Nauvoo, Illinois

Our school district has wonderful day-trips led by Linda Koenig around the bi-state area. Tuesday, we went to Nauvoo, Illinois, a restored historical Church of Latter Day Saints town. We met at 6:30AM, boarded the bus at 7:00 AM. After a brief stop in Hannibal, we were on our way into Keokuk, Iowa and over the bridge to Illinois. The drive from Keokuk to Nauvoo was beautiful--especially seeing the white pelicans at the lock and dam (migrating south for the winter).


All of those white spots are pelicans! (double click photo, then use top arrow to get back)
After the "Saints" had some trouble in Missouri, they went to Illinois where the people of Quincy gave them refuge until they could find a place to settle. This promontory into the Mississippi River was selected. It was a swamp from water run-off from the bluffs. The founding fathers, dug a trench to take that water into the Mississippi, thus drying out the land to be built on.

The model in the visitor's center shows the topography. The white dot on top of the hill is the temple which was rebuilt a few years ago. The city was quite large--it was 3 times the size of Chicago in 1840 with over 15,000 inhabitants.
The restored village of Nauvoo is staffed by retiree missionaries who demonstrate crafts like rope making(they gave us the rope), bread making, weaving. Each person makes the committment to be there for two years sharing their stories.But, Dave's favorite place was the gunsmith.
Who knew that Dave's weapon of choice was Browning. This was the home of Jonathan Browning, the father of the John M. Browning who made the famous Browning firearms. Below, the guide shows us how the rifles were made.

Dave pointed out 3 in this cabinet that he once owned: a pistol, a rifle and a shotgun.The Brownings were obviously affluent and had a fairly advanced kitchen. First, it was attached to the house, but it also included a trap door inside the kitchen that went down to the well for water.

After lunch catered by a member of the Community of Christ, we went on a wagon ride---pulled by Belgian draft horses.
Although it was a little cool, they provided us with quilts to keep warm.After riding through the woods and hearing the history of the Mormons, we got back on the bus, went up to the new temple before heading to our next stop.
The Mormons and the Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints) both have roots in this community. After Joseph Smith's death in nearby Carthage, Illinois, a group (Mormons) followed Brigham Young west to Salt Lake City where they established their permanent home. Click here for more information on the Mormons. The other group (Community of Christ) stayed behind and eventually came back to Missouri establishing their headquarters in Independence, Mo. Click here for more on their history.

We did have one final stop before heading back to St. Louis.

After the Mormons left Nauvoo, a group of French Icarians settled in the town where they grew grapes for wine and became well-known for their bleu cheese. So, we went to this winery, sampled wine and cheese and headed back to St. Louis. Click here for more information on the Nauvoo area.