George Q. Cannon
~ Cumorah is Cumorah ~

by Don R. Hender

---

~ Apostle and First Presidency ~

George Q. Cannon is often quoted for his statement regarding the study of the Book of Mormon geography, why the Church has refrained from publishing any suggestive mapping to such, and why it is that a pursuit of such is discouraged. (Juvenile Instructor, Jan 1, 1890 & The Instructor 73, 4 (April), pages 159-160.)  Yet, despite warning against such Book of Mormon geography exploits, he himself had strong convictions of at least one of the historical sites where much of the Book of Mormon’s tragic history took place.  George Q. Cannon understood firmly that Cumorah was Cumorah.  Listen to the words of the following quote and tell me where the Brethren have repeated reported the Hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon to be.

(GOSPEL TRUTH – Discourses and Writings of George Q. Cannon, p. 478-479)
            The Hill Cumorah in New York. While on a recent visit to the States on business Brother Brigham Young, Jun., and I arranged to make a visit to the hill Cumorah—the hill where Mormon and Moroni secreted the records, by the command of the Lord, which were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and from which he translated the Book of Mormon. . . .

            Undoubtedly great changes had occurred in the appearance of the surrounding country since the days when Mormon and Moroni had trod the spot where we stood; still, we could readily understand, even now, how admirable a position this would be for a general to occupy in watching and directing the movements of armies and in scrutinizing the position of an enemy. Around Cumorah is yet a land of many waters, rivers and fountains, as Mormon said it was in his day.

            Our emotions on treading on this sacred hill were of the most peculiar character. They were indescribable. This was the hill Ramah of the Jaredites, and it is probable that in this vicinity Coriantumr and Shiz, with the people whom they led, fought their last battle. For this great battle they were four years preparing, gathering the people together from all parts of the land and arming men and women, and even children. The battle lasted eight days, and the result was the complete extermination of the Jaredite nation, none being left but the Prophet Ether—who warned the nation of the fate that awaited it unless the people repented and who lived to record the fulfillment of his own warnings and predictions—and Coriantumr who succeeded in slaying his mortal enemy, Shiz.

            It is probable that the Prophet Ether, when he emerged from his hiding-place to view the destruction of his race, which he had been inspired to foretell, had ascended this hill and from its summit had gazed with profound grief upon the thousands of slain which lay scattered unburied upon the surface of the earth around. He and Coriantumr alone of all that mighty race which had flourished for upwards of fifteen hundred years were left. Who can imagine the feelings which he must have had on such an occasion?

            From the summit of this hill, doubtless, Mormon and his great son Moroni had also witnessed the gathering of the hosts of the Nephites and the dusky and myriad legions of their deadly enemies, the Lamanites. Around this hill they had marshaled their forces, their twenty-three divisions of ten thousand men each, commanded by the most skillful of their generals—all to be swept away, except Mormon and Moroni and twenty-two others, in one day's battle, by the fierce and relentless foe whom God permitted to execute his threatened judgment. Stealthily, perhaps, for fear of exciting the attention of the Lamanites, Mormon and Moroni and their companions may have ascended this hill and gazed on the dreadful scene around them. What a picture of desolation and woe must have met their sight! How deep must have been their anguish at thus witnessing the destruction of the fair ones of their nation! No wonder they cried out in anguish and mourned with pathetic lamentations the rebellion against God which had brought this terrible destruction upon them.

            Mormon's feelings must have been very peculiar. At fifteen years of age chosen to be the commander-in-chief of the armies of his nation, he had fought battle after battle until now, at seventy-four years of age, he witnessed the complete blotting out of what had been the most favored people on the earth. His reflections must have been peculiarly painful, because he knew that had they listened to him he could have saved them.

            It was here that he hid the abridgment which he made of the records, and which is now known by his name, and it was here, thirty-six years after this tremendous battle, that his son Moroni also hid his abridgment of the Book of Ether and the record which he had made, from which we learn the fate of his father Mormon and his other companions, that sixteen years after the battle of Cumorah Mormon and all the Nephites except Moroni had been killed by the Lamanites. It was to this spot that, about fourteen hundred years after these events, Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was led by Moroni in person, and here the records, engraved on plates, were committed to him for translation.

            Who could tread this ground and reflect upon these mighty events and not be filled with indescribable emotion? We were literally surrounded by the graves of two of the mightiest nations which had ever flourished on the earth. We stood in the center of their burial place. They had rebelled against God; they had slain His Prophets, disregarded His warnings and arrayed themselves against Him. (July 5, 1873, JI 8:108-9)

Once upon a time in the Chruch, there was no doubt as to the location of the Hill of Cumorah.  Cumorah was Cumorah. There was little argument about the fact as it just was.  Now today there seems to be a general attempt to replace the facts of the past with ‘academically acceptable’ substitutes, which more satisfy the precepts of men than adhering to the word of God’s authorities.  With meeting the demands of the ‘sciences’ of man, the Book of Mormon geography must be very limited in size. Forget that the early Mormon pioneers traveled over one thousand miles in a single season of a year to the Salt Lake Valley and those of that traveled the Oregon Trail traveled over 2000 miles.  The ancients of the Nephites and Lamanites did not have that capacity to travel from Mexico to New York in the last battles of the Lamanites and Nephites.  Forget that the ancient Inca Empire extended from Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the days of the Spanish conquest of that Empire.  Book of Mormon Empires must be limited to the extremes of the southern to the northern borders of the state of Utah.  That is 400 miles, the distance suggested by the Mesoamerican theorists for the distance from the land of Nephi to the Hill Cumorah they propose in Central America.  And forget the countless testimonies of the Church’s Brethren through the ages who have confirmed the always stated placement of the Hill Cumorah of the Book of Mormon being that of the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, New York.  After all, men of science know more and can assess better that they who are not so well schooled in the learning of the world.

George Q. Cannon also wrote the book entitled, ‘Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet.’  On pages 39-44 of that book, once again it is presented that Cumorah is Cumorah.  It is presented there that the Hill Cumorah where the Prophet Joseph Smith obtained the plates from Moroni is the same Hill Cumorah where the Nephite last stand was at this same hill Cumorah. And it was the same as the Jaredite hill Ramah.  To not accept such as the fact is to censor much of the writings of the General Authorities of the Church who have written on the topic of the Hill Cumorah.

I will quote one particular paragraph from President Cannon's text which reveals to the prudent at just what point the Angel Moroni first revealed to Joseph Smith that Cumorah was Cumorah.

Many precious truths the angel now imparted to him: telling him that he, Moroni, while yet living, had hidden up the plates in the hill, four centuries after Christ, to await their coming forth in the destined hour of God's mercy to man; that he, Moroni, was the son of Mormon, a prophet of the ancient Nephites, who had once dwelt on this land; that to the Nephites this sacred hill was known as Cumorah, and to the Jaredites (who had still more anciently inhabited this continent) as Ramah; and much more did he impart to Joseph concerning the mysteries of the past, and the future purposes of Almighty God in the redemption of fallen mankind.
(George Q. Cannon, The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1986], 39 - 40.)
(George Q. Cannon, The Life of Joseph Smith, the Prophet [Second Edition: The Desert News, 1907], 17.)