December 16, 2010

December 16, 2010

From the southeastern tip of Iowa we crossed an icy Mississippi River and drove a dozen miles along a beautiful stretch of the Great River Road. We soon arrived in Nauvoo, IL, a town infamous in Mormon history. After being run out of towns in New York, Ohio, and Missouri, Joseph Smith led his faithful to this area in 1840. They flourished and Nauvoo quickly became Illinois’ second largest city. In 1844, a local dissident newspaper publishes news of his polygamy. In anger, Smith has the printing press destroyed and he ends up under arrest in the nearby Carthage jail. A mob attacks and kills him there.

Our first stop was the Historic Nauvoo Visitor Center run by the LDS. The Mormons have returned to the area restoring Nauvoo as it looked in 1844. They even rebuilt their temple. Most of the historic buildings don’t open in the winter until 11 am and we are way early. In most places we would have to wait. Not here. The receptionist quickly rounded up two delightful mission volunteers who drove with us to several buildings, unlocked them and gave us a private tour. It is hard not to be impressed with the Mormons. They are wonderful people.


Afterwards we took a drive around to the temple, and a few more of the many restored buildings. When we got to Joseph Smith’s home we noticed a second Visitor Center and a small subtitle with the words “Community of Christ”. We soon learned that this section is owned by a Mormon splinter group, started by Joseph’s son. I am sure the presence of a Mormon competitor in Nauvoo causes lots of heartache.

There is a lot to do in Nauvoo but most activities would be more enjoyable in summer. So we have lunch at a bakery in town and head on towards Chicago. We make a brief stop at Carl Sandburg State Historic Site in Galesburg but his birthplace is closed for the season. Touring the Midwest in winter can be frustrating. We drive the remaining three hours to Itasca to visit Aimee’s mother.