977. 
 
 
 ucznn 
 
 1 WJ/.J 
 
 
 
 
 n 
 
 
 ■HHHHHHHm 
 
 Will and Katharine Griffith 
 Historic Nauvoo. 
 
 (iwi) 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://archive.org/details/historicnauvoodeOOgrif 
 
j 
 
977.343 
 H629 
 cop. 2 
 
 * 
 
 Historic 
 
 Nauvoo 
 
ILLINOIS HISTORICAL sma 
 
FRUIT OF THE VINE 
 
Historic 
 
 NAUVOO 
 
 A Descriptive Story of Nauvoo, Illinois 
 Its History, People, and Beauty 
 
 AMERICAN QUEST SERIES 
 
 Edited by 
 
 WILL GRIFFITH 
 
 and 
 
 KATHARINE GRIFFITH 
 
 QUEST PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 PEORIA, ILLINOIS 
 1941 
 
Copyright 1941 
 
 Quest Publishing Company 
 
 Peoria, Illinois 
 
°\ - 
 
 Publisher s Note 
 
 The story of Nauvoo is one that is entwined with that 
 of the Mormon Church. This subject, a highly controversial 
 one, has given rise to many extreme, highly colored tales that 
 •are neither correct nor fair to all sides. 
 
 This story of the Mormons in Nauvoo was written after 
 a most extensive research. It is impartial and unbiased. No 
 attempt has been made to enter into a theological discussion 
 of Mormonism, no endeavor to determine the right or wrong 
 in the matter. The only interest has been to give the historical 
 facts clearly and truthfully along with the color of this unique 
 episode in Illinois history. Written by a non-Mormon, it has 
 been praised by leaders of both factions of the Mormon 
 church and by students of Illinois history as the most impar- 
 tial story yet written of these dramatic and troublesome times 
 in the growth of the state of Illinois. 
 
 QUEST PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
The Mansion House, Nauvoo, fiojn a painting by Lane K. Newberry, Illinois artist 
 
If 
 
 Evolution of 
 
 An American Town 
 
 By Will Griffith 
 
 AT one of the great bends of the Mississippi River, practically surround- 
 ed on three sides by the waters of that mighty stream, lies the town 
 of Nauvoo, Illinois. Here is one of those rare towns in this land of ours — a 
 town with ,a past — and a present. 
 
 As the visitor swings along "Ole Man River," on that concrete ribbon 
 of highway approaching Nauvoo from the south, he sees first the bottom or 
 "flat" and then the hill forming a scenic back drop for this quaint, interest- 
 ing town. 
 
 Fruit trees and vineyards nestle on the hillside among the homesteads, 
 intriguing old houses dot the "flat," the verdant shores of Iowa rise in the 
 distance above the waters of the river, the business district of the modern 
 town rides the crest of the bluff. Nature and man are friendly here. 
 
 The Sac and Fox Indians had a village at this bend of the river, known 
 as Quashquema. Captain James White built the first house in the county, 
 in 1824, of native stone and walnut. Portions of it still are visible at the 
 water's edge about a block above the ferry landing. 
 
 The first white settlement was named Venus, and later called Commerce. 
 When taken over by Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, he named it Nau- 
 voo, meaning, according to him, "Beautiful Place." 
 
 In 1839 Joseph Smith and his followers, the Latter Day Saints or "Mor- 
 mons," bought this land from Dr. Isaac Galland, Captain White, and others. 
 It was then a marshy, uninhabitable stretch of bottom land back of which 
 
 Mount Moriah on scenic Highway 96 between Hamilton and Nauvoo 
 
rose the hill or bluff. Under the Mormon leadership the bottom land was 
 drained and made habitable. Soon a city began to blossom. In the early 
 I840's Nauvoo had become the largest 1 city in Illinois with a population of 
 20,000, while Chicago had a mere 5000 inhabitants. Not all of these citizens 
 were Mormons. Several Protestant denominations existed amid the Latter 
 Day Saints. The Catholic parish was a small, poor one — in fact too poor to 
 own a house of worship. The Masons, mostly Mormons, opened their Ma- 
 sonic Hall to the Catholics for a meeting place. 
 
 In 1846 the Mormons were expelled from the state of Illinois and began 
 their* historic trek westward. Nauvoo soon became almost a deserted city. 
 A few years later, 1849, Etienne Cabet, and his followers in a communistic 
 experiment, moved into the ready-made town of Nauvoo. The Icarians, as 
 they were known, lived in Nauvoo seven years, trying their experiment in 
 communism. Then they too left for the west — the experiment a failure. A 
 few hundred inhabitants were all that remained of this twice thriving city. 
 
 German immigrants began to come to the community shortly after the 
 exodus of the Icarians and gradually the town became stabilized. Vineyards 
 sprang up, fruit trees began to blossom, and a normal community life start- 
 ed. It has continued to this day. 
 
 As the visitor approaches Nauvoo he seems to sense an atmosphere of 
 peace. No railroad has ever entered this town. No large factories belch 
 smoke and blast noise. No traffic whistles are in use. But a hearty, sincere 
 welcome awaits and the visitor soon finds that although the tumult and the 
 shouting are missing, nevertheless, business is being done. Scattered over an 
 area large enough for a city of 30,000, the one thousand citizens make Nau- 
 voo a live, progressive town, with a past of which, justly, they are proud. 
 
 Here, at this bend of the river, history has been made. You can smell 
 it in the air, you can see it in the houses, you can feel it as soon as you get 
 in the town. Many of the old Mormon houses remain, some of brick, with 
 vine clad walls, some of wood, shining with recent paint, and some, nothing 
 but drab shells of departed glory. A few of the Icarian apartment houses 
 stand to remind the visitor, by their plain, unpainted, wooden shabbiness, 
 of the attempt at communism that ended in death and defeat. 
 
 What drama and romance have held forth at this point on the Missis- 
 sippi through the years! Mormons, Icarians, German immigrants, river pi- 
 rates, bandits, Indians, vinevards, wine making, experiments in Communism, 
 raids, riots, murder and sudden death, steam boats, airplanes — the new and 
 the old — woven together in a pattern that holds the acme of romance and 
 glamour. 
 
 On a sunshiny day the gleaming ripples of the mighty Mississippi, 
 sparkling between the shores of the two great states of Iowa and Illinois, 
 add the proper illumination to this scene of peace and beauty. If perchance, 
 the night is a moonlit one, the visitor experiences all the thrills which such a 
 perfect blending of the works of man and nature can evoke. 
 
 Nauvoo is a friendly city, a most friendly city. It is truly an American 
 one. Catholics, Protestants, Latter Day Saints; descendants of German, 
 French, and other nationalities; all join in the community life without the 
 usual factional feuds and frictions. 
 
 A city with a past — and a present — an American city! Nauvoo! 
 
 (8) 
 
Frontiers of Faith 
 
 BY EMMA JANE RILEY 
 
 PELTING snow stung the lean, bearded faces of the rugged team masters. 
 Half blinded by the swirling whiteness, the horses, their muscles stiff with 
 cold, plunged on toward the Mississippi River. 
 
 "How far's to Quincy, Brother?" a woman shrilled from a lurching wa- 
 gon. 
 
 The stalwart, stern man astride a suffering horse, replied, "Should be 
 there before nightfall, Mother Smith." 
 
 Slowly, patiently, the cold, hungry band made its way across the bleak 
 Missouri prairie. Mother Smith, her shawl clutched tightly about her thin 
 shoulders, wished for a mouthful of warm food. It had been many days since 
 the Mormon refugees had tasted anything except dry biscuits ad salt meat. 
 Only the prospect of a haven of refuge in Illinois brightened the thoughts 
 of these troubled people as they traveled eastward. Many had left good 
 homes built by the sweat of their brow to seek peace in the new state. Out- 
 casts — they traveled with only their portable worldly possessions. Their 
 minds were bruised, their bodies tortured — all for the sake of their religion. 
 This was America, 1839. The Constitution! guaranteed freedom of worship, 
 but the bold bad men of the Missouri frontier had driven a people forth 
 from their homes. 
 
 Toward evening, word spread joyously among the travelers that the 
 goal was in sight. High on. the bluffs of the-, great river, the little town, 
 Quincy, of some 1800 population, loomed in welcome. Horses seemed to 
 quicken their weary steps. Wagons lurched forward faster. At last the cara- 
 van, the river crossed, climbed the deeply rutted wagon road — its destina- 
 tion reached. 
 
 The people of Quincy were touched by the drawn faces of the sober 
 men and women. Quickly, hot food for the refugees and fodder and water 
 for the stock was provided. That night, for the first time in many nights, 
 every Mormon had good hot food in his stomach and gratitude in his heart. 
 
 Over in Springfield, Governor Carlin heard that the Mormon refugees 
 had arrived in Quincy. He made plans to assist in erecting temporary win- 
 ter quarters for the suffering people! "Illinois," said Governor Carlin, "will 
 show the Mormon people kindness and hospitality." 
 
 Stephen A. Douglas, then in the morning of his remarkable career, was 
 quick to sense the political importance of the new settlers. Here was a vast 
 number of votes for one of the parties. Here were potential taxpayers. West- 
 ern Illinois was settled sparsely. The Mormon influx would add greatly to the 
 population. Mormon relief work became of great interest to Douglas. 
 
 The newcomers were industrious — therein had been part of their trouble 
 in Missouri; for the happy-go-lucky Missourians had resented the thrift and 
 ability of the hard-working Mormons. With the assistance of the hospitable 
 men and women of Quincy, the homeless people established comfortable 
 
 (9) 
 
Joseph Smith, 
 the Prophet 
 
 The portraits of 
 Joseph and Hyrum 
 S mi t h reproduced 
 on these pages 
 hang in the great 
 Temple at Salt 
 Lake City. The> 
 were painted from 
 death masks by the 
 noted artist, L. A. 
 Ramsey a native 
 of Lawrence Coun. 
 
 quarters around the square. The Prophet languished iro a Missouri jail, but 
 the faithful had to live in the present. 
 
