Proof the Book of Mormon Lands Are Not in Central America

By Gary Magnesen

Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assume that the Book of Mormon lands are found in the Yucatan of Mexico, but this notion doesn’t agree with newly discovered evidence. The author, a veteran FBI agent, has breached the steep wall of misunderstanding about the location of the Book of Mormon lands and has uncovered stunning evidence discrediting the Central American model. The results of this investigation have produced 51 exclusive insights and discoveries placing the Book of Mormon lands in Western New York State. The evidence is in – you can decide for yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Nov 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9781698710129

Gary Magnesen

The author is a retired FBI agent who specialized in the investigations of conspiratorial enterprises known as the Mafia, La Cosa Nostra, the Mob, and various drug cartels. He was the case agent responsible for numerous indictments and convictions thereby breaking the grip of organized crime on various Midwest and Las Vegas institutions.

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Copyright 2021 Gary Magnesen.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1011-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1013-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6987-1012-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021922626

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter 1      Setting The Stage

Chapter 2     The Chosen Land

Chapter 3     The Western New York State Model

Chapter 4     Promised Land Geography

Chapter 5     The Lands Of Northward, Desolation, And Bountiful

Chapter 6     The Lands Of Zarahemla And Nephi

Chapter 7     The End Of The Nephites

Chapter 8     The Jaredites

Chapter 9     The Jaredite Old World

Chapter 10   The Jaredite New World

Chapter 11   The Mayans And Olmecs

Chapter 12   The River Sidon

Chapter 13   The Indians And DNA

About The Author

Exclusive Insights And Evidence Developed During This Investigation

Endnotes By Chapter

LIST OF EXHIBITS

Braddock Bay photo

Irondequoit Bay photo

Cities of Mulek and Lehi map

Ibex and pronghorn photos

St. Lawrence Seaway map

St. Lawrence Seaway photo

Yucatan Peninsula map

Hill Cumorah photo

East and West Sea map

Finger Lakes map

Rochester Gorge photo

Lower Genesee River photo

Narrow passage map

Niagara and Onondaga Escarpments map

Niagara Escarpment photo

Onondaga Escarpment photo

WNYS Model - Book of Mormon lands map

New York counties map

Lewiston Mound photo

Reunited hemisphere map

Arabian Peninsula map

Africa map

Egyptian ziggurat

Tower of Babel engraving

Yucatan ziggurat

Quetzalcoatl sculpture photo

Head statue photo

Niagara River map

Niagara Falls photo

Genesee River map

Upper Genesee River photo

Lower Genesee River photo

Letchworth Park Falls photo

Iroquois lands map

Algonquin lands map

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all seekers of truth.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

L ike so many others in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have long thought that the lands of the Book of Mormon are found in Central America, specifically, in the jungles and highlands of the Yucatan Peninsula of southern Mexico. I’ve visited this region on two occasions where I climbed the narrow steps of the ancient Mayan temple of Chichen Itza and have walked the amazing complex of cut stone buildings at Tulum on the sandy shores of the sparklingly blue Caribbean. All along,in the back of my mind, I wondered if these stone structures were the work of the Lehites? My mind was open to other possibilities so I began my own inquiry and found answers that made more sense.

I had the pleasure of meeting with Betty and Lynn Leasure who, in the past, have been involved in Book of Mormon tours throughout the Midwest and Southeast of the United States. Fortuitously, Betty was my wife’s Young Women’s leader many years ago and they have kept in touch over the years. The Leasures have also been the inspiration and creators of several historical museums across the country. I want to sincerely thank them for their support regarding this project.

This investigative quest has developed into a family project so I begin by thanking my wife, Diane, for her help and long suffering as I pursued this difficult investigation. Additionally, I want to thank my son, Dr. David Magnesen, for his insights and much appreciated assistance during our onsite explorations of Western New York State in August of 2019. Another thank you goes to my daughter-in-law, Caryn Magnesen, for her input and expertise in driving over 700 arduous miles along narrow two-lane country roads during our onsite observations. I also want to express thanks to my son, Greg, for his expertise in formatting the many photos and maps used in this book.

A very sincere thank you goes to Gay Cragun for her diligent proofing and cleaning up of the initial manuscript. After making numerous revision and adding new material, Lauren Magnesen, was kind enough to repair the rewritten portion of the manuscript, so a grateful shout out goes to her as well.

I want to acknowledge the prophets who inscribed the sacred words on the ancient metal plates and provided information pertaining to the Book of Mormon lands that allows us to draw enlightened conclusions as to the general geography where the Jaredites, Mulekites, Nephites, and Lamanites lived. And not to be forgotten, we are all deeply indebted to the great latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith, for bringing the Book of Mormon out of the dust.

