In the Beginning...
It's just a word... Nauvoo. Means "beautiful view," or so they say. There are beautiful views from the town, but I'm not sure if that's why Joseph Smith and his followers settled there. And that's part of the point of this blog... to recover some of the history of an area in which I lived and to see if that history is an indication of the future to come.
You see, the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are returning to the town from which they were driven over 150 years ago. In 1844 Smith and his brother were killed by a mob of locals in Carthage, Illinois (just up river from Nauvoo) and within two years the Mormon settlers were on the move that led to their settlement of Utah.
When I was young Nauvoo was most famous locally for its Grape Festival... and the homemade wines featured there. Over the past decade though, increasing numbers of LDS faithful have re-settled in the area and are attempting to rebuild many of the homes and buildings from the days of Smith. The most famous building finished so far is the Temple. Located on a bluff overlooking the Mississppi River, it can be seen from the Iowa side... and the Mississippi is a mile wide at this point.
Join me as I seek to understand the significance of Nauvoo to Mormons, and follow what I expect to be a distinctly odd collision of cultures in a corner of Illinois I know well.
You see, the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are returning to the town from which they were driven over 150 years ago. In 1844 Smith and his brother were killed by a mob of locals in Carthage, Illinois (just up river from Nauvoo) and within two years the Mormon settlers were on the move that led to their settlement of Utah.
When I was young Nauvoo was most famous locally for its Grape Festival... and the homemade wines featured there. Over the past decade though, increasing numbers of LDS faithful have re-settled in the area and are attempting to rebuild many of the homes and buildings from the days of Smith. The most famous building finished so far is the Temple. Located on a bluff overlooking the Mississppi River, it can be seen from the Iowa side... and the Mississippi is a mile wide at this point.
Join me as I seek to understand the significance of Nauvoo to Mormons, and follow what I expect to be a distinctly odd collision of cultures in a corner of Illinois I know well.
posted by LaVelle | 7:18 PM
1 Comments:
I wish they would all move back to Utah. My grandparents are buried in Nauvoo and it is very strange visiting with all the wacko's walking around with their shirts and ties on. What happened to the days when you could have a beer or glass of wine and not worry about the mormon flies.
Nauvoo is a nice small town without the mormon invasion!!!!!!
Post a Comment
<< Home