 When spring came, some of the Mormons moved to small farms in Ad- 
 ams and Hancock Counties. Others remained in Quincy where there was 
 some work available. 
 
 Mother and Rather Smith opened a museum in a litt|e frame building on 
 the corner of Sixth and Hampshire Streets. The curious paid ten cents to see 
 the collection of curios, chiefly Eqyptian mummies, and to talk to the Smiths 
 about their remarkable son. 
 
 "He was a dreamer as a lad, my Joseph," Mother Smith liked to tell 
 visitors, "but not much different from the other boys." 
 
 "Do you have the golden plates, here?" she was asked frequently. 
 
 This was her cue to relate the story of the finding of the golden plates 
 — of how her son, born in Sharon, Vermont, two days before Christmas, 
 1805, had been visited by heavenly messengers who told him that he was 
 marked for great* things — of the Angel Moroni, who told the boy, Joseph, 
 of the plates buried in the Hill Cumorah near Manchester, New York — of 
 the mysterious jeweled Urim .-and Thummin' which enabled the boy to trans- 
 late the reformed Egyptian characters engraved on the plates. 
 
 If proper interest were displayed, Mother Smith went on to tell of Jo- 
 seph's marriage to Emma Hale of Harmony, Pennsylvania — of his searches 
 
 (10) 
 
Hyruni Smith, 
 the Patriarch 
 
 ty, Illlinois. The 
 clothes were the 
 actual wearing ap- 
 p a r e 1 of the 
 Smith's. The ties 
 were tied for the 
 artist by Mrs. 
 Bathsheba Smith, 
 who knew the Pro- 
 phet and his 
 brother in Nauvoo. 
 
 for buried treasure — of the actual work of translating the plates — how Jo- 
 seph sat behind a blanket stretched across the room, and in a voice low and 
 full of feeling dictated the precious words to his scribes. 
 
 Her peaked features always glowed with light when she spoke of the 
 plates. Stretching her gnarled hands before her, she proudly declared, "I 
 hefted them before Angel Moroni took them away." 
 
 Father Smith always had a copy of the Book of Mormon for sale. A 
 perusal of the Rook of Mormon revealed that it was filled with religious mat- 
 ter and related a history of ancient America. First inhabitants of the Amer- 
 ican continent, according to the book, were the followers of Jared, who 
 sailed to this country at the time of the confusion of tongues at the tower 
 of Babel. Many years after all the Jaredites were dead, one Lehi and his 
 sons, Nephi, Laman, Lemud, and Sam brought their followers to America. 
 
 The Saviour visited the followers of Nephi and Laman following the Res- 
 urrection. He preached a slightly revised Sermon on the Mount, reinstituted 
 Baptism and the Sacrament and appointed Twelve Disciples to carry out his 
 mission. For many, many years the people prospered; then they fell into evil 
 ways. The Nephites gradually disappeared until none were left. The Laman- 
 ites, according to the Book of Mormon, became the forebears of the North 
 American Indians. 
 
 A visit to the Smith museum usually ended with Mother Smith expressing 
 
 (11) 
 
a wish for the safety of her son. She seemed confident that he eventually 
 would escape from the Missouri jail and return to his people. 
 
 "Is he not the Prophet of God in these latter days?" she murmured. 
 
 One day, as the people of Quincy were going about their business, two 
 horsemen raced into town. Their leader, a handsome young man of about 
 thirty-four, swung from the saddle and made for the Mormon camps in the 
 square. He walked with a quick, graceful stride. People turned for a sec- 
 ond look at him. Suddenly there were shouts of joy. 
 
 "Praise be to the Lord, for Brother Joseph's safety," men and women 
 cried. 
 
 Joseph Smith, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator had returned to his people. 
 Visits and greetings took most of the first day. Joseph had to find out how 
 his people had fared. Church matters must be discussed. 
 
 Joseph decided that Quincy was not suitable as a permanent place of 
 residence. Several years previously when the Mormons had migrated to Mis- 
 souri from Ohio they had crossed the southern part of Hancock County. 
 That county had few settlers. It was an ideal place to locate. Joseph bought 
 a house and farm from Captain James White. Dr. Isaac Galland, an early 
 day real estate promoter, tried to interest the Saints in Lee County, Iowa. 
 He had large holdings there. Joseph preferred the east bank of the Missis- 
 sippi; Dr. Galland took him on a trip of exploration. So Hancock County be- 
 came the home of the Mormons. 
 
 The faithful were instructed that all were to move to the little town of 
 Commerce on the river as soon as possible. It didn't take long for the Mor- 
 mons to pack their worldly goods for the short trip to the north. Many hated 
 to leave the relative comforts of Quincy for the crude little village of Com- 
 merce, but the Prophet had spoken. 
 
 Very few people lived in Commerce when the Saints arrived. It was a 
 dreary place. Dank swamps reeked with malarial fever, and the few houses 
 were inadequate for the needs of the Mormons. Joseph Smith directed 
 that the swamps be drained -and the underbrush grubbed out to rid the vi- 
 cinity of the breeding, spots of malaria. Houses, schools, business places 
 must be built. It meant that every able bodied man must work and work 
 hard. 
 
 Hills and hollows rang with the sounds of pounding hammers and sing- 
 ing saws. Oxen dragged huge logs from the forests into Commerce. Laugh- 
 ing men raced with each other to see how much work they could do in a 
 day. 'Joseph platted the district, indicating town sites and school sites. He 
 didn't like the name Commerce; so he renamed the town Nauvoo — a word 
 he said was from the Hebrew, meaning "beautiful place." 
 
 While the men and boys built homes and places of business, the wo- 
 men planted crops and laid in supplies for the long harsh winter. Lazy Mor- 
 mons were a rarity. Work was almost a part of the religion. 
 
 When building got under way, Joseph turned his attention to other mat- 
 ters. More converts were needed. True, in ten years the church had grown 
 phenomenally, but always a church must have men and money. There had 
 been many converts in Ohio and some in Missouri, but now Joseph wanted 
 to bring thousands into his new city. The missionaries, who traveled without 
 purse or script, ever seeking recruits, once more set out. Success was the 
 
 rs. 
 L2) 
 
Packet boats and stage coaches disgorged passengers to swell the Mormon 
 tide. 
 
 More money, however, was needed. The Missourians had seized Mor- 
 mon property to pay the cost of the month of guerilla warfare in that state. 
 
 "What right," asked Joseph, "did Governor Boggs of Missouri have to 
 take legitimate Mormon property without due process of law?" 
 
 Many times the Prophet asked this question. The answer was always 
 negative. He would go to Springfield and see if Governor Carlin could 
 help him in the matter. 
 
 Whigs and Democrats alike had been watching the progress at Nauvoo 
 with interest. Of course, they were glad for the increased revenue from tax- 
 es, but the real object of interest was votes. Votes to swing an election. 
 How the greedy Whigs and Democrats eyed those Hancock County votes. 
 Of course, Joseph Smith was welcome in Springfield. The best was none too 
 good for him. He hobnobbed with Cyrus Walker, Justin Butterfield, Long 
 John Wentworth, and Joshua Speed, argued theology with Peter Cartwright, 
 the Methodist circuit rider, and had the run of the Executive Mansion. Leg- 
 islators strove to please him. Of course, some effort would be made to se- 
 cure redress from the State of Missouri. 
 
 The clever Illinois politicians would never make the mistake the Missour- 
 ians had made. That the Mormons were Yankees and foes of slavery meant 
 nothing to the lllinoisans. The Missourians had not wanted an^i-slaveryites 
 gaining control of the state, for the sentiments in that state were pro-slave. 
 So the Missourians had driven the Mormons out of Independence and Jack- 
 son County, out of Clinton, Caldwell, Daviess, and Carroll Counties. And at 
 
 Heber C. Kimball House, Nauvoo 
 
 
 (13) 
 
last — because they feared the power of the Saints and could not stand the 
 presence of a people with sentiments alien to their own, the Missourians had 
 told the Mormons to leave the state. Resistance brought on a month of war- 
 fare, and then the hopelessly outnumbered Saints had surrendered and left 
 the state. 
 
 "Your people will -always be welcome in this free state," the Whigs told 
 Joseph. 
 
 "Illinois is a haven for the victims of persecutions," said the Democrats. 
 
 Joseph Smith was nobody's fool. Shrewd and amazingly clever, he took 
 what he could get from both parties and voted as he pleased. 
 
 In Springfield, Joseph met John C. Bennett. This Bennett was a rascal 
 who stood in with the state authorities. Sensing that the Mormons were 
 bound to prosper, Bennett returned to Nauvoo with Joseph Smith. As the 
 buildings multiplied in the city, Joseph realized that something must be done 
 about a government. Arrangements must be made whereby the Mormons 
 would be in no danger from snooping Missouri authorities. 
 
 Bennett said that the city of Alton had a charter which gave the munici- 
 pal court the unheard of — for a city court — power of habeas corpus. Why 
 not draft a similar charter for Nauvoo? An excellent idea thought Joseph. 
 
 So a charter was drafted. Of course, the town must have a militia. Illi- 
 nois law required it and the state furnished arms. Joseph said that Nauvoo 
 must have a university. He believed that education was essential to the wel- 
 fare of a people, and that salvation was open only to the intelligent. 
 
