Around a hill in the western part of the State of New York, then called Cumorah, what was left of the Nephites gathered for the last struggle.

The Lamanites met them, and there was a great battle in which all but a very few of the Nephites were killed.

Thus ended the Nephite nation, not quite four hundred years after Christ, and the Lamanites or Indians have lived here ever since.
During all this time the Lord had some good men keep a record of what happened among the people.

In those days they did not write on paper, so these histories were recorded on plates of metal.

These plates were handed from one man to another, until about the time of the last great battle, a prophet by the name of Mormon had all the records.