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Show -H- V... : .. . ? ' ? . ' its , f. s . W-. J i , . t v,-, , - i T v' i I o' '"" i ,. : . ; " VQ : fcXi I """ CMu Arden Johnson, formerly of Moab, prepares to roof the old Scovill Bakery in the restoration of Nauvoo, Illinois. Forni or Mmb Builder Busy Rest orstig Hist orical Buildings L. Arden Johnson, former long-time resident of Moab, has spent the last 15 months reconstructing pioneer homes and businesses in Nauvoo, Illinois. Since they were called by the LDS (Mormon) Church in May, 1975, the Johnsons, with their youngest daughter, Janice, Jan-ice, have been living in Nauvoo while Arden has worked with Nauvoo Restoration, Restora-tion, Inc., putting to good use his many and varied building, woodworking, and masonry skills. Both Arden and Clara are natives of southeastern Utah; he was reared in Moab, and she in Monticello. They reared their own family of six children in Moab. He became a general contractor in Grand County in 1960, and since has worked in home building and cement work. He began building with his son, Jay, in 1970 and moved his business to Orem, Utah. From there he was called to assist in the restoration by Otis Hamilton, project coordinator in Nauvoo. Nauvoo is a city rich in Mormon heritage as it was the city of the Saints in the 1840's niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMiniiMHiiitiiiiiiiirinniitr before their famous Western exodus. In less than seven years, Nauvoo grew from worthless swamp land by the Mississippi River to a thriving city of 10,000 people. It boasted 20 schools, one university, a library, 2000 homes, and three newspapers. After the Mormon migration in 1846, most of the homes and businesss were destroyed or left in disrepair. In 1962, Nauvoo Restoration, Inc. was organized to bring back to life, to protect and preserve this exciting period of American Ameri-can history. Visitors to old Nauvoo can now see many of these buildings, complete with fixtures and furniture, as they were in the 1840's. Arden has spent much of his time in the restoration of the Clark General Store which is across the street from the temple site. He has also been instrumental in the rebuilding from the foundations the Scovill bakery and the largest town print shop. These build- . ings were reconstructed authentically au-thentically by using original photos, blueprints, and pictures pic-tures as guides, and using as many of the old-time materials and methods as possible. Arden helped build a machine shop to hand-form many of the pioneer tools needed for the construction. The beams for trusses and supports were hand hewn. The restoration of Nauvoo is a major accomplishment accom-plishment in preserving the history of the State of Illinois and the LDS Church. The Johnsons will return late this month to Utah, and will later come to Moab to visit with their daughter Carolyn, Mrs. Valdon Teeples, and with other relatives and friends. |