Mark L. McConkie, a professor in the school of public affairs at the University of Colorado, compiled hundreds of eye witness accounts of Joseph Smith to create his book Remembering Joseph: Personal Recollections of Those Who Knew the Prophet Joseph Smith. Below are three separate records from Oliver Huntington recalling prophecies of Joseph Smith which he also saw come to pass.

Joseph Prepared a Route for the Saints to Take across the Rocky Mountains

Monday Sept. 27th [1897] . . . I met that day, at the Hall of Relicks, Hopkins G. Pendar an old Nauvoo Mormon, and from him learned that Joseph Smith just before he was killed, made a sketch of the future home of the saints in the Rocky Mountains, and their route or road to that country as he had seen in vision; a map or drawing of it.

(Oliver B. Huntington, “History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington, Written by Himself 1878–1990,” typescript copy, BYU Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Provo, Utah, 50.)

As Oliver states below, it is no secret that Joseph Smith knew when he turned himself in at Carthage Jail (on spurious charges) that he was going to his death. He did all he could to prepare the Saints for this event. He knew that they were in God’s hands even during his life and prophesied of God’s will for the Saints even for the time following his death.

Joseph Sacrificed Himself to Protect the Saints

I have just learned from Brother Peter W. Cownover another evidence of the certainty in the Prophet’s mind that he was going to Carthage to be slain as a sacrifice for the Saints.

Brother Cownover had been to Carthage in charge of prisoners arrested by the county sheriff, and when he reached that place he and the prisoners were all thrown into jail together, without judge or jury, and after they were liberated he returned to Nauvoo, and arrived just as Joseph was starting for Carthage. After usual salutations, Brother Cownover asked Joseph where he was going.

“I am going to Carthage to give myself up,” was his reply.

Brother Cownover said, “If you go there they will kill you.”

“I know it,” replied the Prophet, “but I am going. I am going to give myself for the people, to save them.”

(Oliver B. Huntington, “Letter to the Editor [Susa Gates],” Young Woman’s Journal 2, no. 3 [December 1890]: 125; see also “Philo Dibble Autobiography [1806–c. 1843],” in “Early Scenes in Church History,” Four Faith Promoting Classics [Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1968], 79.)

Joseph prophesied Saints would live in Nauvoo for only seven years, then go to Rocky Mountains.

My father was living in a good hewed log house in 1840 when one morning as the family all sat at breakfast old Father Joseph Smith, the first Patriarch of the Church and father of the Prophet Joseph, came in and sat down by the fire place, after declining to take breakfast with us, and there he sat some little time in silence looking steadily in the fire. At length he observed that we had been driven from Missouri to this place; with some passing comments, he then asked this question: “And how long, Brother Huntington, do you think we will stay here?” As he asked this question I noticed a strange, good-natured expression creep over his whole being—an air of mysterious joy.

Father answered, after just a moment’s hesitation, “Well, Father Smith, I can’t begin to imagine.”

“We will just stay here seven years,” he answered. “The Lord has told Joseph so—just seven years,” he repeated. “Now this is not to be made public; I would not like to have this word go any further,” said the Patriarch, who leaned and relied upon his son Joseph in all spiritual matters as much as boys generally do upon their parents for temporalities. There were then two or three minutes of perfect silence. The old gentleman with more apparent secret joy and caution in his countenance said, “And where do you think we will go to when we leave here, Brother Huntington?” Father did not pretend to guess; unless we went back to Jackson County.

“No,” said the old Patriarch, his whole being seeming to be alive with animation. “The Lord has told Joseph that when we leave here we will go into the Rocky Mountains; right into the midst of the Lamanites.”

This information filled our hearts with unspeakable joy, for we knew that the Book of Mormon and this gospel had been brought to light more for the remnants of Jacob upon this continent than for the Gentiles.

Father Smith again enjoined upon us profound secrecy in this matter and I don’t think it was ever uttered by one of Father Huntington’s family. The history of Nauvoo shows that we located in Nauvoo in 1839 and left it in 1846.

The Church did move to the Rocky Mountains into the midst of the Indians or Lamanites—or more properly speaking the Jews—and here expect to live until we move to the spirit land or the Lord moves us somewhere else.

(Oliver B. Huntington, “Prophecy,” Young Woman’s Journal 2, no. 7 [April 1891]: 314–15).

Joseph Smith was a truly remarkable man. He was a prophet called of God in these last days to restore the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He prophesied many things which came to pass. People like Oliver Huntington kept good records of these things, as Joseph himself in fact did. Learning more about Joseph Smith’s life brings any person of faith to the conclusion that he was exactly what he claimed to be: a humble man of common upbringing who was called of God to build His kingdom on the earth.

This article was written by Doris White, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDYJ5Ql-Qhc&feature=youtu.be