"The Story Of The Sacred Stones" by Richard Hensley

"The Story Of The Sacred Stones" by Richard Hensley


When the first white settlers began to move in and homestead around the vicinity of what is now the Independence area, there were a lot of Indian people in the area. It was common knowledge of a very large pile of stones located on what is now designated as the temple lot. The Indian People had a special reverence for this spot where the stones were. Some of the older Native Americans told the story as to why this area was sacred to them. The story goes like this:

This area in Missouri was very abundant in wildlife, water, herbs and wild foods which the natives depended on, especially in times of winter. In this region there were major trade routes which were used extensively by a lot of different tribes. It appears a dispute about which tribe was to control the area erupted. When the dispute could not be settled by councils, the beat of war drums seemed to be the only solution.

A great gathering of warriors with their chiefs assembled to settle the dispute. As the warriors placed themselves in position, anxious to prove their bravery, they awaited the signal from their war chiefs. Suddenly a personage of glorious light appeared in the middle of the warring tribes. They stood transfixed and frightened, wondering what sort of sign this was. Then the strange visitor beckoned them to come closer, and sat them down in a council circle. He spoke to their chiefs and told them this was sacred ground, and no blood should ever be shed upon it. The divine visitor told them that they were brothers and should not war one with another. His message was one of peace and they should love one another and live together in peace. He commanded the chiefs to send this message to all the surrounding tribes, and they should make a covenant of peace among themselves. When he finished his teaching, he vanished, as mysteriously as he had appeared.

Those tribes present, in obedience to the command, made peace and a covenant that they would obey the teachings of the Divine Visitor. As a token of their covenant, they placed stones upon this sacred spot to commemorate it. Then to carry out the instructions given them, they dispatched runners to all the surrounding tribes to tell them of this marvelous happening. As the word spread among the other tribes they came each year on the anniversary day to hear the words of the Divine Visitor repeated again. As their token of the covenant, they to would bring a stone to place upon what became known as a sacred spot to the various tribes. This is why many of the stones in that pile were not native to Missouri or the immediate surrounding area.

As the years passed by the pile of stones grew quite large. With the increasing presence of the white man and their hostile attitude toward the Indians, the sacred council was held in secret. Eventually, fearing the desecration of the sacred spot by the white man, they discontinued the council meeting and would send a runner bearing a stone in remembrance of the Divine Visitor.

The early settlers as well as many of the early saints remember the strange large pile of stones.  As building progressed by these pioneers, they used these stones for foundations, footing and cellars. Many were used for road beds in the Independence, Missouri area.

Native Americans have their own testimony of the visitation of Jesus Christ, and a call to come together in the sacred circle.