So What's With the Flowers: Nauvoo

(Posted by Karen). May's adventure brought us to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here's a little history lesson on the city of Nauvoo. Nauvoo's original name was "Quashquema", named in honor of the Native American Sauk chief who headed a Sauk and Fox settlement. It was later named "Venus" after a population boom deemed it worthy of a post office. It was later named "Commerce" and then was finally renamed "Nauvoo" by Joseph Smith. The meaning of the word "Nauvoo" comes from the Hebrew language and basically means, "beautiful city". It is also known as "City Beautiful" and "City of Joseph". By 1844 the population of Nauvoo grew to 12,000 people, rivaling the size of Chicago at that time.

In early 1839, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were forced out of Missouri via an Extermination Order signed by Governor Lilburn W. Boggs. The Saints fled to Quincy, Illinois where the citizens were outraged at the treatment the Saints were receiving in Missouri. A church member, Israel Barlow, heard of land in Commerce that was for sale. So, he contacted church leaders to inform them. They purchased the land and began to settle the area.

The land is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and was a swamp, and unfortunately disease ran rampant among the members of the church. The swamp was drained and the people were then able to build.

While in Nauvoo, the members of the Church labored to build a temple. The second one that the members had built in this dispensation (the first was in Kirtland, Ohio).

As the membership of the church began to grow, unrest among non-members began to increase because of fear of the political power that the Saints could have.

Through a series of false charges and allegations, the Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother, Hyrum Smith and other church leaders were arrested and taken to jail in nearby Carthage, Illinois. On June 27, 1844, while in Carthage, the Prophet and leaders were awaiting trial when a mob rushed the jail and murdered Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

After the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum, non-Mormons grew increasingly hostile towards the Latter-day Saints. By 1845 it became clear that peace would not be possible. Thus began the Mormon Exodus led by the Prophet Brigham Young in the years 1845-1846. By 1846, the majority of the members had left the city and headed west.

The temple that the Saints had labored to build had to be left behind. It was subsequently arsoned and then destroyed by a tornado.

Downtown Nauvoo

Fudge Factory

A "must" when visiting Nauvoo is the Fudge Factory. They make and sell fudge there. Clever name for the joint. Mary gives it "two thumbs up".

The goods.

The Church has restored a majority of the buildings in Nauvoo. These buildings were former homes or businesses of the people of Nauvoo. Most of them are open to the public and even have tour guides (missionaries from the Church).

Hmmm...I guess we were kinda bad on this trip because we also found ourselves getting a gingerbread cookie at the Scovil Bakery. Oopsy!

The front of the bakery.

The back of the bakery.

We also visited the home of Sarah Granger Kimball. She was secretary in the Relief Society of the Church. The meeting for the organization of the Relief Society was held in her home.

This is the view that she had from her front porch.

Mary and me. As you can see, we were minus one adventurer. Poor Christina was ill and unable to come with us. :(

Flowers outside of Sister Kimball's house. Not sure what kind they are, but they sure are beautiful!

We also visited John Taylor's home-the third president of the Church. This is an original rocking horse that belonged to John Taylor's son. There is a very neat story that accompanies this rocking horse. Brother Taylor and his family joined the Saints on their trek west when they were forced out of Nauvoo. Like many other members of the Church, the Taylors were forced to leave personal and often beloved items behind. While traveling, Brother and Sister Taylor noticed that their 3 year-old son had grown very quiet for days. Being an astute father, Brother Taylor discovered the reason for his son's demeanor. He had been forced to leave behind his favorite toy, a rocking horse. Brother Taylor's love for his son was so great that he made the 4-day one-way journey back to Nauvoo to retrieve his son's toy. It is also important to note that there was still hostility towards the Saints and it was also wintertime. Brother Taylor loved his son so much that he was willing to return to Nauvoo despite the risk that he could face. I couldn't help being touched by this story and I wondered how many other people were inspired after hearing about what Brother Taylor did.

Mary's Dream

While driving around Nauvoo, Mary and I spotted this house. It's a dream of Mary's to have a white house with a red barn and lots of land surrounding them.

The Nauvoo Temple

In 1999, the First Presidency of the Church announced that the Nauvoo Temple would be re-built. The ground-breaking for the new temple occurred in 2000 and the new Nauvoo Temple was dedicated on June 27, 2002, 158 years after the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

This is the view of the Mississippi River from the front of the temple.

So, we were facing the sun and taking pictures. Therefore, we're very squinty. :)

This is a statue depicting Joseph and Hyrum at the time they left Nauvoo for Carthage.

Trail of Hope

This is the path that the Saints took to the Mississippi River. Along the trail there are plaques with excerpts from journals telling about the experiences, thoughts, and feelings that the Saints had as they began their journey west.