 Stephen A. Douglas was Secretary of State. He assured Joseph that 
 the Nauvoo Bill would pass the Legislature without difficulty. Did even the 
 clever Douglas know how easily the bill would pass? Douglas assisted in the 
 final drafting of the measure, and speeded it through the legislative hoppers. 
 Whigs and Democrats alike fell over themselves to support it. Among the 
 Whigs who voted for the bill, was Abraham Lincoln, in spite of the fact that 
 the Mormons had scratched his name in order to write in that of a Demo- 
 cratic candidate for elector. 
 
 As Joseph and John Bennett jostled about in the creaking stage coach 
 returning from Springfield, they were in high spirits. The Prophet had se- 
 cured legal weapons. Under the provisions of the Nauvoo charter, the Mu- 
 nicipal Court had the power of habeas corpus. There would be no danger 
 from Missourians now. 
 
 When the Mormons went to the polls to elect city officials, John C. 
 Bennett became mayor. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith 
 were among the elected aldermen. 
 
 Industry has its own reward. Once more the Saints were prospering. 
 Although they had reached Illinois in a penniless condition but a short time 
 before, they now had money in their pockets and there was money in the 
 church coffers. Joseph's followers tithed. If they did not have money to 
 tithe, they gave a tenth of their livestock, or grain, or produce to the Lord. 
 
 The population of Nauvoo reached 10,000. It was larger than Chicago. 
 The Nauvoo Legion, armed by the state, had fourteen companies of well 
 drilled men. Included in 1 their numbers were men who had served under 
 
 (14) 
 
Drawing of Mormon 
 Temple at Nauvoo, 
 destroyed by fire 
 October 10, 1848 
 
 Wellington on the field of Waterloo. Although he never saw military service, 
 Joseph Smith, Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion, reviewed his troops 
 with as much aplomb as that of a general — veteran of many campaigns. 
 
 In his brilliant uniform, Joseph was a soldier from bootheels to epaulets. 
 He rode Charley, his beautiful white charger, with skill and daring. In the 
 pulpit, Joseph was a devout, inspired man, forcefully bringing a message to 
 an eager people. In politics this man possessed acumen amazing in one so 
 young. He absolutely ruled the temporal and spiritual affairs of his people. 
 They loved him — almost worshipped him. What if he had been tarred and 
 feathered in Kirtland, Ohio? All leaders must be victims of persecutions. 
 
 Perhaps Joseph's success with the Saints was due to the fact that he 
 never held himself above them. He swam in the river. His long strong arms 
 pulled his body through the water with great speed. He would accept any 
 man's challenge in a wrestling match, and few could best him. Joseph kept 
 himself in perfect physical condition. 
 
 Joseph allowed himself sports and pleasure for relaxation, but he sel- 
 dom forgot he had work to do. When he learned that Governor Carlin 
 could do nothing in the matter of redress from the State of Missouri, he re- 
 solved to go to Washington. Chauncey L. Higbee accompanied the Prophet 
 on the trip. They sought and got an audience with President Van Buren. 
 "Little Van" made the mistake of telling Joseph he could do nothing toward 
 
 (15) 
 
solving the Saints' problem. Few Mormon votes were cast for Van Buren in 
 the next election. 
 
 The Prophet met Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Clay suggested, 
 upon hearing of the trials and tribulations of the Saints, that Joseph take his 
 followers into the Oregon country. Calhoun said that the federal government 
 could not enter into the difficulties between the citizens and a state. Some 
 years before when Calhoun had resigned as vice-president in order to rep- 
 resent South Carolina in the Senate, Joseph had prophesied that there would 
 be war between the North and the South — that the war would start in South 
 Carolina — that England wouid be called upon to take sides in the struggle — 
 and that the slaves would rise and turn on their masters. 
 
 Joseph and Higbee returned to Nauvoo disappointed in their failure to 
 get aid in securing redress from Missouri. There was work to be done! Nau- 
 voo was a hustling town, its stores were doing plenty of business. Joseph 
 announced that he had had a Revelation calling for the building of a Temple. 
 Funds had to be raised, and every man was required to donate time or mon- 
 ey to the enterprise. No temple had been built at Independence, but at an 
 earlier day the Saints had erected a small temple at Kirtland, Ohio. 
 
 The cornerstone of the Temple was laid at Nauvoo just eleven years to 
 the day after incorporation of the Church of Jesus Christ. For days before 
 the ceremony, crowds poured into Nauvoo. Some came by rattling stage 
 coaches, others made a quiet journey up or down the river, while many rode 
 horseback or walked. 
 
 As the fingers of night lifted the curtain to reveal the dawn, an artillery 
 salute resounded through the county. Festivities had begun. Boys and girls 
 
 Capstone of Mormon Temple now in yard of Historieal House, Quincy 
 
 (16) 
 
hurried to the parade grounds to see the Legion march. Men and women, 
 devout followers of the Prophet, crowded through the streets to the Temple 
 Grove. They cared little for the military review. Visitors from Quincy and 
 Springfield, from Iowa and Missouri, and from the many small Illinois hamlets 
 jammed the streets, the Temple Grove, and the parade grounds. 
 
 Lieutenant General Joseph Smith, splendid in his striking uniform, and 
 his staff reviewed the Nauvoo Legion. No crude frontier militia were these 
 soldiers. When the last of "the companies had passed the officers, Joseph 
 wheeled "Old Charley" and galloped to the head of the ranks. He led the 
 way toi the Temple Grove, followed by the troops. 
 
 At the Temple Grove the Legion formed a hollow square. The assem- 
 bled multitude stood within its formation. Still in uniform, Joseph placed a 
 copy of the Book of Mormon, copies of the "Times and Seasons," a news- 
 paper edited by the Prophet's younger brother, Don Carlos Smith, and a 
 copy of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants in the corner stone. After his 
 prayer, he introduced Brother Sidney Rigdon as the speaker of the day- Rig- 
 don, a former follower of Alexander Campbell, had joined the Saints in 
 Ohio and stood high in the church circles. 
 
 Although Joseph Smith was dead before the Temple was ready for use, 
 he directed the building operations as long as he lived. The exterior was of 
 white limestone, quarried near the south edge of Nauvoo. The temple prop- 
 er was 180 feet long, 80 feet wide, and about 80 feet high. The tower and 
 belfrey were almost 100 feet high, making the height from the ground to the 
 top of the tower about 180 feet. Thirty stone pilasters, costing $3000 each, 
 decorated with a crescent at the base and capped with a grotesque sun god, 
 ornamented the exterior. The architecture roughly combined the ideas of 
 the ages, Venetian, Grecian, Egyptian, and Byzantine. 
 
 The interior was decorated with innumberable columns and frescoes. 
 The baptismal font was the most striking part of the Temple. The following 
 description is from "The Miilenial Star," Volume 18, page 744: 
 
 "The baptismal font is situated in the center of the basement room, un- 
 der the main hall of the Temple; it is constructed of pine timber, and put 
 together of staves tongued and grooved, oval shaped, sixteen feet long 
 east and west, and twelve feet wide, seven feet high from the foundation, 
 the basin four feet deep, the moulding of the cap and base are formed of 
 beautiful carved work in antique style. The sides are finished with panel 
 work. A flight of stairs in the north and south sides leads up and down into 
 the basin, guarded by side railing. 
 
 "This font stands upon twelve oxen, four on each side, and two at each 
 end, their heads, shoulders, and forelegs projecting out from under the font; 
 they are carved out of pine plank, glued together, and copied after the 
 most beautiful five-year-old steer that could be found in the country, and 
 they are an excellent striking likeness of the original; the horns were formed 
 after the most perfect horn that could be procured. 
 
 "The oxen and ornamental mouldings of the font were carved by Elder 
 Elijah Fordham, from the city of New York, which occupied eight months of 
 time. 
 
 "This font was built for the baptisms for the dead until the Temple shall 
 be finished, when a more durable one will supply its place." 
 
 (17) 
 
The Temple site was awe, inspiring. From the knoll above the city the 
 sparkling waters of the Mississippi bend like a giant arm around Nauvoo, 
 adding to the marvelous panorama of houses, trees, and green lowlands. 
 
 One million dollars was raised for temple building purposes. There is 
 no record in evidence as to the exact amount of money spent in construc- 
 tion. Although unusual in appearance, the completed Temple was the most 
 magnificent building in all the West. 
 
 But all was not well, the Saints were beginning to have trouble with 
 their Gentile — a name applied by Mormons to all without the fold — neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 "The Mormons," said the Gentiles, "can't keep their hands off other 
 peoples' property. We'll not stand for this stealing." 
 
 Doubtless some of the Saints were thieves. There are thieves among all 
 peoples of all faiths. The Mormons made excellent scapegoats. Nauvoo was 
 the largest city on the frontier. Its charter made it a favorite hangout for 
 murderers, cut-throats, border ruffians, and bandits. In today's parlance, 
 "Nauvoo was a swell place to cool off in when the heat was on in Iowa or 
 Missouri." A large percentage of the thieving charged to Mormons was 
 done by the outlaws who hung out in Nauvoo. 
 
 The Gentiles whispered around the country that Joseph Smith and oth- 
 er officials high in church rank practiced the sinful doctrine of polygamy. 
 This is a highly debatable question. The members of the Church of Jesus 
 Christ of Latter Day Saints, with headquarters at Salt Lake City, practiced 
 polygamy for many years. This church affirms that the Prophet believed in 
 and practiced the doctrine. Polygamy was .a part of the religious doctrine of 
 the Utah Mormons. It was a man's duty to have as many wives as he could 
 support, and the Saints, who followed their leaders' instructions, lived up to 
 the order of polygamy until it was abolished by the church. 
 
