Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
1 day ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
2 days ago
Beneath downtown Minneapolis, Schieks Cave has surprisingly warm groundwater, evidence of a subterranean heat island.
Schieks Cave Below Minneapolis Contains a Lake of Warm Sewage
3 days ago
Athenaeus described various kinds of Greek drinking vessels, like the deep, rounded skyphos and wide, flat kylix.
The Ancient Greek Guide to Succeeding at Dinner Parties
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Missouri Far West Temple Site
AO Edited

Far West Temple Site

This grassy field marks the site of a surprising religious conflict.

Kingston, Missouri

Added By
Sarah Allen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  SarahAllen / Atlas Obscura User
  SarahAllen / Atlas Obscura User
  SarahAllen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A peaceful, fenced-in patch of land located several miles north of Kingston, Missouri, belies the violent and conflict-ridden nature of its history. For a brief time, Far West was the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Joseph Smith himself relocated there in 1838. This marked site was to be the location of a new temple. However, fear that Smith’s followers would soon outnumber local citizens—plus misunderstandings about doctrines of the church—led to escalating conflicts. This culminated with the Missouri governor issuing an order directing the militia to treat the Mormons “as enemies [who] must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace.” The main body of the church was then forced to sign over their property in Far West, and most relocated to Nauvoo, Illinois.

Although a temple in Far West was never completed, the four cornerstones still remain at the site. Monuments describing the events that took place are on display, as well as picnic tables with views of the beautiful surrounding farm land.

Related Tags

Monuments History Mormons

Community Contributors

Added By

SarahAllen

Published

January 24, 2025

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Far West Temple Site
NW State Hwy D
Kingston, Missouri, 64650
United States
39.6716, -94.1307
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Missouri Quilt Museum

Hamilton, Missouri

miles away

World's Largest Spool of Thread

Hamilton, Missouri

miles away

Grave of David Rice Atchison

Plattsburg, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Nearby Places

Missouri Quilt Museum

Hamilton, Missouri

miles away

World's Largest Spool of Thread

Hamilton, Missouri

miles away

Grave of David Rice Atchison

Plattsburg, Missouri

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Missouri

Missouri

United States

Places 178
Stories 6

Related Places

  • Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

    Royalton, Vermont

    Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial

    An obelisk marks the farmhouse where the founder of Mormonism was born.

  • Front of the monument from the ground

    Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany

    Niederwald Monument

    Hilltop monument to the victory of a new nation in the Franco-Prussian War.

  • Lincoln overlooking the town of Wabash, IN

    Wabash, Indiana

    The Lincoln Monument

    Abraham Lincoln never visited Wabash, but his statue found a home there.

  • Taichung City, Taiwan

    Cho Myeong-ha Incident Monument

    A trilingual monument marks the site of a Korean independence activist's assassination attempt on a Japanese prince in Taiwan.

  • A crowd of statues

    Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Garden of the Generalissimos

    A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

  • The Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa.

    Galveston, Texas

    Juneteenth Monument at Ashton Villa

    The statue, located at a mansion-turned-emancipation museum, honors Galveston’s history as the birthplace of Juneteenth.

  • “Unknown Family” by Malcolm Alexander (1986)

    Fairbanks, Alaska

    Golden Heart Plaza

    Once the center of Gold Rush mania, now the starting point for the Yukon Quest sled dog race.

  • The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland

    Lexington Park, Maryland

    The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland

    A ghostly cabin attempts to reverse the erasure of enslaved people through poetry.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.