Far West. May 7, 1837.

Dear brother in the Lord,

Permit me to drop  you a few lines to show you our prog ress temporally and spiritually. A  multiplicity of business has prevented  me from writing much the year past,  but the greatness of our doings and the  importance of the occasion require a  recital to you for your consolation.— Monday the 3d of July, was a great  and glorious day in Far West; more  than fifteen hundred saints assembled  in this place, and, at ½ past 8 in the  morning, after a prayer, singing, and  an address, proceeded to break the  ground for the Lord’s House; the day  was beautiful, the Spirit of the Lord  was with us, a cellar for this great ed ifice, 110 long by 80 broad was nearly  finished: on Tuesday the fourth, we  had a large meeting and several of the  Missourians were baptized: Our meet ings, held in the open prairie, or, in  fact larger than they were in Kirtland  when I was there. We have more or  less to bless, confirm and, baptize ev ery Sabath.

This same day our school section  was sold at auction, and although en tirely a prairie, it brought, on a years  credit, from 3 ½ to $10,20 an acre,  making our first school fund $5070!!  Land can not be had round town  now much less than $10 per acre.

Our numbers increase daily, and,  notwithstanding the season has been  cold and backward, no one has lacked  a meal, or went hungry. Provisions  to be sure have risen, but not as high  as our accounts say they are abroad.

Public notice has been given by the  mob in Davi[es]s county, north of us, for  the Mormons to leave that county by  the first of August, and go into Cald well. Our enemies will not slumber,  till Satan knows the bigness of his lot.

Our town gains some, we have a bout one hundred buildings, 8 of which  are stores. If the brethren abroad are  wise, and will come on with means,  and help enter the land and populate  the Co. and build the Lord’s House, we  shall soon have one of the most pre cious spots on the Globe. God grant  that it may be so. Of late we receive  but little news from you: and we think  much of that is exaggerated.

As ever,

W[illiam] W. PHELPS.

N. B. Please say in your Messen ger: “A Post office has been estab lished at Far West, Caldwell County,  Missouri. Our brethren will now  have a chance to write to their  friends.” [p. [529]]