History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 3Smith, Joseph, Jr.
History
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 3
Smith, Joseph, Jr.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
5. The Prophet's uncle, who had but recently arrived at "Diahman."
6. Perhaps the following more detailed description of Adam-ondi-Ahman,
as also the allusion to at least one stirring event which occurred
there in the past, may not be without interest: Adam-ondi-Ahman, or
"Diahman," as it is familiarly known to the Saints, is located on the
north bank of Grand River. It is situated, in fact, in a sharp bend of
that stream. The river comes sweeping down from the northwest and here
makes a sudden turn and runs in a meandering course to the northeast
for some two or three miles, when it as suddenly makes another bend
and flows again to the southeast. Grand River is a stream that has
worn a deep channel for itself, and left its banks precipitous; but
at "Diahman" that is only true of the south bank. The stream as it
rushes from the northwest, strikes the high prairie land which at
this point contains beds of limestone, and not being able to cut its
way through, it veered off to the northeast, and left that height of
land standing like palisades which rise very abruptly from the stream
to a height of from fifty to seventy-five feet. The summit of these
bluffs is the common level of the high rolling prairie, extending off
in the direction of Far West. The bluffs on the north bank recede
some distance from the stream, so that the river bottom at this point
widens out to a small valley. The bluffs on the north bank of the
river are by no means as steep as those on the south, and are covered
with a light growth of timber. A ridge runs out from the main line
of the bluffs into the river bottom some two or three hundred yards,
approaching the stream at the point where the bend of the river is
made. The termination of the bluff is quite abrupt, and overlooks a
considerable portion of the river bottom. On the brow of the bluff
stood the old stone altar, and near the foot of it was built the house
of Lyman Wight. When the altar was first discovered, according to those
who visited it frequently, it was about sixteen feet long, by nine or
ten feet wide, having its greatest extent north and south. The height
of the altar at each end was some two and a half feet, gradually rising
higher to the center, which was between four and five feet high--the
whole surface being crowning. Such was the altar at "Diahman" when
the Prophet's party visited it. Now, however, it is thrown down, and
nothing but a mound of crumbling stones mixed with soil, and a few
reddish boulders mark the spot which is doubtless rich in historic
events. It was at this altar, according to the testimony of Joseph
Smith, that the patriarchs associated with Adam and his company,
assembled to worship their God. Here their evening and morning prayer
ascended to heaven with the smoke of the burning sacrifice, prophetic
and symbolic of the greater sacrifice then yet to be, and here angels
instructed them in heavenly truths.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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