Far West, Missouri
ghost town and historic site in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States
Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. It is owned and maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Foundation and early history
The town was founded by Missouri leaders of the church, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer, in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a 1-mile (1.6 km) square area, centered on a public square which was to house a temple. The design of the town resembled the plan of Joseph Smith Jr. (the prophet of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ) for the City of Zion, which had been planned to be built in the town of Independence, Missouri. As the town of Far West grew, the plat was extended to 4 square miles (10 km2).
Latter-day Saints first entered Missouri when four of them were called to serve missions there soon after the church was organized in 1830. According to a revelation recorded by Joseph Smith Jr., Independence would be the "centerplace" of the City of Zion when Jesus returned.
The public source identifies “Far West, Missouri” as ghost town and historic site in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around West, Missouri and ghost.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Far West, Missouri”, the useful work is to connect “ghost town and historic site in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3849540. Authority coordinates are 39.671, -94.132. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1970, 1836 and 1830.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Far West, Missouri”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Far West, Missouri primary sources, Far West, Missouri archive and West research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Far West, Missouri”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Far West, Missouri” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.