PREFACE

T here are two matters that need to be established before proceeding further. Although a number of Church leaders have spoken out on the exact location of the Hill Cumorah, the Church has made no official statement concerning the exact locations of the Book of Mormon lands. Additionally, it will become evident that several of my findings are new and have never before been published but I will clearly indicate when my own theories and concepts are expressed. In any event, these theories should have no effect on anyone’s testimony.

A relatively new concept that is generally identified as various North American Models presents alternatives to the Mesoamerican Model and places all of the lands of the Book of Mormon somewhere in North America. The pivotal question underlying this investigation is: which of these two models is generally correct? As we will learn, I believe that both are not correct and propose a new concept. I call it the Western New York State Model [WNYSM].

Another legitimate question is: how could the Central American Model be wrong when it’s so widely accepted within the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? I happen to be an inquisitive person and seldom take things at face value because there is so much junk information in the public domain. Because of this, I have gone to the primary evidentiary source that holds the sometimes obscure truth about the lands of the Book of Mormon.

Our awe for the teachings found within the Bible are enhanced because we know where these many events took place. Isn’t it logical that understanding where the events described in the Book Mormon actually occurred is just as important? Isn’t knowledge about the Jaredites and Lehites just as important as knowledge concerning ancient Judah and Northern Kingdom of Israel as all of these people are descendants of Jacob? Untold multitudes of believers study and explore the lands of the Bible to gain insight and spiritual affirmation of the sacred places where Jesus Christ once walked: the shores of the sparkling Sea of Galilee, the life giving Jordan River, ancient Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Gethsemane - the place where the infinite atonement took place. Think of the comprehensive context these sites give to the believer. The Church has even built the beautiful Jerusalem Center on the slopes of the Mount of Olives to facilitate Holy Land studies.

Members of the Church also honor the latter-day pioneers by reliving their arduous trek across the plains and mountains of North America on their historic journey: the tragic Winter Quarters, Martin’s Cove, and Temple Square. We visit the Church historical sites for the very same reason. We seek out the Hill Cumorah, the peace of the Sacred Grove, and the beautiful city of Nauvoo where hopes were born, then dashed. The richness of these places can enlighten our very souls, so doesn’t it follow that knowing where the lands of the Book of Mormon actually are and studying these ancient sites will be constructive as to our overall understanding of these once valiant people?

Why were the various geographic features and locations mentioned throughout the many widely dispersed verses placed in the Book of Mormon if they have no importance? The answer is obvious because knowing of these places adds texture and context to our feeble understanding of these ancient people and their doings. It only makes sense that a more comprehensive understanding of the terrain and the unimaginable physical difficulties experienced by the Jaredites and the descendants of Lehi would add to our appreciation of those people.

I contend, as shall be shown, that the marvelous and unique teachings and events found in the Book of Mormon took place in what is today’s North America, specifically, in the western part of the State of New York. The exact sites are subject to respectful disagreement but, as we shall find out, this journey will be much like a treasure hunt where we must dig to find widely dispersed and often confusing evidence and put it together much like the pieces of a puzzle until we see a recognizable image emerge.

It’s time to rethink the concept that the lands of the Book of Mormon are in Central America. This Mesoamerican Model has been ingrained for so long within the minds of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that many members merely assume that this model to be correct. Is it consistent for a membership of the Church that emphasizes truth in all things to embrace a lingering belief in this longstanding incorrect premise? Shouldn’t we carefully analyze this subject in a detailed manner so that the truth can be laid out concerning the geographic settings of the marvelous events and comprehensive true doctrine found in the Book of Mormon?

This will be an investigation using scientific, historical, and scriptural evidence. It’s said that history is written by the victors and this is true to a degree but most history is actually written by historians who are neither the victors nor the vanquished because they merely assemble information available to them. These historians are human beings and, as such, are influenced by personal bias and prevailing theories, but the overriding influence of all historical presentations can be described as biased favoritism. In other words, the historian decides exactly what should be included and what should be excluded and how much detail or emphasis should be given to certain events and individuals. To resolve the notion of favoritism, the reader should have the Book of Mormon on hand while reading this work to verify my explanations and conclusions by reading the verses cited. These citations are obvious and will be noted as, for example: (verify – Ether 1:1).

I admit that, on occasion, while reading the verses pertaining to locations, I came across what, at first glance, appeared to be contradictions to this Western New York State Model hypothesis. Naturally, this was concerning as these apparent contradictions, at first glance, presented problems with some of the specifics of the model, but a deep dive into the Book of Mormon verses smoothed out the first glance contradictions in each and every instance.

