“Explanation of the Plat of the City of Zion,” circa 25 June 1833

  • An explination of the plot of the City  of Zion sent to the brethren in Zion  the 25 of June 1833——

    This plot contains one mile squ[a]re  all the squ[a]res in the plot contains ten  acres each being 40 rods squ[a]re you will  observe that the lots are laid off alternate  in the squ[a]re, in one squ[a]re running  from the south and north to the line  through the middle of the squ[a]re, and the  next, the lots run from the east and west [p. 38]

In summer 1831, Jackson County, in western Missouri, was identified as the site of Zion. By mid-1833, more than a thousand church members had relocated to Jackson County. In late June the presidency of the high priesthood in Kirtland, Ohio, sent church leaders in Missouri a city plat for Zion, drawn by Frederick G. Williams. A written explanation in the margins described the configuration of the plat or pattern. The plat was revised in August.

Before mailing the original plat, Williams transcribed the explanatory text into Letterbook 1. In the process he made several textual changes and corrections. The original drawing is now incomplete, with edges missing that included text. This transcription is drawn from the text in Letterbook 1, which is more complete. JS and Williams began the letterbook to record JS’s history and also as a letter registry.

Facts

Editorial Title
“Explanation of the Plat of the City of Zion,” circa 25 June 1833
ID #
2742