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Show SUCTION Davis Reflex-Journa- B l JULY 22. 1986 Pioneer Day Tribute to bmk Old Mmvoo Tmwliwg Taylor and Willard Richards were imprisoned in the Carthage, Illinois jail, awaiting a trial on charges of treason. Residents in the county felt the Mormons were gaining an upper hand in running the government in the area. One resident was overheard to sav . w hen Smith was arrested and put in the jail, that we've final! y got him here and we must never let him go." On the evening of June 27, a group of men who had formed an angry mob outside the jail broke through the front door and ran up the stairs to the second story room where the prisoners were held. In a rash of gunfire through the closed, then open door of the room. Hyrum and Joseph were killed, and Taylor seriously wounded. Joseph Smith was shot twice in the back, fell out a window, then received two more wounds as he fell to the ground. Witnesses say the mortally wounded prophet then sat himself up w ith his back against an adjacent well, straightened out his legs, and died. Brigham Young eventually took over the helms of the LDS Church, as the majority of members in Nauvoo officially recognized him as their leader. But a small faction felt differently, and under the guidance of Joseph Smith's widow, Editor's Note: Staff writer Tom Haraldsen returned recently from a trip to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he prepared this story as a tribute to the early Mormon Pioneers, whose arrival in the Salt Lake Valley we will celebrate (his Thursday. By TOM HARALDSEN - NAUVOO. ILLINOIS They named it Nauvoo, the city beautiful." Many of the followers of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith referred to it as the City of Joseph. Carved from a swampland on the Mississippi River in northwestern Illinois, it became a haven for over 12.000 Latter-da- y Saints who sought only a place of refuge where they could practice their beliefs. But before its short lifespan ended in 1846, with the exodus of the Saints for the west. Nauvoo would become the final moments in one of this nation's darkest hours-t- he mistreatment and expulsion of the Mormons. The Nauvoo of today reflects both those stories. Where homes and businesses once stood on the banks of the river, fields of tall, cool grass remain. Few of the citys original structures still stand. But the remnants of a dedicated people serve as a tribute to their strength and unity. Ironically, Nauvoo was itself the result of religious persecution the early Mormons suffered in Missouri. Three times Joseph Smith TODAY NAUVOO REMAINS a peaceful, quaint community that serves as a remembrance of horse-drawwagon like this. early Pioneer days. Visitors often tour the city in a Photos by TOM HARALDSEN second temple fully constructed by the LDS Church. The Saints had already abandoned their first temple in Kirtland, Ohio, and had seen their efforts in Missouri fail to reach fulfillment. In April, 1841, members com menced construction on the Nauvoo Temple, located high atop a hill overlooking the city and the Mississippi River. The structure stood sixty feet above ground, with a tower and spire rising an additional 98 feet. Made of native gray limestone taken from local quarries, the structure occupied the time and talents of many craftsmen for more than five years. It was built completely with the donated help of church members, as well as the physical donation of china. glasswear, clocks and watches, clothing, furniture, and other household items. Unfortunately, Smith never lived to see finished. In June, Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, and LDS leaders John 1844, finished in 1846. at that time the largest and most widely known structure north of St. Louis and n west of Cincinnati. visitors to the city later said the cost of building such a structure anywhere else would cost as much as $1.5 million. The Saints did it for much less. But their efforts weren't enjoyed long. Later that year, fearful for their lives. Young and other church leaders met in his home in Nauvoo, to discuss a possible journey west. The bell which hung in the temple spire was secured, and a group of several thousand left that winter, crossing the Mississippi to the Montrose Landing in Iow a and beyear ginning a two and one-hatrek to the Salt Lake Valley, a trip which we celebrate this Thursday. As for the temple and the tow n, both were eventually destroyed. The temple w as burned by an arson fire set to its interior in 1848. Only the walls stood, and in 1850. a wind blew strong tornado-lik- e down the north wall. By 1865. the other walls had been razed, and the site eventually became a quarry for cut and polished stone. Many buildings in Nauv oo today are built on foundations.from stones used in the Nauvoo Temple. In the 1950's, the LDS Church began an effort to regain and restore some of the historic sites and buildings in Nauvoo. The Church today owns the Carthage Jail, the Brigham Young Home, the Heber Kimball home, the Times and Seasons publishing offices, among others. The Church also built a visitors center in Nauvoo. with relics of the Saints years there. And this center is also the site of the Church's Monument to Women, a series of beautiful bronze statues it lf other largest For the next eight years, the city would prosper, as more than 12.000 inhabitants would come to live within it. Twenty schools were built and operated, and even a un- nt Most sacred to its people, however, was the Nauvoo Temple, LDS Non-Mormo- Missouri is also home for Liberty Jail, where Smith and four other early church leaders were falsely imprisoned for several months. The state is a frequent tourist destination for members of the LDS Church each year. But in 1838, Smith and his followers arrived in Nauvoo, a swampy area just across the Iowa border on the Mississippi. Pumping the swamp out, the Saints began to build a community that would, at its peak, equal the size of Illinois' iversity was started. More than 2.000 homes were built, and the Saints added to the city 35 general stores, 14 boot and shoe businesses, nine dressmaking shops, eight tailors, 13 physicians, nine law offices, three newspapers and three drama and opera halls. Nauvoo also included a number of blacksmiths and stables, soap and candle factories, seven brickyards, a comb factory, glaze factories and its own water and power company. It was visited frequently by and its inhabitants began playing an important part in the political fortunes of western Illinois. Emma, the Reorganized Church was formed. The Nauvoo Temple was n tried to build cities in the Show Me state. Today, the LDS Church owns property in Independence, Far West and at Smith prophesized that temples would be built in all three communities and at Far West, cornerstones laid by Smith and Brigham Young, among others, still stand. those THIS WAS THE home of Brigham Young, who led a large group of Latter-da- y Saints to Utah from 1847-49- . Youngs home originally consisted of just the center section, but after assuming leadership of the Church following Joseph Smiths death, the wings were added. It was in the room in the left wing that Young and other leaders mapped out the road which led eventually to the Salt Lake Valley. which when completed became the LDS CHURCH FOUNDER Joseph Smith lived in this home, which sits on the banks of the Mississippi River (shown to left). Joseph, Emma, and brother Hyrum Smith are buried behind this home. Continued on next page NAUVOO ONCE HAD three newspapers, two of which were published in the Times and Seasons publication building. The Nauvoo Neighbor News was published weekly, and the Times and Seasons magazine was produced quarterly. now-restor- |