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Ups and Downs

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  Lehi’s group landed from the “west sea,” thus they landed on the west side of the Delmarva Peninsula. After Lehi's death, Nephi, and those willing to go with him, fled to a higher elevation a sufficient distance away from his brothers and there built a city called “Nephi.” A distance of 50-60 miles would be sufficient given the population size of his brothers search party and that this was an unknown area. It most likely wouldn’t be much greater distance than this since there were wars among the Nephites and Lamanites in the first generation from landing in the new world.       Near the city of Nephi are the lands of Shemlon and Shilom. These lands could be seen from a tower that Noah had built near the Temple in the city of Nephi. There are multiple references to a hill north of Shilom. Often, hills are given names and the fact that this one is only referred to as “the hill” suggests there are not many hills nearby. This is a mostly flat peninsula, which makes it possible fo
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Pure Water

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There are two references to places of "pure water." The first is Mosiah 18:5 and reads "Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king." In verse 8 of the same chapter, Mormon explains this was called the "waters of Mormon." Alma brought believers from the city of Nephi to the waters of Mormon to be baptized. It has been proposed to be a one to three days journey from the city of Nephi (1). On the Delmarva peninsula, various salinity is present in the marshes and streams, but fresh streams flow from the higher elevation. Another example of a land of "pure water" is Helam. Alma and his people from that Waters of Mormon, fled for eight days and came to a land of pure water, which they named Helam (Mosiah 23:4). Eight days with children and animals would be on the order of 80 miles (as a mother of
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Cities by the East Sea

The purpose of the cities by the east sea take on a new and important meaning with this model. It becomes clear why Moroni finds it critical to invest time and money building "cities by the east sea" during war time. These cities serve as a defense from the Lamanites coming across the sea. The Lamanites are on both the east shore of the Chesapeake (land of first inheritance) and the west shore, below the land of Zarahemla. Although the text doesn't say exactly, they would most likely be found on the west of the Potomac river (west sea). This would be how the Lamanites could attack from the "west sea."   (Add map)
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East and West Seas

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  The terms “east sea” and “west sea” are not proper names, but seas to the east or west of the place being described. This means the same sea can be either the east sea or the west sea depending on where you are standing. For example, on the Delmarva peninsula where the city of Nephi and the city of Bountiful are located, the Chesapeake Bay would be the west sea. In the land of Zarahemla, the Chesapeake Bay would be the east sea and the Potomac River the west sea. This land being the location of the Book of Mormon, how else could Mormon describe those seas short of giving the seas proper names? An important feature to note with all these seas is that it results in the land southward being “nearly surrounded by water” just as it says in Alma chapter 22.                     A Piscataway father and son look out across the Potomac River (west sea). From the book Meet Naiche: A Native Boy From The Chesapeake Bay Area.
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Map of "Land Southward"

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Gadianton Robbers

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 3 Nephi 4:1 "And it came to pass that in the latter end of the eighteenth year those armies of robbers had prepared for battle, and began to come down and to sally forth from the hills, and out of the mountains, and the wilderness, and their strongholds, and their secret places, and began to take possession of the lands, both which were in the land south and which were in the land north, and began to take possession of all the lands which had been deserted by the Nephites, and the cities which had been left desolate." Traveling north from the land of Zarahemla leads to the hills of the piedmont and then to the Appalachian mountains. This would be the area of the Gadianton robbers. Note that even though it's in the land northward, it's not the same "land northward" the Nephites settle and eventually flee to at the end of the Book of Mormon, that land being on the east side of the Susquehanna.   
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River Sidon

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  I n 1608, Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay and sailed up the Patuxent River. His claim that "Heaven and Earth never agreed better to frame a place for Man's habitation” lured many English colonist to America. (1) Another major geographical feature that must be reconciled in the land southward is the river Sidon. We propose the Patuxent River as the river Sidon. Near the Patuxent River are hills and valleys on both the east and west side of the river, consistent with the text in the Book of Mormon and large enough to hide armies (Alma 43).  One common conclusion is that the river Sidon must flow south to north because the “head” is near Manti and we know that the river Sidon also flows past Zarahemla, which is north of Manti. This is assuming “head” means the beginning of the river. Another definition of “head” found in the 1828 Noah Webster’s Dictionary is “conflux.” In the same dictionary “conflux” is defined as “ a flowing together; a meeting of two or more c
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