The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901Linn, William Alexander
History
The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901
Linn, William Alexander
Latter Day Saints -- History; Utah -- History
When Rigdon returned to Ohio with Smith in January, 1831, it seems to
have been his intention to make Kirtland the permanent headquarters of
the new church. He had written to his people from Palmyra, "Be it known
to you, brethren, that you are dwelling on your eternal inheritance."
When Cowdery and his associates arrived in Ohio on their first trip,
they announced as the boundaries of the Promised Land the township
of Kirtland on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Within two
months of his arrival at Kirtland Smith gave out a "revelation" (Sec.
45), in which the Lord commanded the elders to go forth into the western
countries and buildup churches, and they were told of a City of Refuge
for the church, to be called the New Jerusalem. No definite location of
this city was given, and the faithful were warned to "keep these things
from going abroad unto the world." Another "revelation" of the same
month (Sec. 48) announced that it was necessary for all to remain for
the present in their places of abode, and directed those who had lands
"to impart to the eastern brethren," and the others to buy lands, and
all to save money "to purchase lands for an inheritance, even the city."
The reports of those who first went to Missouri induced Smith and
Rigdon, before they made their first trip to that state, to announce
that the Saints would pass one more winter in Ohio. But when they had
visited the Missouri frontier and realized its distance from even the
Ohio border line, and the actual privations to which settlers there must
submit, their zeal weakened, and they declared, "It will be many years
before we come here, for the Lord has a great work for us to do in
Ohio." The building of the Temple at Kirtland, and the investments
in lots and in business enterprises there showed that a permanent
settlement in Ohio was then decided on.
Smith's first business enterprise for the church in Ohio was a general
store which he opened in Hiram. This establishment has been described as
"a poorly furnished country store where commerce looks starvation in the
face."* The difficulty of combining the positions of prophet, head of
the church, and retail merchant was naturally great. The result of the
combination has been graphically pictured by no less an authority than
Brigham Young. In a discourse in Salt Lake City, explaining why the
church did not maintain a store there, Young said:--
* Salt Lake Herald, November 17, 1877.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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