 The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with head- 
 quarters at Independence, Missouri, argues that Joseph did not believe in 
 and never practiced polygamy and that Brigham Young introduced the prac- 
 tice after arrival in Utah. 
 
 If the doctrine was practiced in Nauvoo, it was not done openly. The 
 polygamy revelation was not made public until nine years after it was alleged 
 to have been written. Joseph Smith was dead, and Brigham Young released 
 the revelation in Salt Lake City. Wilford Woodruff abolished the practice 
 of polygamy by members of the church in 1890. 
 
 While work continued slowly on the Temple, Joseph had the Saints begin 
 construction of the Nauvoo House, which was to be one of the finest hotels in 
 the country. This building was never completed. The people could not work 
 up as much zeal and enthusiasm over the hotel as they could over the Tem- 
 ple. Work continued on Joseph's new residence, the Mansion House, and the 
 Saints managed to complete it at last. Large and imposing, the house had 
 enough rooms to care for travelers and politicians, pending the completion 
 of the hotel. 
 
 The opening of the Mansion House was another gala event. Joseph 
 Smith was at his best while playing the role of host. Up and down the river 
 it was said, "Old Joe, the Mormon Prophet, sets the best table on the Mis- 
 sissip." 
 
 (18) 
 
Old Jail at Carthage 
 
 Guests who were invited to rhe opening of the Mansion House were 
 amazed at the beauty of its interior furnishings. Marble topped tables, can- 
 dlestands of pine and maple, walnut chairs with split bottoms, a chandelier 
 with dazzling prisms, and a red carpet -as well as walnut woodwork and 
 handsome maple furniture, recalled memories of fine homes in the east. Such 
 elegance was unbelievable on the frontier. 
 
 After a sumptuous feast, the guests danced or played cards. Many 
 toasts were drunk in the Prophet's favorite beverage — apple jack, sweetened 
 with honey, and diluted with wafer. Gaiety and laughter echoed through 
 the many rooms. 
 
 Joseph Smith should have been a very happy man that night, but he 
 was worried. Whenever he moved from room to room, he felt a cold, damp 
 breath on his neck. Fear — fear had laid hold of him. Were the Missourians 
 coming with more warrants? Recently an .attempt had been made on the 
 life of Governor 'Boggs of Missouri, and it was bruited about that Porter 
 Rockwell, a loyal Saint and friend of Joseph, had made the attempt. Could 
 it be that' someone was coming with a warrant from Ohio? Ghosts of the 
 past stalked about the gaily lighted Mansion House. Inwardly the Prophet 
 was trembling, but his face was masked with an affable smile. 
 
 Several days later a stranger sauntered down Mulholland Street. Soon 
 he was followed by a gaunt, whiskered man, then another, and another. The 
 stranger continued through the town till he reached the Mansion House. By 
 this time several silent men — each busily whittling on a stick of soft wood — 
 followed him. He paused, then jerked off his hat and roared with laughter. 
 
 "Whittling deacons," he shouted, "the Prophet's special spies, and none 
 of you recognized Porter Rockweil." 
 
 The man ran toward the house. The deacons sheathed their knives and 
 hurried away. 
 
 Rockwell brought Joseph word that the Missourians were very anxious 
 to get extradition papers and try Joseph for murder. Trouble was starting 
 again. Was Nauvoo going to be a repetition of Kirtland and Independence? 
 The Prophet called a meeting of the council and directed that a group of 
 
 (19) 
 
men supply themselves with ample provisions and set out to explore the 
 whole western country in order that a haven of refuge might be found. 
 
 About this time John C. Bennett and Joseph came to a parting of the 
 ways. Bennett claimed afterward that he and Joseph wanted to take the 
 same woman as a celestial wife. Joseph ordered Bennett to leave Nauvoo 
 which the latter did. Then the Prophet became mayor. 
 
 Judge Douglas visited Joseph frequently. Both men were native Ver- 
 monters, practically the same age. One evening after the Judge had eaten 
 a particularly fine meal in the Mansion House, Joseph drank a glass of wine, 
 tilted back his chair, and addressed Douglas: 
 
 "Judge," he said, "you will aspire to the presidency of the United 
 States, but if you ever turn against me and the Saints, you will feel the 
 weight of the hand of the Almighty upon you, for the conversation of fhis 
 day will stick to you through life." 
 
 Douglas was loyal long after others had deserted the Saints, but he 
 found it expedient at last to turn on the Mormons. He was never President! 
 
 Joseph had never aspired to office. Brother William represented Han- 
 cock County in the State Legislature, but the Prophet, prior to 1844, had 
 preferred to manipulate officials rather than to hold office. That year, how- 
 ever, he looked over the national political scene and decided to run for 
 President. With the assistance of W. W. Phelps and William Clayton, he 
 drafted a platform skillfully designed to appeal to mass voters but none the 
 less full of hard common sense. 
 
 He advocated a two-thirds reduction in the number of congressmen, 
 abolition of capital punishment and life imprisonment, prison reform, em- 
 ployment of prisoners on roads and other public works, greater economy in 
 government, and lower taxes. He declared in favor of the abolition of slav- 
 ery by 1850, suggesting that the government sell public lands to raise funds 
 to reimburse the slave holders for their property. Joseph wanted a national 
 bank with branches in each state and territory. To Texas, Oregon, Mexico, 
 and Canada he would extend an invitation to join the Union, and he advo- 
 cated extension of the executive authority to enable the President to send 
 the army into any State to put down a mob. 
 
 The missionaries over night became stump speakers. Brigham Young- 
 was made chairman of the eastern district while the rest of the country was 
 assigned to various men. The people in Nauvoo rejoiced. If Joseph became 
 president of the United States? Oh, the possibilites were inexhaustible. 
 
 While Joseph dreamed of riding down Pennsylvania Avenue to his in- 
 auguration with the Nauvoo Legion as escort, his enemies were busy. The 
 Higbees had turned on him as had William and Wilson Law, and the Fosters. 
 Secretly and in the dead of night these men had moved printing equipment 
 into the basement of the Higbee store on Mulholland Street. Unknown, of 
 course, to the Prophet and undiscovered by the "Whittling Deacons," they 
 were hard at work getting out a paper. 
 
 The Prophet was writing in his studv the day of June 7. Suddenly the 
 door burst open and William Clayton dashed into the room. 
 
 "Here, read that," he gasped. "Read the dirty, filthy things they've 
 printed about you!" 
 
 With trembling fingers the Prophet opened the paper. "The Nauvoo 
 
 (20) 
 
Wilford Woodruff House, Nauvoi 
 
 Expositor" — the black type fairly screamed at Joseph. Then he read. Jo- 
 seph Smith was accused in print of being guilty of all kinds of crimes — chief- 
 ly, however, that of adultery. He was charged with misappropriating church 
 property. Moistening his lips, the, Prophet read on. Revocation of the Nau- 
 voo Charter was advocated. His face drained to a pasty white; then the 
 blood surged into his neck, mounted his cheeks, and as his anger rose, dyed 
 his face a deep crimson. Slowly he crumpled the paper in his hands and 
 gazed out of his window at the peaceful street. 
 
 "Get the boys to find every one of these libelous sheets," he shouted. 
 "Bring them here and burn them." 
 
 Crash, bang, his* fist' resounded against the desk; then he was up and 
 out of the room, and, Katless and coatless, off down the street in a run. 
 
 Withir) an hour many men and women in Nauvoo had a copy of the 
 "Expositor." Some grimly and silently read its pages, sighed, and believed 
 it had told the truth. Others read, then eagerly fingered their guns. Like a 
 bomb bursting in the midst of dynamite, the "Nauvoo Expositor" exploded 
 in the faces of the citizens of Nauvoo. 
 
 Two days passed, unmarked by violence, but Nauvoo was on guard. No 
 sounds of happy workmen filled the air. Ominous silences were broken only 
 by the sounds of children playing soldier and the singing of birds. 
 
 Joseph convened the City Council on June 10:. He did not preside. 
 Hyrum Smith, the Prophet's brother, introduced a motion calling for the 
 destruction of! the' libelous "Expositor's" press and type. Sullen angry men 
 voted in favor of the motion. Written orders were dispatched telling the 
 city marshall to demolish the "Expositor." The Nauvoo Legion was ordered 
 to hold itself ready for action. 
 
 That night the marshal, his deputies, and a crowd of Mormons, includ- 
 ing the Prophet, swarmed on the Higbee store. Burly guards stepped up to 
 prevent the destruction of the printing plant. Fists swung, heads were 
 cracked. Then, deputies ransacked the "Expositor" office, junked the press, 
 pied the type, and made a gigantic bonfire out of the equipment. The City 
 Council's orders had been carried out well. The Higbees, Fosters, and the 
 
 (21) 
 
Laws fled to Carthage. There, they swore out warrants for Joseph and the 
 City Council charging treason and wilful destruction of property. 
 
 Joseph refused to go to Carthage. He and the members of the City 
 Council went before the Nauvco Municipal Court and were dismissed. 
 
 Like flames sweeping through prairie grass, news of the destruction of 
 the "Expositor" spread over Hancock County. Committees were appointed 
 and resolutions adopted in meetings in Carthage and Warsaw. "The Mor- 
 mons must go! The Mormons must go!" The words echoed up and down the 
 country side. Editor Sharp of the "Warsaw Signal" editorially called for the 
 citizens to take the law into their own hands. Guns and ammunition were 
 ordered from Quincy and St. Louis. 
 
 Joseph mustered the Nauvoo Legion into active service June 18. "Once 
 more," he thundered, "the Saints shall be persecuted for their faith. We 
 must be prepared to fight for our rights." 
 
 Word was sent to the church officials stumping the country in the inter- 
 est of Joseph's presidential campaign to return to Nauvoo, post haste. 
 
