"Get me a spade and I will show you the altar that Adam offered sacrifice on". Joseph Smith

[kirtland r.m.]

The following story is from the autobiography of Chapman Duncan in reference to Joseph Smith digging up the alter that Adam prayed from after he and Eve were forced from the Garden of Eden.
“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 shovelful 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.”
Autobiography of Chapman Duncan, Typescript, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University;

[Themedicareguy]

It's so sad that I am now sceptical of stories like this.

[Robin Hood]

It's so sad that I am now sceptical of stories like this.

Only you can solve that.

[Dave62]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

[Themedicareguy]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

[kirtland r.m.]

Remember there were multiple witnesses, I think I can get multiple quotes on this when I get a little time. I am posting this response from work.

[braingrunt]

Remember there were multiple witnesses, I think I can get multiple quotes on this when I get a little time. I am posting this response from work.

That's nothing. Some people believe the whole dang church conspired to corrupt Joseph's mormonism. Doubting a few witnesses is a walk in the park.
(I am not one of those people)

[DesertWonderer2]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

Absolutely correct. I don’t think this is accurate at all. It’s just Mormon Folklore.

This kind of stuff has no beating on the truthfulness of the gospel, church and the authority of it’s leaders.

[larsenb]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

I think you're on safer ground by collecting and comparing all the possible and various accounts of stories like this; then look for commonalities, then give more weight to the similar portions of the stories written down the earliest.

After this process, you will more than likely end up w/a close approximation of what really took place. What it means in actuality may be another matter, however . . . .

[kirtland r.m.]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

I think you're on safer ground by collecting and comparing all the possible and various accounts of stories like this; then look for commonalities, then give more weight to the similar portions of the stories written down the earliest.

After this process, you will more than likely end up w/a close approximation of what really took place. What it means in actuality may be another matter, however . . . .

Here is more information. Elder Heber C. Kimball recalled being with the prophet in Daviess County, Missouri, and described the experience as follows:

The Prophet Joseph called upon Brother Brigham, myself and others, saying, "Brethren, come, go along with me, and I will show you something," He led us a short distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; "There," said Joseph, "is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden." The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there. Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol. 2, pp.278-279 (citing Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 209-210).

When the altar was first discovered:

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. History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 39, Footnotes.

Another member of the church, Chapman Duncan, recalled:

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 shovelful 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, B.Y.U. Studies, pp. 37-38.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., stated that "When the Prophet Joseph Smith first visited Spring Hill he called it 'Tower Hill, a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there,' he wrote in his journal." Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., The Way to Perfection, p. 287.
It is unclear whether Adam's altar and that of the Nephites are different or whether the Nephites simply used Adam's alter. As explained by Leland H. Gentry:

The account of the discovery of "Adam's Altar" is quite different from that for the "Nephite altar or tower." Abraham O. Smoot, a member of the survey team for Adam-ondi-Ahman, is quoted as having said that Joseph Smith was not present when "Adam's Altar" was discovered: President Smoot said that he and Alanson Ripley, while surveying at the town [i.e., Adam-ondi-Ahman], which was about 22 miles from Jackson County, Missouri, 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. He said that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County, Missouri. The whole town of Adam-ondi-Ahman was in the midst of a thick and heavy forest of timber and 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. Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 565 (citing Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), pp. 545-546.).

Leland H. Gentry points out from his review of various descriptions that "The 'altar' was 'a quarter of a mile down the road,' rather than on top of Tower Hill where the Nephite altar was found." Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 568. Mr. Gentry provides a further comparison of the two altars:
Area of Difference.
1. Origin
Altar "A" Nephite or Adamic
Altar "B"
1. Origin Adamic
2. Condition A."no one stone on another in 1838 to show but altar standing in size or form" B.Some stones scattered recognizable form when discovered, having measurable dimensions
3. Size A. Stones scattered to circle of 30 feet in diameter. B. Five or six feet long, another account says "16 feet long by 9 or 10 feet wide"; 2½ feet at each end but gradually rising in the center
4. Description A. Good masonry work "dressed stone, nice joints, ten inches thick, 18 inches or more long"; "Stones of different sizes" and apparently native to the area; some partly burned and most if not all bared by Joseph Smith at nearly a foot deep. B. Untooled stones but "laid accurately as any wall nowadays" in actual mortar or cement; none like them in the area; stones partly burned and many exposed above ground; 3 altars in rising tiers representing 3 orders of the priesthood
5. Location A. On top of the hill On a sidehill; "about a quarter of a mile down the road" but also on the "highest point of the bluff" B. "in the midst of dense forest or underbrush"; perhaps a "tower" on the prairie
6. Excavation Yes Yes
7.A. Approximate date of Discovery,May 18, 1838, with Joseph Smith present B.After 20 June 1838, with Joseph Smith not present.

