Dear Gramps,
My question is have you ever heard of an archeologist by the name of Glenn Kimball? And if so what do you think about what he talks about? It’s just geographical trivia, but he claims that North America is really the Book of Mormon land, rather than Central or South America. Also claims that the Oxford Library in Oxford, England has much more information about the Life of Christ and His travels before His atonement and ultimate crucifixion. Have you heard any information about this?
C.B. Fronberg, from Farmington, Utah

Dear C.B,
I know very little about Glenn Kimball. But his theory about North America being the Book of Mormon land has much to support it. There is no doubt that Lehi’s descendants were scattered all over both North and South America. For instance, I have found that there are nine words in the current Aymara language of Bolivia and two words in the current Quichua language of Peru that are listed in the Pronouncing Guide in the Book of Mormon. The relatively little-known Jamacoaque culture along the coast of Ecuador is estimated by archaeologists to have existed from about 400 BC to about 600 AD. The Popol Vuh, or Book of the People, which is an indigenous history of the Quiche Indians of Guatemala, tells of the narration of their obscurity (dark skin), and of their coming from the east, from the other side of the sea. The creation account in the Popol Vuh closely parallels that of the Bible.
The prolific number of arrowheads that were found while plowing the land around the Hill Cumorah (so named by Joseph Smith) bespeaks of tremendous battles that took place in that region. The extreme distance of the Hill Cumorah from the popular Central America theory has been a stumbling block to its proponents. They even suggest that the real Hill Cumorah and the Hill Shim were some place in Guatemala..
There is a new theory, with much to support it, that may be published within the next year or so, that proposes that the current Hill Cumorah is actually the Hill Shim–there was a room in that hill that contained many records and the sword of Laban, visited by Joseph and Oliver Cowdery on more than one occasion. That hill was much too small to support the final battles between the Nephites and Lamanites that took place on the Hill Cumorah. This theory proposes that the real Hill Cumorah is actually located some 20 miles to the south of the Palmyra area. A nearby narrow neck of land has also been identified in that region.
There is yet another theory that purports that the narrow neck of land is between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and some archaeological finds in that area tend to support that theory. The fact is that no geological site has been positively identified as any Book of Mormon site.
Gramps