Monday, November 10, 2008

Bishop John H. Koyle: Financial Prognosticator For The Latter Days

In Part I of the Dream Mine story, we saw that there were those in Church leadership who supported Bishop Koyle's visions, and even bought stock in the "Dream Mine." However, support from Church headquarters lessened after geologist and theologian James E. Talmage denounced the endeavor.



In a meeting on August 7, 1913, the First Presidency decided to send Elder Francis M. Lyman of the Council of Twelve Apostles to Spanish Fork for the purpose of releasing John Koyle as bishop of the Leland Ward. [8] Acting under the orders of Francis Lyman, the Stake President released John Koyle as bishop, in which office he had served since May 31, 1908. President Joseph F. Smith and his two counselors signed a statement published by the church-owned Deseret News that year, saying "when visions, dreams, tongues, prophecy, impressions or an extraordinary gift of inspiration conveys something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the church . . . it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear. . . . It is our duty to warn against mining schemes which have no warrant for success." [9]


Koyle continued his activities at the mine, digging for gold, and selling stock to faithful believers. At an advanced age, representatives of the Church pressured Koyle to sign a statement repudiating his claims. [10] Immediately afterward, he recanted, and Apostle Mark E. Peterson was sent to Spanish Fork to advise the local authorities on his excommunication. [11] Some sources indicate that John H. Koyle was excommunicated on April 16, 1848. [12] Others insist that the excommunication record cannot be found, and that since Koyle had received his Second Anointing, an excommunication would not have been possible. [13]

John H. Koyle died 17 May 1949 in Payson.

The mine continued in fits and starts under the leadership of Quayle Dixon for another twenty-three years. In 1961, a new company, The Relief Mine Company, succeeded the Koyle Mining Company and continued to do the minimum $100 per claim annual assessment work. [14]

Interest in the Dream Mine has surged with the recent economic troubles coinciding with the Presidential election in the United States. I read with interest some of the prophecies made by Bishop Koyle and how they line up with current events. Here are some of Koyle's purported statements:

The angel who appeared to Bishop Koyle told him, "The Lord has called you to open up a rich gold mine for the benefit of Zion and the world in a time of trouble such as the world has not known. This time of trouble will be ushered in by a financial crash; we go to bed at night and awake in the morning with no light, water, gas or heat. The money will become worthless, not worth the paper it is written on, an armful would not buy a loaf of bread."

Bishop Koyle said that Wall Street would have a major drop sometime before the total failure and that the Government would step in to help save it.

Koyle was shown that our entire wage and price structure had risen higher and higher so that it was like it was up on high stilts, and then suddenly it was as if someone over-night had kicked the stilts out from under it, and the whole thing came down with a crash to about 20 cents on the dollar. Property would only be worth l/5 of its former value, but mortgage and other fixed debts would remain the same.

$20 bills would blow like trash in the gutter, not worth the trouble of bending over to pick them up. A bushel of gold would buy a bushel of wheat.

The US would call its military home from all over the world just to keep the greenbacks home and to keep the peace.

When it was time for the mine to turn out, he said, there was a light complexioned man with white hair who would come from east of the mine with a big check to finance the first shipment of ore.

Koyle saw that the US President would die in office just a while after the mine came in. He saw them look up and down the country everywhere to try to find a man to take his place and they would not be able to find one and the nation wandered in chaos. That's how bad it will get. [15]

Interesting prophecies, don't you think??

I think I'll pause here for comments, and put up one more post later on the status of the Dream Mine and its followers. Please sign in and tell us what you think about Koyle's prophecies and why you think some Latter-day Saints are seriously considering the idea that the Dream Mine is about to start producing gold!


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[8] The Relief Mine website, Overview

[9] Salt Lake Tribune, 1999, "The Dream Mine sits near Salem, the product of visions received by a Utah County farmer", courtesy of Phil Miller

[10] The Relief Mine website. See also Ogden Kraut, The Relief Mine I Koyle decided to sign a statement repudiating the mine and his angelic vision , and would cease his weekly mine conferences (which have been compared to revival meetings, in exchange for a meeting with the LDS Church's First Presidency. Koyle believed he could change President Smith's mind about the mine, because he had been given information by Moroni that would convince the LDS leader. This agreement was broken when Koyle's statement was published on the front page of the Deseret News the next day. Koyle was not invited to meet with the First Presidency. He became incensed, resumed his Thursday meetings, and assured his shaken followers that he had signed only to preserve his church membership.

[11] Historical Study of the Koyle Relief Mine, 1894-1962, Christianson, p. 55

[12] Deseret News, May 19, 1949, John H. Koyle Obituary

[13]

[14] Utah History Encyclopedia, "Dream Mine," Jay M. Haymond.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! Very interesting. Post the next blog!
We miss you here in the Kingdom.