 Crowds swarmed to the Temple Grove, Sunday, June 2l. The Prophet 
 preached his last sermon. He insisted that the Temple be completed as rap- 
 idly as possible. 
 
 Meanwhile news of the general unrest in Hancock County spread over 
 the state. Governor Ford hurried to Carthage to mobilize the militia of the 
 adjoining counties in an effort to preserve peace. A very different story 
 might have been written had the Governor stayed out of the picture. 
 
 The Governor sent word to Nauvoo, suggesting that a committee come 
 to Carthage to confer with him. John Taylor and J. W. Bernheisel rode to 
 Carthage and learned that Ford wanted the Smiths and the members of the 
 City Council to come to Carthage and stand trial. 
 
 "I will promise a fair trial and absolute protection," the Governor as- 
 sured the Mormon committee. 
 
 That night at the Mansion House, the Prophet and his friends argued 
 long and loud over the Governor's request. Carthage was bitter in its hat- 
 red of the Saints, jealous over the prosperity of Nauvoo, and full of rabid 
 men who would stop at nothing. Not a very promising place to go for a 
 trial. 
 
 "We'd best take the Governor at his word," suggested Brother Hyrum. 
 "He'd not dare to let us come to harm." 
 
 The Prophet paced back and forth across the room. Tiny beads of sweat 
 glistened on his broad forehead. He was pale and weary. His blue eyes, from 
 their deep sockets, blazed like fire. 
 
 At last he cried, "No, Brother Hyrum, no! We must escape. Freedom 
 beckons from the other side of the river. If we go to Carthage, we shall 
 die." 
 
 "True, true," shouted Dr. Willard Richards. 
 
 Porter Rockwell slipped down to the river to get a boat. Soon Joseph, 
 Hyrum, and Richards stealthily made their way to the wharf. Rockwell rowed 
 them across the water as silently as possible. He returned to Nauvoo, leav- 
 ing the three men with a Mormon family near Montrose, Iowa. 
 
 The next day, June 23, preparations for flight were made. Rockwell 
 brought ammunition, horses, mules, a few cattle and side arms to Montrose. 
 
 (22) 
 
Three wagons were obtained. Rockwell was to accompany the Smiths, -and 
 three trusted, brave men were going to drive the teams. 
 
 Emma Smith sent a letter to Joseph criticising his actions. Rockwell re- 
 ported that the Saints were hurt and angry over Joseph leaving them to face 
 the fury of the anti-Mormon citizens. Joseph Smith was no coward; yet he 
 felt that certain death faced him should he turn back. It was a difficult de- 
 cision. Joseph h.ad been lucky for thirty-nine years. Life had been a great 
 adventure, and he was too young to die. 
 
 "We will return," he said at last. 
 
 Joseph was silent as the return journey began. The sun slanted down on 
 the friendly river. Its brightness dazzled the eye. In the myriad flecks of 
 sunlight floating just above the shining water, the Prophet saw many pic- 
 tures. Briefly there danced before his eyes the cool banks of the Susquehan- 
 na River where he had courted Emma Hale. Now pictures of the first jour- 
 ney in the dead of winter to Ohio flared before him. The Kirtland Temple — 
 first church erected by the Saints — irate townspeople -applying tar and feath- 
 ers to himself and Sidney Rigdon — the journey to Missouri — the decision to 
 leave Ohio and build a Temple of Zion at Independence, Missouri — the 
 friendly attitude of the people of Jackson County — their gradual change — 
 then hatred and an overnight move to Clay County — fights — accusations — 
 trouble — trouble — a month of warfare — sentenced to die before a firing 
 squad — saved by the intervention of Generals Atchison and Doniphan — long 
 days and longer nights in jail — at last a chance to escape — a royal welcome 
 in Quincy — the building of a great city — power and prestige — courted by 
 the politicians — the Church a mighty power — now, impending strife and 
 bloodshed. The Prophet sighed and mopped his feverish head. Pictures of 
 the past trouble and pleasure faded. The water gently slapping against the 
 boat tinged red before his eyes. Blood would run! 
 
 The Saints bravely cheered the Prophet when he once more walked down 
 the streets of Nauvoo. Members of the Legion called words of courage to 
 him. Horses were brought to the Mansion House. With a dash of bravado, 
 Joseph swung into the saddle. Just outside the city, the Mormons met Cap- 
 tain Dunn and a detachment of Carthage Grays. D'unn had orders from the 
 Governor to confiscate the state arms held by the Nauvoo Legion. Joseph 
 and his party accompanied Dunn back to Nauvoo. The state arms were sur- 
 rendered peacefully. Then Joseph, Hyrum, and the members of the City 
 Council once more set out to Carthage, this time accompanied by Captain 
 Dunn. 
 
 Carthage was in an uproar. Men from many towns and counties stalked 
 the streets in surly humor. The Carthage Grays, local militia, were drinking 
 and singing boisterously. The Smiths rode into town. Epithets, threats, and 
 mockeries were hurled at them. Sour faced, bearded strangers spat and 
 damned the Prophet. Expectinq a shot in the back each instant, Joseph and 
 the others dismounted and went into the Hamilton House. 
 
 Early the next morning the Smiths and members of the Nauvoo City 
 Council were brought before Justice of the Peace R. F. Smith. All were 
 bound over to the next term of the Circuit Court and were released on 
 
 (23) 
 
bonds. The Prophet's pleasure changed to anger and fear a few minutes 
 later when the constable served warrants charging treason and open rebel- 
 lion against the State of Illinois — charges based on Joseph's calling out the 
 Nauvoo Legion to fight Mormon enemies and placing Nauvoo under martial 
 law. Under the Nauvoo charter, however, Joseph had a perfect right to call 
 out the Legion at any time. He was the all-powerful official of the city. 
 
 That night a mittimus ordering Joseph and Hyrum Smith incarcerated in 
 the county jail was served. No preliminary hearing had been held, and 
 Joseph rightfully raged over going to jail. 
 
 The wily Ford suggested that jail was the safest place for the Prophet. 
 He promised that the Smiths could have comfortable quarters, that their at- 
 torneys and friends could come and go at all hours, and that a military guard 
 would protect them day and night. 
 
 The old stone jail still stands in Carthage. It was a six-room dwelling, 
 located just a few blocks from the, square. The jailer's family lived on the 
 first floor, and there were two rooms on the second. The Mormon prisoners 
 were lodged in a Large bedroom originally used as the debtors' quarters. The 
 windows in this room were unbarred and the door was not locked. 
 
 Governor Ford, who had entertained the Prophet in the Executive Man- 
 sion in Springfield, visited the jail next morning. Joseph argued and raged 
 over the injustice of the imprisonment. Ford promised a fair trial. He said 
 that freedom of the press was guaranteed in the Constitution and that no 
 people would stand for wanton destruction of that right. The Governor told 
 the Smiths that he was going to investigate conditions in Nauvoo for himself 
 and expected to locate counterfeit money which the Mormons allegedly 
 made in large quantities. 
 
 The Governor was a weak and vacillating man. He had a problem on 
 his hands and did not know how to solve it. He knew that Smith's enemies 
 haunted Carthage. He knew that the anti-Mormons of Hancock and adjoin- 
 ing counties had been worked into a feverish pitch of excitement by the de- 
 struction of the "Nauvoo Expositor." When he marched off with the militia 
 to make a show of power in Nauvoo, he signed the Smiths' death warrant. 
 
 Enroute to Nauvoo he changed his mind about over-awing the Mormons 
 with a display of military power. At Golden's Point, designated rendezvous, 
 he ordered the members of the McDonough County militia to return home, 
 
 Graves of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Emma Smith Bidamon 
 
 " '«« 
 
 EMMA. 
 
 i ri i 
 
 RCIJNITCfRRt P 
 
 %3- 13 «r* i - r 1 i 
 
 *YHfc_ 
 
 OAN 20,19 2 
 
 
 -.-'■- ;M:: : 0!0m 
 
and sent the same word to the Warsaw forces. 
 
 Back in the Carthage jail, the prisoners and their friends, Willard Rich- 
 ards and John Taylor, tried to keep comfortable in the hot, stuffy quarters. 
 Joseph sensed their acute danger and dispatched a note to Nauvoo, order- 
 ing the Legion to equip itself with privately owned arms and rush to the out- 
 skirts of Carthage. The note was undelivered. 
 
 Governor Ford arrived in Nauvoo, made a brief speech on the sacred 
 qualities of the law, and hurried back toward Carthage. He realized that he 
 had left the prisoners virtually unprotected. What if they should be mur- 
 dered? Might not there be a Mormon uprising, and might not the death of 
 the Prophet be avenged with the blood of the Governor? 
 
 Meantime the Warsaw troops divided. Under the advice of Dr. Charles 
 Hay, the more peaceful went home. The fiery zeal and eloquence of Editor 
 Sharp lashed the rest toward Carthage. 
 
 In the jail, Joseph, Hyrum, Richards, and Taylor talked and slaked their 
 thirst with cool wine. At Joseph's request, Taylor sang a hymn. His voice 
 was doleful and low. Suddenly he stopped short, paralyzed by activities out- 
 side the jail. Men and boys, their faces stained black, yellow, and red, were 
 creeping single file toward the building. They broke into a run. Whooping 
 and shouting, they surrounded the jail. The small detachment! of Carthage 
 Grays aimed high, fired a few volleys, and beat a hasty retreat. Reinforce- 
 ments did not arrive for several-' minutes. Savage, lusting for violence, the 
 mobsters stormed the jail and made for the stairs. Bullets crashed through 
 the door which the Prophet could not lock. Shots sang through the open win- 
 dows. Joseph coolly stood by the slightly opened door. Three times his pis- 
 tol smoked. The mob halted. 
 
