Show THE IOWA SIDE localities associated with the past fast history of the church visited and ably described MO lee county iowa october oth editor deseret aws we returned f roni from carthage to nauvoo yester yesterday ay evening and spent the night with phineas kimball who together with his bis amiable wile wife and daus daughter liter treated us very kindly mr kimball la Is the owner ot of about acres of land in and around nauvoo and has a beautiful residence on the site bite of old commerce As a young man he be participated in the nancoo battle in september INO and has always been a friend to toe saints this forenoon we completed our rounds of observation in nauvoo and left at p pi mi m crossing the river on en the terry ferry boat to montrose on the iowa side where we arrived about 5 the river here is nearly two miles wide no bo sooner had bad we arrived at montrose than we discovered that we had forgot feh foh an important parcel in the house bouse of mr bidamon consequently we procured a skiff and was rowed back to nauvoo once more landing on our way on the wooded island in the middle of the river returning we bad the pleasure of crossing an opportunity which we enjoyed ury tiry much as it was not only romantic but reminded as of others othera who yeary years ago crossed the river by night bight under peculiar circumstances montrose is quite a cit city on paper as everyone who see seethe the illustrated illustrated atlas lasof of lee county would say but bai when it comes to the reality its number of does not exceed luro souls it has baa been on the increase durl during the last few years fora for a long time u after fter the left the place was almost diverted deserted it now has the advantage over nauvoo of being a railway wa y town and the terry crosses the river rive r eight throes ever every aday day the present inba inhabit bitus Wa consist com t of catholics episcopalians Episcopal ians methodists rians and josephites the latter numbering about 50 members who hold regular meetings excepting two or three wells which are still st I 1 used by the inhabitants there is no trace left of fit the old military barracks in which the saints at an early day suffered so severely from the effects of lever fever and ague but the exact place where they once stood has been pointed out to us by old settlers it it was near the present railway station and the site is now embraced in blocks 13 16 10 21 91 and 9 22 0 of the montrose survey it it was a short distance north of montrose where the school house stood in which joseph the tee prophet on august 6 1842 uttered his remarkable pro prophecy ecy about the saints becoming a mighty mig aty people in the rocky mountains A little further north on the bank of the potter slough a small arm of the mississippi are the grounds where the last remnants of the saints consisting of the sick and toe poor were camped after being expelled from from illinois as the final result of the famous battle of nauvoo here it was that the saints in their distressed condition were temporarily relieved bt by the quails which came to the camps a ot the exiles in harfe large numbers as a if sent through the m miraculous ra culous interposition of the almighty to save his bis people from starvation one of our party bishop black who was with and one of the saints in that memorable camp caught many of these birds himself they were so tame that they allowed themselves to be caught e easily and a great number of them in descending struck the wagons and tent poles with such force that they rolled into the tents stunned or dead taking the main street of montrose which runs from the river in a southwesterly direction for nearly a mile we came to a wide road running nor northeast to which the dignified name of grand avenue has been appended turning to the abe right and proceeding a few rods aloof along said avenue we came to a somewhat antique looking rock house with a frame ad addition standing on the left hand band side sideri a the road this ts is the only relict oft left of what once was a souris settlement Vett lement of the saints it was toe the commencement of ef what would have grown to a large city a sister city ot of nauvoo on t the he other side of the river nver biad the saints been permitted to remain we refer to zara demla a place settled under the direction of the prophet agreeable to a revelation in the year 1841 during that a stake of zion was iced ize dhere here with john joan smith josephs uncle as president in obedience to the revelation the saints in iowa commenced to gather onto the site and about thirty houses had been erected when put a stop to any further improvements it was also here that joseph and hyrum smith and willard richards 9 spent ent the night between june jane and having left nauvoo the evening previous with the intention 0 of fleeing to the mountains to escape the murderous plans of their enemies athas it has always been a source of regret to some of the saints that the prophet did not carry out his bis intention on that memorable occasion and that he through the persuasion of emma smith his wife and others was als induced to return and trust to 10 the protection of the governor the idea mccu occurs ra to many even to this day that had joseph fled to the rookies at that time hla his life might have been spared a ared many years longer be that as irmay it may it was no doubt a part of the pro gramme that hesh he should duld seal his bis testimony with his bis blood those familiar with church history will remember the remark josepo made when he was returning slowly toward the river its no use to hurry forwe for we are going mackto back to be slaughtered 11 if my life is of no value to my friends it is of none to myself are utterances which never will be forgotten by the saints josephs nature was aroused at the merest mention of his bis being a coward and that he wanted to run away from the flock flo when the wolves were threatening the sheep rather bather than to liable to te any such accusation he prepared to go as a lamb iamb to the slaughter and he did Zarah emla like the great capital after which it was named is no more but we predict it shall arise again phoenix like at some f liture future day and that the words of the lord concerning it shall be honored and f fulfilled ul filled the sue site Is most delightful for the centre of a great town and when a temple shall have been built on OD the site which was selected by the prophet on a neighboring bluff overlooking the lower lands between it and the river then Zarah emla shall fully come up to the expectation of her original founders and be numbered among the great cities of the millennium not having time to visit the country further west we are unable to give eive the exact location of ambrosia another little settlement of the saints where president A 0 smoot sad and other men afterwards prominent in the church were located hut it was only a few miles northwest of montrose for several reasons all these thase old landmarks should be remembered so that when ica the me time ume comes for lor the me general rebuilding of the fl waste places of zion they ey may dayoe be given proper attention about three miles mile below montrose is the town of nashville which on the of june 1889 1839 was bought boight by the church together with acres of laud land adjoining it here also quite a number of saints resided in the good old days after the exodus the place went down like all he other ether settlements of the saints but since the completion of the des moines rapids canal at the u upper per end of which it is so pleasantly located Foca located ted it has rather revived and now has haa a population of three bundled bandied souls taking it altogether lee county iowa owa is a flue e country a and nd h has as now BOW a population opu a t on of 0 f there T h e re are a P number am her OR of pr prosperous 0 p r ous tow towns n a and hundreds of e excellent cell ent terms farms many of the latter are for sale we vre have only been here montrose a few hours but have already found a number of friends who take a deep interest in giving us all the information they can concerning matters in which we are interested do you ever expect to come back to this country has been asked us by several persons we answered one man yes most assuredly we have got to come and build Zarab Zarah emla and then we will remember montrose as one of her suburbs perhaps we will include it in the now new corporation and call itt ill lower Zarabel Zara helma mall our friends thought there would be no inclination cli nation now on the part of the present inhabitants to mos mob us should we come back as they would undoubtedly be in favor of the boom in real estate which we would naturally bring with us we suggested that the old spirit was not deada dead yet and would not die as long as the devil had bad power to tempt the children of men and that should return at thi the present time the old spirit of hatred would be pretty sure to show itself anew from montrose we go to keokuk thence to eldon iowa where our little party will be dissolved and each go on his fats way rejoicing we have had bad a good time together seldom if ever have three brethren labored together with better feelings and been more unanimous in every move made than has your humble servants who now have visited nearly e every cry important place connected with the tze early history of the latter day saints and the life of joseph the prophet we feel that the lord has been with us and that he has crowned our labors labor with success we trust that the information which we have gained may be of benefit to the saints hereafter to the lord and his kind providence in our behalf we ascribe crt be all allae ae honor and lory glory your brethren la in the gospel OS of christ ANDREW JENSON EDWARD JOSEPH S BLACK |