History of Nauvoo, IL

This past weekend, Marcus and I took a trip to Nauvoo, IL. The reason for this trip was because a lot of our Church History comes from Nauvoo. It was an amazing day and it really made me appreciate all the pioneers and what they did before heading out West to Utah. We took a lot of photos and heard a bunch of great stories. I learned so much from this trip and decided that I wanted all of you to read about it and learn as well!

Our first stop was the Nauvoo Temple. Originally the temple was built in 1841 and was completed in 1846. Church members only used the temple for 2 years before the mob drove the church members out of Nauvoo. I can't even imagine how hard the early saints must have worked to complete this beautiful temple, only to have to leave it two years later. The mob then burned the temple and years later a tornado took some of the walls down. In 2002 a replica was built of the temple from 1846. The only thing that was left of the original was 31 Sunstones. (Fact: One of these being held at the Smithsonian Institute!)

We than began to tour some of the original houses back from the 1840s. One of my favorites was the home of Sarah Granger Kimball. She took part in organizing the women's relief efforts during that time until the Relief Society was organized shortly after. She was often alone, while her husband was away on business, and took care of her family and mother. Her husband was not a member of the church and she became so tired of his unwillingness to move to Utah, she gathered up her children and mother and took her whole family out there by herself. Her husband joined the church right before she left and he passed away shortly after while leaving to serve a mission. What an AMAZING women! This was her original home, floors and everything! (Fact: Notice the ropes on the bed sides. They would use these ropes to tighten the bed, or put slack into it. They would then use a stick to hit the straw mattress to get rid of bed bugs. Hence the saying: Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite!)

We also got to visit the home
of Brigham Young and John Taylor. The second and third president of the LDS Church. Two extraordinary men. These two men endured so much throughout their lives and it was very emotional and spiritual to be where they had served the Lord. We also visited the local blacksmith, bakery, hall of the seventy (basically the Missionary Training Center of their time), and brick maker (Fact: A bundle of bricks took 6 weeks to make!).

Most of the homes and business we saw were made of bricks; including Wilford Woodruffs (the fourth President of the Church) who used 60,000 of them on his house! Can you imagine how long that must have taken to make,
as well as all of the hard work that went into it? He only lived in that house for less than 100 days before him and his family were driven out of Nauvoo. (Fact: He
served a mission in England and after that, he decided he never wanted to be cold again. Thus, he had 6 fireplaces in his home. One for each room!)



We also went into the cultural hall. This is where shows would be performed and gatherings would take place. This is where Joseph Smith mapped out the route to Utah in chalk on the floor. A very touching and spiritual room to stand where a Prophet of God stood. Among other places we stopped was Joseph Smith's mother's home, the grave site of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and Emma Smith, as well as Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith and others were martyred.

I just wanted to share briefly his death because I believe it demonstrates his excellent character and
also how he gave his life to serve the Lord. Joseph Smith was called to the jail under false allegations of destroying a printing press. Joseph and a few others kissed their families goodbye, knowing this was the last time they would see them. He went to Carthage willingly, yet was never put on trial. While in Carthage, himself and eight others, including his brother Hyrum, John Taylor and Willard Richards, all were serving in the dungeon room upstairs in 125 degree heat! The homeowner and his family took pity on them and placed them downstairs in a cell. In this downstairs cell, the men prayed, sang hymns and worshiped. The homeowner became nervous for the men when the mob started to circle the jail. He then placed Joseph and the others into his own room upstairs. When the mob rushed into the house, his brother (who was very tall) tried to barricade the door of the bedroom but was shot through the door where the bullet went into his cheek. Joseph went to the window and was shot by two bullets in the front and two in the back, where he then fell out of the second story window. Willard Richards was the only survivor who was not shot and John Taylor was shot by one bullet that hit his pocket watch and another that hit his hip. When the mob rushed from the house, Richards and Taylor covered themselves in straw inside the dungeon room in order to hide from the mob. The Lord must of had more work in store for them because they both became two great leaders of the church.

Throughout his life, Joseph Smith was a humble, caring, and great man who could have easily denied his beliefs; yet, he stood by them until the day he died. The mob thought that by killing Joseph, it would also end the Church; however, they were wrong because the Church was not Joseph's and it has continued on because it is our Heavenly Fathers. Because of this, it has lived on today. I'm so grateful to have the gospel in my life, and that I had the opportunity to visit such a spiritual part of our history. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and I will be eternally grateful to all those early saints and pioneers who endured and suffered so much.