Why Latter-day Saints believe the Garden of Eden was located in Missouri

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: While many view the Garden of Eden as a symbolic or distant location, Latter-day Saint tradition places it firmly in Jackson County, Missouri. This belief, rooted in the teachings of Joseph Smith, extends to a second sacred site in Daviess County, known as Adam-ondi-Ahman, where Adam allegedly settled after his expulsion.

The identification of Missouri as the site of Eden is not found in Joseph Smith’s canonized revelations, but rather in accounts from his contemporaries. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball both recorded that Smith taught the Garden of Eden was located where Independence, Missouri, now stands. This perspective is distinct from other Christian traditions and remains a unique feature of Latter-day Saint history, emphasizing a physical, geographic connection to the earliest events of human history.

Adam-ondi-Ahman, located in Daviess County, is where Adam and Eve reportedly lived following their departure from Eden. Smith’s understanding of this site developed over time. By 1838, he formally identified it as a sacred location, and a settlement was established there that grew to 1,500 people within months. Smith also taught that Adam built altars at the site, including one for prayer on Tower Hill and another for sacrifice on Spring Hill. The location holds further significance in LDS doctrine as a future gathering place for priesthood leadership prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

The site became a flash point during the 1838 Mormon War. As tensions rose, non-Mormon settlers feared the growing influence of the Latter-day Saints in Daviess County, leading to skirmishes and the eventual forced eviction of the community. Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an order for the extermination or expulsion of the group, and by 1839, most had fled to Illinois. The land was later renamed Cravensville. In 1947, the Church began reacquiring the property, and today, it maintains 3,000 acres of the site as farmland and a historic landmark.

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