“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.” — Doctrine and Covenants 115:7¹

Far West briefly served as the headquarters of the Church after Joseph Smith moved there in March 1838.² Originally named Shoal Creek, the area was surveyed in 1823 and had its first white settlers in 1831. It is about fifty-five miles northeast of Independence, Missouri.³ After the Latter-day Saints had been forced out of Jackson County, the Missouri legislature organized Caldwell County in 1836 as a place for the Saints to settle, with Far West as the county seat.⁴ Far West grew from a few scattered log cabins to a population of 3,000 to 5,000 people. Joseph Smith received several revelations while in Far West.³ In October 1838, following Governor Boggs’ extermination order, General Samuel D. Lucas and about 3,000 men from the state militia surrounded Far West, arresting Joseph Smith and others.⁵ While Joseph was in prison, Far West was the center for thousands of Saints preparing to leave Missouri, with many finding refuge in Quincy, Illinois.⁶

1. Doctrine and Covenants 115:7

2. “Far West,” churchofjesuschrist.org

3. “Far West, Missouri,” josephsmithpapers.org

4. “Far West,” churchofjesuschrist.org; “Establishing Zion in Missouri,” Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 45

5. “Far West,” churchofjesuschrist.org; Saints, Volume 1, Chapter 30, 356-358

6. “Far West, Missouri,” josephsmithpapers.org; “Quincy, Illinois,” josephsmithpapers.org; “Far West,” churchofjesuschrist.org