Geography at Adam-On-Diahman

Adam-ondi-Ahman, or "Diahman," as it is familiarly known to the Saints, is located on the north bank of Grand River. It is situated, in fact, in a sharp bend of that stream. The river comes sweeping down from the northwest and here makes a sudden turn and runs in a meandering course to the northeast for some two or three miles, when it as suddenly makes another bend and flows again to the southeast. Grand River is a stream that has worn a deep channel for itself, and left its banks precipitous; but at "Diahman" that is only true of the south bank. The stream as it rushes from the northwest, strikes the high prairie land which at this point contains beds of limestone, and not being able to cut its way through, it veered off to the northeast, and left that height of land standing like palisades which rise very abruptly from the stream to a height of from fifty to seventy-five feet. The summit of these bluffs is the common level of the high rolling prairie, extending off in the direction of Far West. The bluffs on the north bank recede some distance from the stream, so that the river bottom at this point widens out to a small valley. The bluffs on the north bank of the river are by no means as steep as those on the south, and are covered with a light growth of timber. A ridge runs out from the main line of the bluffs into the river bottom some two or three hundred yards, approaching the stream at the point where the bend of the river is made. The termination of the bluff is quite abrupt, and overlooks a considerable portion of the river bottom. On the brow of the bluff stood the old stone altar, and near the foot of it was built the house of Lyman Wight. When the altar was first discovered, according to those who visited it frequently, it was about sixteen feet long, by nine or ten feet wide, having its greatest extent north and south. The height of the altar at each end was some two and a half feet, gradually rising higher to the center, which was between four and five feet high--the whole surface being crowning. Such was the altar at "Diahman" when the Prophet's party visited it. Now, however, it is thrown down, and nothing but a mound of crumbling stones mixed with soil, and a few reddish boulders mark the spot which is doubtless rich in historic events... North of the ridge on which the ruins of the altar were found, and running parallel with it, is another ridge, separated from the first by a depression varying in width from fifty to a hundred yards. This small valley with the larger one through which flows the Grand River, is the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. (History of the Church, Vol.3, p.36)

We placed the cannon on as high as elevation as was and went to firing it... I think the next day, he said to these present: Hyrum Smith, Bishop Vincent Knight, myself and two or three others, "Get me a spade and I will show you the altar that Adam offered sacrifice on." I believe this was the only time Joseph was in Ondi-Ahman. We went about forty rods north of my house. He placed the spade with care, placed his foot on it. When he took out the shovel full of dirt, it barred the stone. The dirt was two inches deep on the stone I reckon. About four feet or more was disclosed. He did not dig to the bottom of the three layers of good masonry well put up wall. The stone looked more dressed like stone nice joints, ten inches thick, 18 inches long or more. We came back down the slope, perhaps 15 rods on the level. The prophet stopped and remarked this place where we stood was the place where Adam, gathered his posterity and blessed them, and predicted that should come to pass to later generations. (Chapman Duncan Autobiography, typescript, BYU-S, p.38 Born July 1st, 1812 Bath, Grafton, New Hampshire: died December 22, 1900 at Loa, Utah)

On our arrival at Diahman, ... I chose the upper, which at first appeared rocky, but which made the other lots appear almost enviable. When, after a few days, the Prophet accompanied us to this spot, and pointed out those rocks as the ones of which Adam built an altar and offered sacrifice upon this spot, where he stood and blessed the multitude of his children, when they called him Michael, and where he will again sit as the Ancient of Days, then I was not envious of anyone's choice for a city lot in Adam-ondi-Ahman. (Benjamin Johnson My Life's Review (1947), p.36)

Elder Dyer also has gathered reports of early brethren and residents of Daviess county which describe Adam-ondi-Ahman as the site of two ancient altars (neither of which is now to be seen) used by Adam. One of these, an "altar of prayer" he locates not far from the Lyman Wight house on Tower Hill. The other, an "altar of sacrifice," is said to have been situated a mile or so away near the top of Spring Hill.12 (Robert J. Matthews, BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, p.31)

A small compilation containing the legal description of many of the residences and plats at Adam-ondi-Ahman was made by H. G. Sherwood, an early Latter-day Saint living in the area. These descriptions plotted on an aerial photo suggest that most of the residences were located on the long, gentle western and southern slopes of what is known as Spring Hill. (Robert J. Matthews, BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, p.33)

Leland Gentry... offers considerable evidence for differentiating between the altar, designated as erected by the Nephites. He concludes with a chart which illustrates the perplexities that point to this "two-altar" view of the city. Continued work on the historiography of these accounts is indicated. (Truman G. Madsen, BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p.461)

The account of the discovery of "Adam's Altar" is quite different from that for the "Nephite altar or tower." ... President Smoot said that he ... came across a stone wall in the midst of a dense forest of underbrush. The wall was 30 feet long, 3 feet thick, and 4 feet high. It was laid in mortar or cement. When Joseph visited the place and examined the wall he said it was the remains of an altar built by Father Adam and upon which he offered sacrifices after he was driven from the Garden of Eden. ... the place was named in honor of Adam's altar. The Prophet explained that it was upon this altar where Adam blessed his sons and his posterity, prior to his death. 1Leland H. Gentry, BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p.565

Oliver B. Huntington, just a lad at the time he lived at Adam-ondi-Ahman, recalled the following concerning the "wall" in later years... My father's house stood about two hundred and fifty yards from that altar, on the bottom land of Grand River, in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. (Leland H. Gentry, BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p.569)

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