 A bullet bored through the wooden door and struck Hyrum in the nose. 
 As he slumped, another bullet caught him through the heart. 
 "I am dead," he sobbed as he fell. 
 
 Joseph and Taylor made for the windows. A bullet caught Taylor. He 
 sank to the floor. As he crawled toward a bed, two more bullets struck him. 
 The Prophet looked out of the window, guns cracked, his body hurtled 
 through the air and struck the curb of the jail yard' well. 
 
 Joseph Smith, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator was dead. As preparations 
 were made to remove his body, a cannon boomed nearby and was answered 
 by a second cannon in the distance. 
 
 Boom — boom — knell of doom — the people all over Hancock County and 
 those across the river knew that the Prophet was dead. Steamboat whistles 
 splintered the air, mill whistles screamed, and the bells clanged to spread the 
 news. Groups gathered in the streets to celebrate. Then the bravery of the 
 mob wore off. The Warsaw crowd set off for home as fast as it could march. 
 Frightened men, women, and children of Carthage saddled or harnessed 
 horses and galloped to Henderson and McDonough Counties. Blood might 
 be avenged in blood. 
 
 The bodies of the Prophet and the Patriarch, and Taylor, still alive, de- 
 spite his wounds, were carried to the Hamilton House. Richards sent word 
 to Nauvoo for the people to do nothing rash. Governor Ford, crazed with 
 fear, promised that the full force of the State would be mobilized to bring 
 the murderers to justice. Then he set out for Quincy as fast as his horse 
 
 (25) 
 
could gallop, pursued the entire way, he imagined, by vengeance bent Mor- 
 mons. 
 
 The bodies of the Smiths were taken to Nauvoo the next day. An hon- 
 or guard of the Nauvoo Legion escorted the cortege through the city. Muf- 
 fled drums sounded mournfully through the streets. At last the bodies of the 
 martyred Saints were buried not far from the Mississippi. 
 
 IV 
 
 The Mormons were demoralized. Gradually the mobsters returned to 
 their homes as it became apparent that no immediate vengeance would take 
 place. What would be the future of the Church? The leaders were away, the 
 Temple not yet completed, and the Prophet dead. 
 
 Sidney Rigdon was the first man to reach Nauvoo after the murders. 
 He made plans to become the Saints new leader. John C. Bennett, former 
 mayor, wrote to inquire if he had any chance to succeed Joseph. There was 
 much talk and speculation. Then Brigham Young, the Lion of the Lord, 
 came home. 
 
 The Saints gathered in the Temple Grove. No longer were they a cheer- 
 ful, contented lot. Suffering, grief, and fear marked their faces. What of the 
 future? Brigham, bellowing into the teeth of a gusty wind, swayed the multi- 
 tude. Cries of "Amen" and "Hosannah" filled the air. Brigham proclaimed 
 that the properly constituted body to guide the church, until the Lord pro- 
 vided another Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, was the Quorum of Twelve. He 
 was its President. When Brigham finished speaking, hope lighted the faces 
 of the Saints. Brigham grew in stature in their eyes until he seemed as tall 
 as Joseph. Although not as handsome or charming as the beloved Prophet, 
 he had a look of power and courage. Henceforth he was to be the leader! 
 
 Emma Smith took no part in the proceedings. From the time of Joseph's 
 death until his son became president of the Reorganized Church, Emma had 
 little to do with Mormonism. Seme time after Joseph's death, she married 
 Major L. C. Bidamon, a non-Mormon. They ran the hotel profitably for many 
 years. 
 
 Sidney Rigdon proved to be a nuisance; so Brigham read him out of the 
 Church and "handed him over to Satan to be buffeted for a thousand years." 
 Many Mormons renounced the Church and left Nauvoo. 
 
 Hancock County was no more peaceful after the Prophet's murder than 
 it had been before. Gentile and Mormon could not get along together. A 
 school house at Green Plains, south of Warsaw, was fired upon by Mormons 
 (so said the anti-Mormons) and this set the 1 mobsters to riding through the 
 night to pillage, plunder, and burn Mormon property. Terror raged through 
 the county. Homeless, fear-tortured Mormons fled to shelter in Nauvoo. 
 Many murders were committed. Neither Mormon or anti-Mormon knew when 
 he went to bed if he would ever see the sun again. 
 
 Committees met in Quincy and in many other towns to draft notes to 
 the Mormon leader, Brigham Young. Governor Ford sent Judge Stephen A. 
 Douglas, General John J. Hardin, Major W. B. Warren, and Attorney Gen- 
 eral T. A. McD'ougal to Hancock County to end the lawlessness. There was 
 peace for a short time. 
 
 At last the pressure became too great and Brigham Young agreed in 
 
 (26) 
 
Brigham Young - , 
 
 in the days at Nauvoo 
 
 September that if the Gentiles would cooperate with the Mormons in trad- 
 ing land for cattle, oxen, wagons, and other supplies, he would lead his peo- 
 ple out of the State of Illinois. 
 
 Once more Nauvoo hummed witrv industry, but it was not the joyous, 
 happy work of creating a city where once had been a swamp. Grim men in 
 every shop and warehouse were making wagons, harness, and equipment for 
 the coming journey. Jonathan Browning and his helpers busily made .and re- 
 paired guns and pistols so that every family might be armed. 
 
 At last the pressure became too great and Brigham Young agreed in 
 busy day and night performing baptisms and conferring endowments. All 
 had to be re-baptized at the Temple before leaving Nauvoo. All the horses, 
 cattle, and sheep available were brought to Nauvoo. The first wagons 
 crossed the ice of the Mississippi to Iowa, February 4, 1846. Slowly the wa- 
 gon trains set out. By mid-summer about 1600 persons had left Nauvoo and 
 were camped near Montrose, Iowa, or strung out in the wake of Brigham's 
 lead-off party. 
 
 Many followed Brigham to Utah. Others scattered. Some renounced 
 Mormonism. Many remained faithful to the Smiths and later became fol- 
 lowers of the Prophet's son. The anti-Mormons could hardly believe that the 
 Saints were leaving. Yet many remained in Nauvoo on some pretext or oth- 
 er. Some were too old or too ill to travel. Others had to look after proper- 
 ty until disposals were made. A year passed, and there were still many Mor- 
 mons in Nauvoo. "Get them out before election," became the cry. Armed 
 men went to Nauvoo. Brief encounters took place for several days. The 
 Mormons were hopelessly outnumbered; so the Mormon War ended quickly. 
 The mobsters drove the last of the followers of Joseph forth from the city. 
 
 (27) 
 
Nauvoo — the beautiful — pride of the western frontier fell into decay. 
 
 Gone were an industrious, frugal, thrifty people. Gone to build up a mighty 
 
 city in the mountains of Utah. Zealous believers in the faith they professed, 
 
 thousands turned their backs on the comforts of civilized Nauvoo to follow 
 
 Brigham into the setting sun. Across the vast, arid expanses of the western 
 
 country, this weather-beaten yet fearless crowd of men, women, and children 
 
 journeyed. Persecutions, hardships, suffering had been their lot — but faith 
 
 overcomes all things. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Westward they plodded to make the first permanent Anglo-Saxon set- 
 tlement between the Rockies and; the Pacific, to introduce the practice of 
 irrigation in the arid wastes, to be the first white settlers in the Great Ameri- 
 can desert. Some to sail by sea from New York to colonize the little Span- 
 ish town of Yerba Buena — San Francisco. To be the first to. establish per- 
 manent settlements in northern Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho. To col- 
 onize San Bernardino and San Diego, California. 
 
 Monument commemorating the organization of the National Woman's Relief Society 
 
 (28) 
 
Ferry to Montrose, 
 
 On that winding- strand of the "Mississiip," 
 At the big-, broad bend where the waters dip, 
 On the hill and flat stand the houses old — 
 What a wondrous tale they can still unfold — - 
 And they beckon welcome to you and you 
 From that friendly city of old Nauvoo. 
 
 Looking at 'Nauvoo from the Iowa shore 
 
 (29) 
 
The Icarian Experiment 
 
 BY WILL GRIFFITH 
 
 OFTEN we have heard the saying, "There is nothing new under the sun." 
 While this may be slightly exaggerated, it is, in the main, true. Today 
 the world is experimenting in many countries and climes with new modes and 
 methods of government. That is, they dre called new. In reality they are old. 
 Old as history, almost. Perhaps put forth under a new name, but in all es- 
 sential points something that has been tried many times in the past. 
 
 Communism and socialism Qre, to many people, products of modern 
 thought. That is an error. They have been tried many times in many places 
 under many names. With always the same ultimate result. 
 
 In far off sunny France in 1847, one, Etienne Cabet, was organizing a 
 band of his followers, believers in his communistic ideas, to leave their home- 
 land, to come to America to prove the practicability of his ideas. 
 
 Cabet, in France, had been involved with numerous revolutionary orga- 
 nizations. Louis Philippe was the ruler of the country. Cabet, along with his 
 friends, felt that the common people did not have sufficient voice in the 
 government nor enough opportunities to enjoy the fruits of their labors. Fol- 
 lowing an outbreak at Paris, on the occasion of the funeral of General La- 
 marque in 1 1832, Cabet, who, by that time, had been elected to a seat in 
 the national House of Deputies, was given a choice by the government (on 
 account of his revolutionary preachments) of two years in prison or five 
 years of banishment. He chose the latter and sought refuge in England. 
 During his five year stay in the land of the British, Cabet studied and medi- 
 tated over the plight of the poorer classes and ultimately became a true 
 communist. 
 
