RLDS Church, Far West, ca. 1906
During the Latter Day Saint movement's dark and stormy days following the death of Joseph Smith Jr., in Carthage, Illinois, 27 June 1844, former adherents pursued a variety of leadership succession options. Though many early church members, followed the leadership of the Twelve Apostles and moved west, ending up in Utah, many others remained in the American mid-west. Many of these hoped for a time when Joseph Smith Jr.'s, son, Joseph Smith III, would follow in his father's footsteps. During the early 1850s a group of such believers coalesced into what became know as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Members of Joseph Smith's Jr.'s immediate family, including Emma Hale Smith Bidamon and her son Joseph Smith III, affiliated with the RLDS Church on 6 April 1860, at Amboy, Illinois.
Joseph Smith III becomes the RLDS Church President in 1860
Joseph III's leadership, marked by wisdom and sensitivity, spanned 54 years. Alma Blair, an RLDS historian, once described the Reorganized Church as 'moderate Mormonism. Under the leadership of Joseph III, the church stood against polygamy and rejected many teachings introduced into the movement during the Navuoo years.
RLDS missionaries began to spread word of this alternative organization. Under Joseph Smith III's leadership, vigorous missionary efforts sought out the "lost souls of Zion" from the various groups resulting from the breakup of the early church.
The church's missionary force was largely self-supporting, relying principally upon the generosity of those to whom they endeavored to minister. Everyone willing was urged into service. Not only Seventies, but also Elders and Priests, were appointed to labor in the field as missionaries. The church's missionary message appealed to many at this time, especially those yearning to improve their spiritual and economic standing in society. Many were weary of religion as portrayed by mainline denominations.
The Cameron, Missouri, RLDS Gospel Tent, [1895?], with missionaries, W. E. Summerfield, Walter W. Smith, W. E. Haden, and Benjamin J. Dier.
The RLDS Church's social ideals, as expressed through its hope for community, appealed to those wishing to improve their life opportunities and yet conserve what was clearly a rapidly changing way of life in the larger American society. As a result, many old time Saints, residing in the mid-west and elsewhere, found the church's message quite attractive.
The majority of members of the Reorganization enjoyed only limited economic resources throughout the 19th century. Indeed, many members were essentially pioneers, carving out a living on land only recently reclaimed from the wilderness.
RLDS farmer, cultivating land around Far West
"Like the majority of Americans of the period, many of the Reorganized Church converts were farmers. Although relatively poor, these people generally owned their own property and worked for themselves. Generally not well educated, but they were usually literate and certainly inquiring. [Roger Launius, Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet, (University of Illinois Press, 1988), 294-295.] The Chicago Times noted, The Saints in Illinois and Iowa, are highly spoken of by their neighbors for industry and good order. Most of them are people of small means, hard-working tillers of the soil and good citizens. [Chicago Times, (7 April 1879), as cited in The Saint's Advocate, Plano, Illinois, W.W. Blair, ed., 1 (May 1879): 113.] Although the Latter Day Saints had been expelled from Missouri in 1838-39, during the 1870s and 1880s they worked hard to reestablish a foothold in the state. In the early 1870's Reorganized Church missionary Joseph S. Lee traveled to northwestern Missouri preaching in the vicinity of Cameron. Beginning in the late 1860s, Lee settled with his family in Independence, Missouri. He traveled as much as possible spreading the church's good news. At Plumb Creek, Lee performed the marriage of: Osman A. RICHEY to Ida BOLLINGER --May 6, 1872, "by: Joseph S. Lee, Elder of the Church of Christ" [Caldwell County, Missouri Marriage Records, 1872-1881, Book B, Page 2.] Lee organized a group at Mirabile as the Far West Branch in 1871. [Herald, 18:667] The following branches reported at the 26-27 August 1876 District Conference: "Bevier, 49 [members]; DeKalb, 67; Delano, 27; Far West, 56; St. Joseph, 50; Starfield, 25." [Herald, 23:699; Herald, 23:478.] The area was named Far West District in 1876. James Kemp served as the first District President.
In 1887, Far West and Center Prairie branches were organized into the Kingston, Missouri Branch. A branch was reorganized at Far West in 1904. In 1905 the group constructed a new church building overlooking the Far West Temple site.
By the 1890's, the church's early experience in relation to Missouri had been largely reversed. Members of the RLDS church initiated a process resulting in the healing of many of the social injuries from the early period. As a result, the church was successfully reestablished in Missouri.
Joseph Luff was the apostle-in-charge of the Missouri area.
RLDS Apostle Joseph Luff
Far West Temple Lot, 1896 (Davis)
This 1896 photograph is of a group of RLDS Saints visiting the Far West Temple Lot. It is perhaps the earliest known picture of the area.
RLDS Far West Church, dedication, 18 November 1906, Bishop E. L. Kelley, President Joseph Smith III, Alexander Smith [sic Presiding Evangelist Frederick A. Smith], I. N. White, Sam Simmons seated on the stand, D948.1
Far West Church was finished in 1905. The branch was initally composed of about 20 members. President Joseph Smith III was on hand to participate in the dedication in November 1906.
