southeast corner of the te temple mple site and wrote some and offered prayers the dimensions are 80 by feet the lot is fenced in by itself containing three acres we took dinner with mr J whitmer after which he be took a good fleet team and conveyed us seven miles to kingston the county seat on our way to hauns mill we have been treated well and have met with kindness on every ha hand n d many ohio people have built up coil comfortable a for tor homes and I 1 improved some parts of the country but are not satisfied with their homes EDWARD STEVENSON ANDREW JENSON JS J S BLACK |