 Re-admitted to France, in 1839, he published, in 1840, a book of six 
 hundred pages entitled, "A Voyage to Icaria." In this volume, he told of a 
 mythical country in some far off isolated land where one, Icar, had, in 1782, 
 led a reformation movement that resulted in the ideal country, run by an 
 ideal form of government, and peopled with citizens leading ideal lives. 
 Completely communistic, Icaria was the land of milk and honey, a Utopia, in 
 short, the spot long sought but, up to that time, undiscovered. 
 
 France was ripe for such propaganda; the people disturbed, the coun- 
 try in a state of unrest, taxes high, the common people ruled by autocratic 
 officials and prosperity not even "around. 1 the corner." Cabet followed his 
 book with the issuance of a journal and a couple of years later started publi- 
 cation of an almanac. All these preached his theory of communism. 
 As he progressed in his work, he became, running true to form, 
 more radical in his views. Among other expressions was one that claimed 
 that the mission of Jesus was to proclaim social equality among men and 
 that Christ was the greatest teacher of communism ever to preach upon this 
 earth. 
 
 In May, 1847, Cabet's journal, the "Populair," announced plans for an 
 immigration to "Icaria." There seems to be no doubf that, at first, he did 
 
 (30) 
 
not plan nor even consider the formation of a communistic colony, but con- 
 tinued persecutions and the growing menace of he knew not what, in the 
 troubled state of France, led him, step by step, to the resolution that brought 
 about this interesting and illuminating chapter in the life of Hancock Coun- 
 ty, Illinois. 
 
 His first announcement stated that a year would be needed for prepa- 
 ration, but the people who were his followers were so eager and anxious to 
 start that the time for departure was advanced. There was a state of unrest 
 throughout the world, an era of trials, of new orders, a time for the idealists 
 to cash in on the mental disturbances of the people. Robert Dale Owen 
 had a somewhat similar project at New Harmony, Indiana; Hawthorne, Dana, 
 Margaret Fuller, Channing, and Ripley were trying their Brook Farm experi- 
 ment in New England; the Zoarite settlement in Ohio and the Rappist com- 
 munity in Pennsylvania seemingly were flourishing. It appears beyond any 
 chance of dispute that Cabet was directed by Robert Owen to the location 
 he proclaimed as his selection in the New World. Official announcements 
 stated that northeastern Texas offered the most advantages in climate, area, 
 soil fertility, and many other inducements. One million acres were obtained 
 by the Icarians. 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 Icarian Apartment House, Nauvoo 
 
 Early in 1849, Cabet reached this country with the last of his followers 
 which brought the total of the communists under his orders in America to 
 480. The Texas effort had not been a success. The million acres, they had 
 been led to believe would be theirs, had, in reality, been dependent upon 
 the erection and occupancy of a house upon each half section within a speci- 
 fied time. At the expiration of this period, it was found the Icarians had, by 
 great effort and labor, erected thirty-two log cabins which gave them 10,240 
 acres. The balance of the million acres could be purchased by them for one 
 dollar an acre. Moreover this acreage was not contiguous as expected. The 
 half sections alloted to the Icarians for colonization were scattered over a 
 million acres, with a checker-board effect. This arrangement effectively 
 barred common dining rooms, community kitchens, and the true communis- 
 
 (31) 
 
tic life that had been planned. 
 
 The soil of Texas was entirely different from that they had known in 
 France. They could not handle the western land successfully. By March, 1849, 
 it was decided to abandon the Texas location. There were not enough funds 
 in the common treasury to carry the immigrants through the two years that 
 would be required to get the Texas land in shape to support them. Upon the 
 decision to abandon the Texas site, 200 of the band withdrew and returned 
 to France. The balance voted to seek another location and there put into 
 effect their idea of life. 
 
 Shortly before this debacle in Texas, the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, 
 Illinois, had ended. Here was a providentially ready-made haven for the 
 Icarians. They journeyed from the mouth of the Mississippi, up the river, to 
 Nauvoo. They found homes ready for occupancy with but little cost to ob- 
 tain. Here were storerooms and factories ready with very little expenditure 
 necessary. The Mormons had neither the time nor the opportunity to dis- 
 pose of their holdings at anything like true worth. Fertile land lay around 
 the town in an advanced state of cultivation. Certainly if communism could 
 succeed any place, it must under these starting conditions. 
 
 The Icarians were different from the Mormons. Where the Mormons 
 had stressed religion, the Icarians did just the opposite. They had no estab- 
 lished church — no compulsory religion. Most of the other societies that have 
 attempted planned living have been organized on a religious basis. This 
 group disdained any set religious obligation. 
 
 In Cabet's plan the life of the company was absolutely communistic. 
 The children were reared under the communistic system. They were taken 
 when young, put in charge of nurses and teachers, and taught to love 
 all persons through good will. Husband and wife had a private home or 
 rooms in a lodging house, but the children lived in public buildings and 
 the schools, allowed only a part of their Sundays in the homes of their 
 parents. The children were the common property of the commune. Sep- 
 arate schools were maintained for the boys and girls. The children were 
 reared morally. The entire commune, that at first grew rapidly, ate in 
 the community dining hall. It seated 1200 people, having 120 tables, 
 seating ten persons each. The food was conveyed from the community 
 kitchens into the dining hall and to the tables by a sort of miniature rail- 
 road. 
 
 Whatever the work that needed to be done, workers were assigned 
 to do it without regard to qualifications or desires. Artists plowed the 
 fields, sculptors labored in the distillery, cabinet makers worked in the 
 vineyards. A talented fresco painter was put to digging coal, a noted 
 French railway construction engineer was placed in charge of the wheezy 
 engine of! the flour mill while a former army officer, wearer of the Legion 
 of Honor, and a physician, graduate of two German universities, served 
 the community as wood-choppers. 
 
 An attempt was made to rebuild and rehabilitate the Mormon 
 Temple which the Icarians had bought for $1,000. While the work was 
 under way, a tornado completely wrecked the ruins, the stone walls fall- 
 ing to the ground. The .project was abandoned. Stones from the Temple 
 were used, to build the school house, this structure still standing today. 
 
 (32) 
 
The Icarians bought a distillery and began to manufacture whiskey. 
 They planted vineyards around the town, and in the course of time, 
 manufactured wine. The whiskey was made to sell at a profit to others, 
 the wine to drink themselves. 
 
 As will happen in all such idealistic movements, dissention and dis- 
 cord came into being. In France, before sailing for the Icarian commun- 
 ity in America, each and every member of the band was required to sign 
 the "Icarian Engagement" to be in effect for ten years. This was a pledge, 
 among other things, to accept Cabet as a leader and dictator for that 
 period. At first all were satisfied. Then, as time passed, ambition crept in, 
 then jealousy took over from ambition, and dissention appeared. Some 
 did not approve of Cabet's rule. In common' with all dictators, Cabet, ap- 
 parently, could not stand the power entrusted to him. He became more 
 intolerant, more fanatical. Personal apparel had to be the same through- 
 out the commune. All were required to dress simply. No trinkets nor jew- 
 elry were permitted. Even keepsakes and relics from the old country 
 were barred. There could be no distinction among members. All must 
 share evenly in everything. 
 
 With each succeeding month more dissatisfaction flared. In time, the 
 discontented became in the majority. Cabet was unseated as dictator and 
 a friend of his, Gerard, chosen in his place. Gerard arranged to resign 
 and to have Cabet restored to his post. The overthrow of the ten year 
 reign came about midway of the span and with arrangements in regard 
 to Cabet taking the place of Gerard, the] term was reduced to one year. 
 This arrangement lasted only for a few months, resulting in a division of 
 the commune into two sections or parties. The followers of Cabet were 
 in the minority. Tempers became ragged, feuds sprang up, the end 
 was close at hand. Cabet and his followers were forced to live on the 
 dole of the majority. In a short time, he and his most loyal followers were 
 expelled from the community. 
 
 Icaria was disintegrating. The former leader, with about 180 follow- 
 ers, left' Nauvoo to settle at Cheltenham, Missouri, near St. Louis. Cabet 
 expected to found another communistic state there, but the strain had 
 been too great. He died in a few days from a stroke of apoplexy, Novem- 
 ber 8, 1856. Most of the other faction left Nauvoo, crossed the Mis- 
 sissippi River, and re-established themselves in Iowa between the present- 
 day towns of Corning and Creston. In this new environment, under new 
 and different leaders, the communistic plan again proved to be unwork- 
 able and impractical. 
 
 Thus ends the story of the Icarians. An ideal, started with great 
 promise, ended in failure and death. Cabet died in almost poverty. So- 
 cialist, communist, idealist, poet, dreamer, lover of his fellow men, he was 
 unable to accomplish his dreams. He could not overcome the funda- 
 mental nature of man. 
 
 The fault was not with the people, the error was that of the system. 
 Quite a number of the Icarians declined to leave Nauvoo with either of 
 the groups and remained in Hancock County. Their descendants give 
 evidence that all that was at fault was the plan of Cabet. He is, today, 
 an almost forgotten man, his work a failure, wrecked on the rock of hu- 
 man nature. 
 
 (33) 
 
Sights and Sites 
 
 NAUVOO has no street signs. The names of the streets have been 
 changed, in many instances, from those of the Mormon days, but 
 some of the residents still use the old names. The points of interest have 
 been numbered and marked with signs. Location of these places can be 
 found by the use of the map. Highway 96 makes a right-angled turn 
 just below St. Mary's Convent. From this, point a visitor can locate easily 
 the places shown on the map and described here. 
 
 1. JOSEPH SM'ITH HOMESTEAD. The original log cabin which Joseph 
 Smith occupied upon coming to Nauvoo is the oldest house now standing 
 in Nauvoo. The left wing and part of the rear of the house have been 
 added to the initial cabin. The building houses a museum and is a shrine 
 to the Prophet. 
 
