At this point, it has been 54 years since Ammaron entrusted Mormon as custodian of the plates. He had been writing on the Large Plates of Nephi for some time, but the many other Nephite records he had left in the hill. We often underestimate the number of records Mormon was in charge of. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were given the privilege of seeing some of these records.
“Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates…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.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 19, p. 40)
Mormon had left these “many wagonloads” of records in place until this point, but the hill Shim was about to become Lamanite territory. Mormon had to take possession of them in order to protect them. A brief review of his custodianship is in order.
Age
Year
Event
Reference
10
321 AD
Called by Ammaron
Mormon 1:2-4
24
335 AD
Removed plates of Nephi from the hill, but left most the records in place
Indirect reference in Mormon 2:17
34
345 AD
Fights battle near the hill, declares that he had been making a full account on the Large Plates
Mormon 2:17-18
64
375 AD
Removed all the records from the hill Shim
Mormon 4:23
74
385 AD
Abridges the Book of Mormon and secures almost all the plates in the hill Cumorah in anticipation of the final battle (Editor’s note: I know you can’t believe that he wrote the entire Book of Mormon at this hectic time. If you don’t believe me, then come to your own conclusion based on Mormon 6:6 and Words of Mormon 1:1-9.)
Mormon 6:6, Words of Mormon 1:6-9