My training and experience as an investigator have taught me to follow the evidence wherever it leads and to pursue it relentlessly and that is exactly what I have endeavored to do. I don’t believe that my personal bias drove this search because, on a number of occasions, the evidence shifted some of my initial theories from one possibility to another based on the scriptural and geographical evidence. I’m not saying that this work is without flaws because every investigation leaves some gaps and often leads down wrong alleys but these missteps have little influence on the total weight of the evidence presented.

The history contained in the Book of Mormon was not written by historians but by prophets who were inspired by the Lord to write as He directed. For that reason, the Book of Mormon will be the primary evidentiary source for this investigation. The prophet, Mormon, has written that he abridged the voluminous records but could only write a small portion of the events and prophesies that are contained within the pages of the Book of Mormon. In addition, a significant portion of Mormon’s record was sealed up for another day and much of this unavailable material details the events occurring around the time of the Tower of Babel; the dividing of the earth, and the teachings of ancient prophets who foresaw the beginning and the end of the world as we know it.

I took an ancient history class in college because pre-Columbian history has always fascinated me, but why should my findings be given any credence as a non-credentialed historian? The primary reason is that I’m a twenty-six-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI] and have conducted numerous complex investigations, including those known as cold cases, during my years of service. These real-life experiences have honed my skills as a researcher, investigator, and collector of evidence. It happens to be a fact that, on occasion, non-experts in a particular field of study explore new and sometimes heretical ideas and revolutionary insights because they aren’t confined within the tight box of recognized scientific consensus. I don’t propose that every word of this investigation is without error as some of the conclusions may not be spot on but the clear and convincing evidence developed should not be dismissed by the reader but should become a matter of personal study and prayer. (verify at Moroni 10: 3-5)¹ We know that the Lord will reveal new and additional truths as they are needed and, perhaps, this will include more information pertaining to the geography of the Book of Mormon.

As a matter of information, there will be no attempt at pinpointing the locations of the many cities mentioned in the Book of Mormon except for the cities of Moron, Manti. Jershon, Lehi, Mulek, Nephi, and Zarahemla; to do so would be presumptuous and would be mere speculation in an attempt to squeeze these cities into a particular model.

ONE

Setting The Stage

T his is a 4,000-year-old cold case, however it’s not an investigation of a crime scene but a search for the places where the people of Jared and Lehi made their habitations. This study will be much like embarking on an investigative expedition but not an exploration through steaming jungles or breathlessly climbing snowcapped mountains in search of riches or fame. This quest is a search for truth and the real lands of inheritance for the ancient people unknown to the wider world but understood by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We, as a relatively small percentage of humankind, know about these people, their religion, prophets, and the time period of their existence but there is considerable confusion as to where these ancient populations actually lived. Countless works have tackled the incredible treasure trove of gospel truths contained in the ancient scriptures that were abridged by the Prophet, Mormon, but that is not the intent of this work. It’s only natural when reading the words of the prophets to merely gloss over the references to the locations where important events took place.

What standards should be used to render a correct verdict pertaining to the proof presented? There are varying levels of proof required in the United States legal system that I am familiar with and these should be the standards used in evaluating the evidence presented. Of course, this is not a trial, but these standards of proof should be employed by the reader as the investigation proceeds and in the end, the final verdict must be reasonable, fair minded, and based on the totality of the evidence. The proof can be somewhat complex so I have provided a summary of facts at the end of each chapter for the convenience of the reader.

The first and lowest standard of proof is known as probable cause. It’s defined as a reason to believe or reasonable suspicion. The second standard of proof, used in civil trials, is called the preponderance of the evidence which means that the evidence should be at least 51% in favor of one side or the other. A more stringent level of civil proof is known as clear and convincing evidence which means that the evidence presented must be substantially more probable to be true than not. The final and most stringent level of proof is required in criminal trials and is known as proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This requires a reasonable, fair-minded, and rational decision pertaining to the evidence presented. There can be no reasonable doubt about the truth of the evidence. These various standards should be employed in each instance of evidence presented but no final decision should be rendered until all of the evidence is in hand.

Humankind has been blessed with moral agency from the very beginning but the Destroyer, the father of lies, and his fallen minions have set about to destroy God’s plan and to subjugate all humankind in the snares of apostasy and sin. Consequently, liberty to choose between the alternatives of good and bad [moral agency] has been given to all, but a negative side of agency also exists. The natural man has always caused a descent from righteousness to unrighteousness and sadly, this has occurred over and over again throughout the existence of the human race. This descent