Hamblin: A Modern Look at the Frontier Life and Legend of Jacob Hamblin

by Hartt Wixom, Hartt Wixom

Now from the torn pages of Hamblin's own journals and diaries, found in an old, weathered saddle bag, the real story of Jacob Hamblin comes to life. Read about this frontier explorer who spent more time with warring Indians than Daniel Boone or Kit Carson. Come to know the man who at the peril of his own life, when ordered by superiors to kill captive Indians, "You'll have to shoot me first." Feel the suspense as angry Navajos prepare to burn Jacob Hamblin at the stake. Colonize the West. Encircle the Grand Canyon. Cross the Colorado River. Explore the unknown with the man who held special powers to resolve the needs of both his people and the Indians. Live the adventure of Jacob Hamblin--a modern look at the frontier life and the legend.

Genres: Religion

397 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grew up with a Hilton family who were somehow related to the authors of this book. I remember hearing the talk about Lehi's trail and the Hiltons' explorations back in the 1970s. That's when the Ensign magazine asked Lynn and his wife, Hope, to try to retrace and figure out what would most likely be the trail that Lehi followed from Jerusalem to Bountiful. They were likely candidates for this assignment due to their having already lived in the Middle East for several years and being familiar with the language and the people, as well as having the interest and the testimony of the Book of Mormon that made the assignment an intriguing one for them. I believe that, not only did they write at least one article for the Ensign magazine, but they also wrote a first edition of this book. Some of the artifacts and souvenirs that they brought back from their travels were on display at the Visitor's Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City for many years. This edition of their book was written in the 1990s, and seems to combine a variety of their travels, including the ones in the 1970s and 1980s.

This time period of Lehi's and Nephi's travels covers 8 to 12 years of their lives, and culminated in their building a ship and sailing to the Promised Land. This is covered in the first 18 chapters of the Book of Mormon.

The theories that the Hiltons put forth are very interesting. Some of them made sense and gave me a greater understanding of Lehi's travels, and others seemed pretty far-fetched to me. But, then, I kept reminding myself that they have researched these things in-depth, and know better what they are talking about. They based their theories on, not only their own ideas, but also those of other scholars such as Hugh Nibley. And they were careful to emphasize that their theories need to be researched more thoroughly, and were just that: theories. So that helped give the book more credence for me.

For example, it made sense to me that the "Wilderness" that Lehi's family traveled in was actually a populated section of the world, and that they likely followed a well-traveled trail that has been used since ancient times for trade and commerce. In reading the Book of Mormon, Nephi does not mention meeting other people outside their family, but the Hiltons point out that they must have had interactions in the communities and at the watering holes where their journey led them. In fact, it is likely that they stayed in the "Valley of Lemuel," as Lehi named it, for up to four years. During that time they studied the scriptures and probably grew crops that they harvested for both food and seed, as well as interacted with people in the community, likely sharing the gospel. The Hiltons use the reference from the Doctrine and Covenants where the Lord mentions Nephi's missionary efforts to support this theory. This reference is D&C 33:8, where it says: "Open your mouths and they shall be filled, and you shall become even as Nephi of old, who journeyed from Jerusalem in the wilderness." The verses just before and after verse 8 put it in context as a reference to missionary work. This is a major reason why the Hiltons say that the areas where Nephi traveled were populated.

One of the theories that was very new to me was the idea that Laman and Lemuel and the Sons of Ishmael may have taken plural wives from among the Arab women they would have met in their travels. This would explain, according to the Hiltons, why the first generation of Lamanites had a dark skin. The wives of Laman and Lemuel would have been from a darker race, and would have passed that dark skin on to their children. Having plural wives would have also explained why the Lamanites multiplied so much faster than the Nephites; there always seemed to be more Lamanites than Nephites. It would also explain a possible reason for Laman's and Lemuel's great anger toward Nephi whenever he called them to repentance. If they were living immoral lives of polygamy, they would have not appreciated Nephi telling them to repent, especially when they could try to justify their actions by pointing to the prophets of old--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon, etc.--who had plural wives. This idea of polygamy was so new to me that it is hard for me to swallow. I mean, Nephi gives no mention of anything like that in his record. But the reasons the Hiltons give for coming up with this theory do make sense. I guess it's one of those things we'll probably never know. And, again, they didn't pretend to present the theory as fact, but simply as an idea that needs further research.

So those are just some of the things that this book talked about. There are many others. The editing of this book needed help. I came across many errors in sentence structure, punctuation, and even spelling. It could have used another proofread before it went to press. But you definitely get a sense of the Hiltons great interest and enthusiasm for their work, and that is refreshing.