Challenging Issues, Keeping the Faith: Geographical inconsistencies in Great Lakes model

Dr. John Clark, a professional New World archaeologist, points out the problem for Great Lakes proponents when it comes to any theory as to how the Book of Mormon arrived in the region. According to Great Lakes theories, the Book of Mormon peoples crossed the Atlantic from the east (instead of the Pacific on the west, as proposed by most other models). Clark writes:

“But such landings present logistical difficulties. How did the ocean craft sail upstream and over shallows, rapids and falls to reach (the Great Lakes) hundreds of miles inland? Such a route would have been extremely difficult, and it certainly could not have been the first landing by any stretch of the imagination. ...

“In truth all (Great Lakes) geographies have difficulties with the water passages of the text. They have potential seas in all directions but no easy way for their travelers to get to them from the Atlantic Ocean. … Those who wish to believe that Mediterranean peoples landed in the Great Lakes near Kirtland, Ohio, need to show the feasibility of such a trip. So far they have not established a credible case.”

These are just a few of the geographical inconsistencies that — at least for me — create serious problems for the Great Lakes model.