Several years after the Prophet Joseph Smith's revelations regarding the locations of the Garden of Eden and Adam-ondi-Ahman, the Deseret News of September 18, 1888, published:

A CORROBORATIVE DISCOVERY.
A short time ago the Washington Post made a remarkable statement regarding the location of the Garden of Eden. It announced that Dr. Campbell, of Versailles had lately discovered that it was on this continent, and near where St. Louis now stands. That gentleman, according to the Post, asserted that the Mississippi River is the Euphrates of Scripture, and that the Bible furnishes evidence of the correctness of his conclusions. It is probable that Dr. Campbell is not aware of the fact that he is not the discoverer of what he now announces, the Prophet Joseph Smith having many years ago stated that the Garden of Eden was located in what is now known as the State of Missouri. The Prophet also pointed out the precise spot where Adam offered sacrifice to the Lord, and where, as the great patriarchal head of the race, he blessed his children previous to his departure from the earth. That sacred spot in Missouri was designated by the Prophet as Adam-ondi-Ahman, the meaning of which is--the land where Adam dwelt. Collected Discourses, Vol. 2, Andrew Jenson, January 16, 1891.

Some confusion exists as the interrelationship between Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is sometimes referred to as Adam-ondi-Ahman. James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 474, fn. 3:

Though there is no uniform belief among Christian scholars as to the geographical location of Eden, the majority claim that it was in Persia. The Latter-day Saints have more exact knowledge on the matter, a revelation having been given through Joseph Smith, at Spring Hill, Mo., May 19, 1838, in which that place is named by the Lord "Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (D. & C. sec. 116).

However, they are not the same place. Adam and Eve could not have lived and raised their family in the Garden of Eden as "it was the entrance at the east of the Garden which was closed against them at the time of the 'fall.'" (John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 396 (citing Genesis 3:24).)

[Themedicareguy]

If Joseph said it, I believe it.

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

I think you're on safer ground by collecting and comparing all the possible and various accounts of stories like this; then look for commonalities, then give more weight to the similar portions of the stories written down the earliest.

After this process, you will more than likely end up w/a close approximation of what really took place. What it means in actuality may be another matter, however . . . .

Here is more information. Elder Heber C. Kimball recalled being with the prophet in Daviess County, Missouri, and described the experience as follows:

The Prophet Joseph called upon Brother Brigham, myself and others, saying, "Brethren, come, go along with me, and I will show you something," He led us a short distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; "There," said Joseph, "is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden." The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there. Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol. 2, pp.278-279 (citing Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 209-210).

When the altar was first discovered:

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. History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 39, Footnotes.

Another member of the church, Chapman Duncan, recalled:

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 shovelful 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, B.Y.U. Studies, pp. 37-38.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., stated that "When the Prophet Joseph Smith first visited Spring Hill he called it 'Tower Hill, a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there,' he wrote in his journal." Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., The Way to Perfection, p. 287.
It is unclear whether Adam's altar and that of the Nephites are different or whether the Nephites simply used Adam's alter. As explained by Leland H. Gentry:

The account of the discovery of "Adam's Altar" is quite different from that for the "Nephite altar or tower." Abraham O. Smoot, a member of the survey team for Adam-ondi-Ahman, is quoted as having said that Joseph Smith was not present when "Adam's Altar" was discovered: President Smoot said that he and Alanson Ripley, while surveying at the town [i.e., Adam-ondi-Ahman], which was about 22 miles from Jackson County, Missouri, 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. He said that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County, Missouri. The whole town of Adam-ondi-Ahman was in the midst of a thick and heavy forest of timber and 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. Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 565 (citing Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), pp. 545-546.).