Joseph Smith, III, ca. 1910
During his fifty year plus presidency, Joseph III led the RLDS Church from a small fragmented group to a denomination of over 70,000 persons with members throughout the United States and in several other countries. Reorganized Church headquarters moved to Plano, Illinios, in 1865. As members remained anxious to gather nearer the "center place," the Church moved its offices to Lamoni, Iowa in 1882. The church founded Graceland College at Lamoni in 1895.
RLDS Sunday School, Far West, Anderson, 1907, D948.5, [see Holzapfel, Cottle and Stoddard, Church History in Black and White, (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1995), 86.]
George Edward Anderson, a Mormon missionary, passed through northwest Missouri performing a mission to photograph church historic sites, in 1907. Anderson recorded this image of the RLDS Church group near the Temple Site.
Anderson observed in his diary: "May 19, 1907, Sunday, Far West, Kingston, Kerr Farm"
[After breakfast] ". . . at the Reorganized Sunday School. A Mr. Friend acting as superintendnt. Mr. Swenson invited me to join a class. Four classes and must have been about forty present. . . . I suggested that a picture be made, and all grouped on the north side of the building after school. Worship at 11:00 a.m. Two visiting elders [were] present, Hedrick and Chales P. Faul of Stewartsville, Missouri. Mr. Hedrick the speaker." [Holzapfel, Cottle and Stoddard, Church History in Black and White, (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, BYU, 1995), 85.]
31 October 1915, after having been motoring two days and having visited Adam-ondi-Ahman, Breckenride and Haun's Mill . . . "shortly after nightfall we entered the far-famed ruined city of Far West. Brother and Sister Brackenbury became the guests of Brother and Sister McKee, and the rest of found lodging and a hearty welcome at the home of Brother and Sister David Brewster. . . . "In the morning we visited the places of special interst so far as we were able to locate them, and from the spot where our fathers contemplated the erection of a splendid temple.
RLDS Church Historian, Heman C. Smith, standing on southeast cornerstone at the Far West Temple Site, looking east, October 1915
We looked to the eastward over the ground where the . . . militia approached the city of the Saints, and walked over the ground then known as "The Public Square," the spot selected for the execution of our grandfathers on November 1, 1838. . . . Far West is beautiful for situation as far as the eye can reach; in every direction lies a beautiful panorama of vale, hill and dale unsurpassed in fertility and loveliness. We are reminded that the Latter Day Saints invariably selected in those early days the most beautiful of places for making homes, as witness Kirtland, Ohio, Independence, Far West, and Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri; and Nauvoo, Illinois." [Heman C. Smith, "Visit to Adam-ondi-Ahman," Journal of History, 9 (April 1916): 143-144.] "Far West has a growing branch owning the only church building in the place, and in the near vicinty are several large and flourishing branches." [Heman C. Smith, "Reminiscences of Missouri," Journal of History, 9 (April 1916): 154-155.]
Heman C. Smith, 1901
"...Sunday morning we started in good time for Far West, but had a little car trouble. We found the roads from the main highway south of Far West unusually bad. Three times it was necessary to move the car out of the heavy ruts and carry stones, lift, and push in order to get through at all. This made us unfortunately late for the sacramental service in the little church just across from the site of the temple lot at Far West. In spite of the lateness, we were permitted to partake and share the communion feast with those present, and then to our great surprise we were called upon to occupy the remaining time in an extemporaneous talk.
It seemed indeed a privilege to stand upon that ground where the early church had once worshiped and sought to establish an outpost of Zion. Here they had established. a central meeting place and attempted to build a temple. Now not one rock stands upon another to indicate where one house of that little city had stood. The city in those days had been laid out on a somewhat generous plan. It was planned to cover four sections of ground, but there is nothing to mark its site at the present time. [Current research has begun to shed some light upon Far West locations.]
After service we were glad to meet the Saints in that place and then attempted to locate a few of the historical spots, such as the site of the home of Joseph Smith. We went across the road and walked around the temple lot. We noted here that one of the corner stones appeared to have been moved, seven feet at least, for carefully surveying by foot, we found another corner stone slightly under the dirt. There was but little to see at this point, but it was something to note the gently rolling character of the land, and how suitable a site it was for the building of a temple, on an eminence as usual, and also to note the beautiful character of the surrounding land... "
[S. A. Burgess, "A Visit to Caldwell..." Herald, 74 (8 June 1927): 661.]
The RLDS (Community of Christ) erected a historical marker north of the Far West Congregation church building, in November 1963
Far West Congregation cebrated it's centennial, 19 May 1974. [Herald, 121:490-92.] Many church members and friends gathered for this occasion.
On 6 April 2001, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints officially became the Community of Christ. World Church Headquarters are now located in Independence, Missouri.
Community of Christ Far West Congregation- All are Welcome!