The Gold Plates - Where are they?

To me, this has been an interesting question. Although it isn't really important to know, none-the-less, from a historical perspective, we do have some insight giving by some of the early saints.
We know that the plates are safe-guarded by heavenly messengers, and are due to come forward when we, the church and world, are ready for the seal portion of the plates to be translated. According to Bruce R. McConkie,  In the Lord's own due time the plates shall be returned and the sealed portion translated and published to the world. This shall not take place, however, until men exercise faith to the extent that the Brother of Jared did."
I've often wondered if they may be deposited in a secure safe in the Granite Vaults up Little Cottonwood Canyon. That may be a possibility. There are some interesting accounts given by some early prophets and other saints about where the golden plates were taken after Joseph was finished with the translation. 

Brigham Young: 
"Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words:

 "This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ." I tell you this as coming not only from Oliver Cowdery, but others who were familiar with it, and who understood it just as well as we understand coming to this meeting. . . . [Don] Carlos Smith was a young man of as much veracity as any young man we had, and he was a witness to these things. Samuel Smith saw some things, Hyrum saw a good many things, but Joseph was the leader."

Wilford Woodruff:

"In his journal, Wilford Woodruff recounted what he had heard Brigham Young say about the cave: President Young said in relation to Joseph Smith returning the Plates of the Book of Mormon that He did not return them to the box from wh[ence?] He had Received [them]. But He went [into] a Cave in the Hill Comoro with Oliver Cowdry & deposited those plates upon a table or shelf. In that room were deposited a large amount of gold plates Containing sacred records & when they first visited that Room the sword of Laban was Hanging upon the wall & when they last visited it the sword was drawn from the scabbard and [laid?] upon a table and a Messenger who was the keeper of the room informed them that that sword would never be returned to its scabbard untill the Kingdom of God was Esstablished upon the Earth & untill it reigned triumphant over Evry Enemy. Joseph Smith said that Cave Contained tons of Choice Treasures & records.”

Heber C. Kimball:

"In response to a Brother Mills's statement about the handcart pioneers, Heber C. Kimball said: How does it compare with the vision that Joseph and others had, when they went into a cave in the hill Cumorah, and saw more records than ten men could carry? There were books piled up on tables, book upon book. Those records this people will yet have, if they accept of the Book of Mormon and observe its precepts, and keep the commandments."

Orson Pratt:

"But the grand repository of all the numerous records of the ancient nations of the western continent, was located in another department of the hill, and its contents put under the charge of holy angels, until the day should come for them to be transferred to the sacred temple of Zion." “Will these things be brought to light? Yes. The records, now slumbering in the hill Cumorah, will be brought forth by the power of God, to fulfill the words of our text, that 'the knowledge of God shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the great deep.”

Wouldn't it be amazing to be alive when additional records are brought forth? Before that will happen, we as a church, need to give more attention to the records we currently have by studying the treasures on their pages.
A challenge I would like to give to the family is to study the Book of Mormon and our other standard works on frequent basis. As you become a valiant student of the holy scriptures, new treasures of great worth will be revealed to you as the Spirit opens your eyes to new insights and doctrines.


Love, Dad