Mormon Heretic said...

Interesting. While some of these prophecies seem to come to pass, their vagueness reminds me that Nostradamus was similarly vague, and thus his prophecies are considered true by many too.

galen dara said...

so very interesing! I had no idea about this mine or it's history. thank you for blogging these.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading about angel's visitations in the Middle Ages to mystics and it's interesting how much angels have lost their cachet, even for us Mormons. Since Moroni all the angels people claim to have been visited by are said to be evil spirits disguised as angels of light. Why have such claims and the attendant authority that is supposed to endow. Where have all the angels gone? Even in Elder Holland's talk about them thee was no glowing visitors from beyond the grave. (Actually, the ones helping people are alive and well because there is an angel shop nearby which sells angel stuff, supporting their invisible visits).

JohnR said...

Do you have the footnote for note #15? Curious to read the primary source.

Bored in Vernal said...

I know! I need to look for this when I have a little more time. The only source I have right now is what people have said on the Dream Mine message board. But I know I can track this down. Check back later!

Jared Koyle said...

Please do not get caught up in his prophesies, whether or not they came true. There are more uplifting and productive hobbies to get involved with. Trust me, John Hyrum Koyle and his dream mine is not one of them. If you look for things that you cannot understand, that is what you will receive.
I grew up on stories about him, his life, and the incredible things he did. I’m sure he was a good man. He seemed to try to do good things. But, please remember, there are two forces in the world, One that is good and one that tries to appear as good. Unfortunately, my great-great-grandfather was a false prophet. He was deceived. He went against the living prophet of his time. Remember also, you will know them by their fruits!
Follow the living prophet! Do whatever you need to study it out and come to your own conclusion and then, I promise, if you follow the living prophet of the Church, you will never go wrong. That may sound naive, but, you'll just have to trust me on this one. John Hyrum Koyle, no matter how right, was wrong. Be careful to not look beyond the mark.

Elder Gandy: LDS Missionary said...

I think this prophecy make come true. In fact, some of it already has.

Wall Street would have a major drop

Have you read the headlines lately? The dow has dropped, and it's going further and further down. The financial market is collapsing. The Housing (property) market is collapsing. The entire US economy is a phony economy and it's going to collapse.

Soon, the dollar's value will fall, as it already has, and we'll soon see hyperinflation. You won't be able to buy a loaf of bread with a wheel barrow full of dollars due to inflation.

Gold is going to go to $5000 an ounce, which would mean the investment in a gold producing mine would be a huge asset.

You should go to youtube.com and type in "peter schiff". He's an economist that adheres to the austrian school of economics that's also predicted the coming financial disasters. Here's a link of his stuff: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I0QN-FYkpw

There are going to be some major shifts in purchasing power in the coming year(s), and it may be the case that people will go to the regions that are producing wealth.

We've become a nation of consumers and borrowers. We'll have to become a nation of producers and savers to turn this around.

Perhaps Mr. Koyle was a man of god after all.

Anonymous said...

Jared Koyle said...

"That may sound naive"

Yup, your right, it is...

Anonymous said...

Fred,
"it may sound naive" ....to some it does, but to others it's an excercize in faith. Follwowing a living prophet is a leap of faith, something that can not, nor will not ever be proven in this life. If such things could be proven, then one wouldn't be required to have faith. I do have faith in a living prophet and will follow his counsel and come to Christ, no matter how naive that sounds. When this life is over, and somehow I am wrong in my belief, I still will have no regrets.

Anonymous said...

i know bishop john koyle was and called by God in a special way at the right time. That is the privillage given to any member of the church and we could may recieve that too when we pay the price of righteousness. Have you ever read the prophecy of Joseph Smith 8 day before he went to his death. His prophecy really confirm and coincide to what is needed as what bishop koyle had recieved in last days. its is something to do to preseve the faithful from famine or any other purpose temporally.

Anonymous said...

i know bishop john koyle was and called by God in a special way at the right time. That is the privillage given to any member of the church and we could may recieve that too when we pay the price of righteousness. Have you ever read the prophecy of Joseph Smith 8 day before he went to his death. His prophecy really confirm and coincide to what is needed as what bishop koyle had recieved in last days. its is something to do to preseve the faithful from famine or any other purpose temporally.

Anonymous said...

Angels do visit little children. Old men dream dreams. It is more common than most think. Those that see and speak with angels are cautioned not to tell others beyond their immediate family. Angels are beings of flesh and bone, their warmth can be felt in their touch. Why the chruch does not accept this is beyond me. Why the church says nothing of Brigham Young's many off the wall comments is also beyond me.