Leland H. Gentry points out from his review of various descriptions that "The 'altar' was 'a quarter of a mile down the road,' rather than on top of Tower Hill where the Nephite altar was found." Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 568. Mr. Gentry provides a further comparison of the two altars:
Area of Difference.
1. Origin
Altar "A" Nephite or Adamic
Altar "B"
1. Origin Adamic
2. Condition A."no one stone on another in 1838 to show but altar standing in size or form" B.Some stones scattered recognizable form when discovered, having measurable dimensions
3. Size A. Stones scattered to circle of 30 feet in diameter. B. Five or six feet long, another account says "16 feet long by 9 or 10 feet wide"; 2½ feet at each end but gradually rising in the center
4. Description A. Good masonry work "dressed stone, nice joints, ten inches thick, 18 inches or more long"; "Stones of different sizes" and apparently native to the area; some partly burned and most if not all bared by Joseph Smith at nearly a foot deep. B. Untooled stones but "laid accurately as any wall nowadays" in actual mortar or cement; none like them in the area; stones partly burned and many exposed above ground; 3 altars in rising tiers representing 3 orders of the priesthood
5. Location A. On top of the hill On a sidehill; "about a quarter of a mile down the road" but also on the "highest point of the bluff" B. "in the midst of dense forest or underbrush"; perhaps a "tower" on the prairie
6. Excavation Yes Yes
7.A. Approximate date of Discovery,May 18, 1838, with Joseph Smith present B.After 20 June 1838, with Joseph Smith not present.

Several years after the Prophet Joseph Smith's revelations regarding the locations of the Garden of Eden and Adam-ondi-Ahman, the Deseret News of September 18, 1888, published:

A CORROBORATIVE DISCOVERY.
A short time ago the Washington Post made a remarkable statement regarding the location of the Garden of Eden. It announced that Dr. Campbell, of Versailles had lately discovered that it was on this continent, and near where St. Louis now stands. That gentleman, according to the Post, asserted that the Mississippi River is the Euphrates of Scripture, and that the Bible furnishes evidence of the correctness of his conclusions. It is probable that Dr. Campbell is not aware of the fact that he is not the discoverer of what he now announces, the Prophet Joseph Smith having many years ago stated that the Garden of Eden was located in what is now known as the State of Missouri. The Prophet also pointed out the precise spot where Adam offered sacrifice to the Lord, and where, as the great patriarchal head of the race, he blessed his children previous to his departure from the earth. That sacred spot in Missouri was designated by the Prophet as Adam-ondi-Ahman, the meaning of which is--the land where Adam dwelt. Collected Discourses, Vol. 2, Andrew Jenson, January 16, 1891.

Some confusion exists as the interrelationship between Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is sometimes referred to as Adam-ondi-Ahman. James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 474, fn. 3:

Though there is no uniform belief among Christian scholars as to the geographical location of Eden, the majority claim that it was in Persia. The Latter-day Saints have more exact knowledge on the matter, a revelation having been given through Joseph Smith, at Spring Hill, Mo., May 19, 1838, in which that place is named by the Lord "Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (D. & C. sec. 116).

However, they are not the same place. Adam and Eve could not have lived and raised their family in the Garden of Eden as "it was the entrance at the east of the Garden which was closed against them at the time of the 'fall.'" (John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 396 (citing Genesis 3:24).)

Many of those quotes contradict what you originally quoted. I believe in most of it.

[kirtland r.m.]

Big big difference between Joseph saying it and writing it down; vs someone else account of what he said. That is what I have a problem with.

I think you're on safer ground by collecting and comparing all the possible and various accounts of stories like this; then look for commonalities, then give more weight to the similar portions of the stories written down the earliest.

After this process, you will more than likely end up w/a close approximation of what really took place. What it means in actuality may be another matter, however . . . .

Here is more information. Elder Heber C. Kimball recalled being with the prophet in Daviess County, Missouri, and described the experience as follows:

The Prophet Joseph called upon Brother Brigham, myself and others, saying, "Brethren, come, go along with me, and I will show you something," He led us a short distance to a place where were the ruins of three altars built of stone, one above the other, and one standing a little back of the other, like unto the pulpits in the Kirtland Temple, representing the order of three grades of Priesthood; "There," said Joseph, "is the place where Adam offered up sacrifice after he was cast out of the garden." The altar stood at the highest point of the bluff. I went and examined the place several times while I remained there. Otten & Caldwell, Sacred Truths of the Doctrine & Covenants, Vol. 2, pp.278-279 (citing Life of Heber C. Kimball, pp. 209-210).

When the altar was first discovered:

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. History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 39, Footnotes.

Another member of the church, Chapman Duncan, recalled:

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 shovelful 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, B.Y.U. Studies, pp. 37-38.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., stated that "When the Prophet Joseph Smith first visited Spring Hill he called it 'Tower Hill, a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there,' he wrote in his journal." Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., The Way to Perfection, p. 287.
It is unclear whether Adam's altar and that of the Nephites are different or whether the Nephites simply used Adam's alter. As explained by Leland H. Gentry:

The account of the discovery of "Adam's Altar" is quite different from that for the "Nephite altar or tower." Abraham O. Smoot, a member of the survey team for Adam-ondi-Ahman, is quoted as having said that Joseph Smith was not present when "Adam's Altar" was discovered: President Smoot said that he and Alanson Ripley, while surveying at the town [i.e., Adam-ondi-Ahman], which was about 22 miles from Jackson County, Missouri, 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. He said that the Garden of Eden was located in Jackson County, Missouri. The whole town of Adam-ondi-Ahman was in the midst of a thick and heavy forest of timber and 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. Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 565 (citing Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford Woodruff: History of His Life and Labors (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), pp. 545-546.).

Leland H. Gentry points out from his review of various descriptions that "The 'altar' was 'a quarter of a mile down the road,' rather than on top of Tower Hill where the Nephite altar was found." Leland H. Gentry, B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 13, No. 4, p. 568. Mr. Gentry provides a further comparison of the two altars:
Area of Difference.
1. Origin
Altar "A" Nephite or Adamic
Altar "B"
1. Origin Adamic
2. Condition A."no one stone on another in 1838 to show but altar standing in size or form" B.Some stones scattered recognizable form when discovered, having measurable dimensions
3. Size A. Stones scattered to circle of 30 feet in diameter. B. Five or six feet long, another account says "16 feet long by 9 or 10 feet wide"; 2½ feet at each end but gradually rising in the center
4. Description A. Good masonry work "dressed stone, nice joints, ten inches thick, 18 inches or more long"; "Stones of different sizes" and apparently native to the area; some partly burned and most if not all bared by Joseph Smith at nearly a foot deep. B. Untooled stones but "laid accurately as any wall nowadays" in actual mortar or cement; none like them in the area; stones partly burned and many exposed above ground; 3 altars in rising tiers representing 3 orders of the priesthood
5. Location A. On top of the hill On a sidehill; "about a quarter of a mile down the road" but also on the "highest point of the bluff" B. "in the midst of dense forest or underbrush"; perhaps a "tower" on the prairie
6. Excavation Yes Yes
7.A. Approximate date of Discovery,May 18, 1838, with Joseph Smith present B.After 20 June 1838, with Joseph Smith not present.

Several years after the Prophet Joseph Smith's revelations regarding the locations of the Garden of Eden and Adam-ondi-Ahman, the Deseret News of September 18, 1888, published:

A CORROBORATIVE DISCOVERY.
A short time ago the Washington Post made a remarkable statement regarding the location of the Garden of Eden. It announced that Dr. Campbell, of Versailles had lately discovered that it was on this continent, and near where St. Louis now stands. That gentleman, according to the Post, asserted that the Mississippi River is the Euphrates of Scripture, and that the Bible furnishes evidence of the correctness of his conclusions. It is probable that Dr. Campbell is not aware of the fact that he is not the discoverer of what he now announces, the Prophet Joseph Smith having many years ago stated that the Garden of Eden was located in what is now known as the State of Missouri. The Prophet also pointed out the precise spot where Adam offered sacrifice to the Lord, and where, as the great patriarchal head of the race, he blessed his children previous to his departure from the earth. That sacred spot in Missouri was designated by the Prophet as Adam-ondi-Ahman, the meaning of which is--the land where Adam dwelt. Collected Discourses, Vol. 2, Andrew Jenson, January 16, 1891.

Some confusion exists as the interrelationship between Adam-ondi-Ahman and the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is sometimes referred to as Adam-ondi-Ahman. James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, p. 474, fn. 3:

Though there is no uniform belief among Christian scholars as to the geographical location of Eden, the majority claim that it was in Persia. The Latter-day Saints have more exact knowledge on the matter, a revelation having been given through Joseph Smith, at Spring Hill, Mo., May 19, 1838, in which that place is named by the Lord "Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said he, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the prophet" (D. & C. sec. 116).

However, they are not the same place. Adam and Eve could not have lived and raised their family in the Garden of Eden as "it was the entrance at the east of the Garden which was closed against them at the time of the 'fall.'" (John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 396 (citing Genesis 3:24).)

Many of those quotes contradict what you originally quoted. I believe in most of it.

There are a few unknowns like this, "It is unclear whether Adam's altar and that of the Nephites are different or whether the Nephites simply used Adam's altar." Also this point, after the Saints left, the site in my o.p. was somewhat destroyed by the 1880's as it was being used as a cow pasture. Non members over the years dug around these sites looking for what ever including anything the "Mormons" had left behind or buried to come back and get later, obliterating pretty much most of what was there originally. Thankfully, we have these eye witness accounts. I also enjoyed The Washington Post made a remarkable statement regarding the location of the Garden of Eden quote.