 2. GRAVES OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM SMITH AND EMMA SMITH 
 BIDAMON. In an enclosed area lie the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum 
 Smith and Joseph's widow, Emma Smith Bidamon, interred in a tri-part 
 crypt. In January, 1928, the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum were found. 
 Their graves had been kept secret for fear of molestation. Within the en- 
 closed area are two limestone blocks, bases of Temple pilasters, gifts of 
 Emile J. Baxter. 
 
 3. MANSION HOUSE. Joseph Smith's home from 1843 to his death. The 
 interior is practically the same as during his occupancy. Copies of the 
 "Times and Seasons," "Doctrines and Covenant," foreign editions of the 
 "Bbok of Mormon," the desk used by the Prophet and other relics of the 
 Mormon days are on exhibition. As built by Joseph Smith, the house had 
 twenty-two rooms. It was not weather-boarded. Many of the original 
 panes of window glass are still in use, as well as the door sills and window 
 frames. 
 
 4. NAUVOO HOUSE. Building started on this structure by Joseph Smith 
 in 1841 but never completed. It was intended to be a guest house for the 
 many visitors that came to see him. Planned to be 120 feet x 40 feet with 
 an ell of the same dimensions to extend at right angles along the river 
 bank, it was completed as it now stands by L. C. Bidamon, husband of 
 Joseph Smith's widow. The foundation as planned is still standing on the 
 street side. (Headquarters for guide service for tour of the Mormon 
 dwellings.) 
 
 5. NATIONAL WOMAN'S RELIEF SOCIETY MARKER. This monument 
 commemmorates the organization in I 842 of the society, one of the oldest 
 such organizations in the United States that has had a continuous 
 existence. It marks the beginning of the Utah Trail. 
 
 6. SITE OF JOSEPH SMITH'S STORE. The head of the church and the 
 mayor of] Nauvoo, Joseph Smith, also operated a general store. The foun- 
 dation stones can still be seen. 
 
 (34) 
 
7. WILLIAM MARKS HOUSE (private). Marks was president of the 
 Nauvoo Stake of Zion. 
 
 8. SITE OF THE HYRUM SMITH HOUSE. Only a few stones remain to 
 show where stood the home of the Patriarch, Hyrum Smith. 
 
 9. SITE OF THE FIRST "TIMES AND SEASONS" BUILDING. Until 1845, 
 the Mormon newspaper was printed here. Only a few foundation stones 
 remain. 
 
 10. ORSON PRATT HOUSE. Pratt was one of the original Quorum of 
 Twelve Apostles of the Mormon church and, with Erastus Snow, the first to 
 
 enter Salt Lake Valley on the westward march of the Mormons. 
 
 11. SIDNEY RIGDON HOUSE (private). This was the first postoffice in 
 Nauvoo. 
 
 12. FIRST HOTEL IN NAUVOO (private). Part of the hotel is incorporated 
 in the two-story frame house. 
 
 13. SITE OF THE MATCH AND POWDER FACTORY. 
 
 14. SITE OF HALL OF THE SEVENTIES. 
 
 15. BRIGHAM YOUNG HOUSE (private). 
 
 16. THE SECOND "TIMES AND SEASONS" BUILDING. 
 
 17. ALMON BABBITT HOUSE. Babbitt served as trustee for the Church, 
 remaining in Nauvoo, after the banishment of the Mormons, to liquidate as 
 much as possible of their holdings. 
 
 18. JOHN TAYLOR HOUSE. Taylor, editor of the "Times and Seasons," 
 was with Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the Carthage jail at the time the two 
 Smiths were killed. After the death of Brigham Young, Taylor became presi- 
 dent of the Utah church. 
 
 19. JONATHAN BROWNING HOUSE. In preparation for the westward 
 migration of the Mormons from Nauvoo, Brigham Young had Browning make 
 and repair guns and firearms for the Mormons. Browning's son later invented 
 the Browning machine gun, used for many years by the United States Army. 
 
 20. CHURCH BUILDING OF THE REORGANIZED CHURCH OF JESUS 
 CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS. Headquarters of this organization are 
 at Independence, Missouri, with Dr. Frederick M. Smith, grandson of Joseph 
 Smith, as president. 
 
 21. THE MASONIC HALL (private). Originally of three stories, the third 
 story was removed upon remodeling. Here met the Nauvoo Lodge of which 
 Joseph Smith was a member. At that time it was the largest Masonic body 
 in the state of Illinois, with 283 members. 
 
 22. ORSON HYDE HOUSE (private). One of the Quorum of Twelve Apos- 
 tles of the Mormon church, Hyde initiated its missionary work in England. 
 
 (35) 
 
23. LUCY MACK SMITH HOUSE (private). Home of the mother of Joseph 
 Smith. 
 
 24. ERASTUS SNOW HOUSE (private). Lorenzo Snow is believed to have 
 occupied half of this house. He was one of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles 
 of the Mormon church and became, in 1898, the fifth president of the Utah 
 Church. 
 
 25. JOHN SMITH HOUSE (private). Home of the uncle of Joseph Smith. 
 
 26. LORIN FARR HOUSE (private). At Nauvoo, Farr taught the children 
 of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, and many others, and was 
 president of the Council of the Seventies. He: was one of the founders of 
 Ogden, Utah, and the first mayor of that city. 
 
 27. HEBER C. KIMBALL HOUSE (private). This house had a look-out plat- 
 form for observation up and down the river. Kimball was one of the Quor- 
 um of the Twelve Apostles at Nauvoo and later Lieutenant-Governor of Des- 
 eret, before its organization as the territory of Utah. 
 
 28. W1LFORD WOODRUFF HOUSE (private). Woodruff was one of the 
 Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at Nauvoo and later was the fourth presi- 
 dent of the Utah Church. His proclamation issued September 25, 1890, in- 
 structed the Latter Day Saints to abandon the practice of polygamy and to 
 obey the laws of the United States. His act brought peace between the 
 Mormons and the Federal Government. He took part in the dedication of the 
 Temple at Nauvoo and of the Temple at Salt Lake City, Utah. 
 
 29. ST. MARY'S CONVENT. Convent of the Benedictine Sisters. 
 
 30. ST. MARY'S ACADEMY. Catholic boarding school for girls. The small 
 stone building at the resr once served as the arsenal for the Nauvoo Legion. 
 A shrine to St. Mary is at the north end of the campus. 
 
 31. SITE OF THE NAUVOO TEMPLE. 
 
 32. SS. PETER AND PAUL SCHOOL. Biuilt of stone from the Mormon 
 Temple by the Icarians and now owned by the Catholic church. 
 
 33. TWO ICARIAN APARTMENT HOUSES (private). 
 
 34. SITE OF THE ICARIAN MEETING HALL. Burned 1938. 
 
 35. NAUVOO HOTEL. Many Mormon relics, including Joseph Smith's bed 
 and other furniture owned by the Prophet. 
 
 36. JOSEPH AGNEW HOUSE (private). The residence, according to tradi- 
 tion, of the youth who set fire to the Mormon Temple. 
 
 37. WINE CELLAR (apply at adjoining house). One of the original wine 
 cellars built after the introduction of wine making into Nauvoo. 
 
 38. AMERICAN LEGION HALL. Built in 1853 entirely of stone from the 
 Mormon Temple. 
 
 39. GEM CITY VINELAND CO. Wines, grape juice, etc. 
 
 40. NAUVOO MILK PRODUCTS CO. Makers of Nauvoo Blue Cheese. 
 
 41. FERRY to Montrose, Iowa. 
 
 (36) 
 
IS 
 
 H1N331N3A3S 
 
 U U UiU 1st 
 
 US I H1N33 1 H0I3 
 
 OQ'DC 
 
 I3A3S 
 
 [ 
 
 11XIS 
 
 DDDDC 
 
 ijju 
 
 c 
 
 = M <v v 
 
 ,S«2 rn 
 
 bfi3> 
 
 :§w 
 
 NH-t 
 
 tJOC 
 
 HiN33ianoj 
 
 ODD 
 
 ^MwOMfewwPQai^i-sh-stf^Ot-ll 
 
 (NOOloSOf-OOOJSr-KNffOTt* 
 
 
 DiD 
 
 annn 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 C\» CM 
 CM 
 
 
 
 
 IT) 
 CM 
 
 ■is 
 
 is 
 
 IS 
 
UNUSUAL 
 
 "BUSINESS AS USUAL" 
 
 NAUVOO is not a town living in the past, nor does it depend upon that 
 past for livelihood. It is proud of its historic past. It is just as proud of 
 its self-sustaining present. In addition to the usual businesses of a town of its 
 size, Nauvoo has several more or less unusual ones. 
 
 If you want a glass of cold grape juice or tangy wine, a bite of cave-aged 
 cheese, a case of delicious berries, a basket of luscious colorful grapes, a 
 bushel of apples or peors, instructions in airplane handling, or, just the quiet 
 enjoyment of genuine antiques — you have only to hop into your car and drive 
 over good concrete highways to Nauvoo, Illinois. You will find all these and 
 many more items of interest. 
 
 An airplane ride over Nauvoo, will show the city is built on a slowly 
 rising bluff surrounded by the river on practically three sides. This naturally 
 would give good air drainage to the growing crops — the foresight of the 
 early settlers.. In Nauvoo, the hillsides are covered with vineyards. It was 
 back in 1851 that Father J. C. Alleman brought grape vines to Nauvoo. To- 
 day the bell hanging in the belfrey of SS. Peter and Paul Church, symbolizes 
 ihis important industry of the community. The bell is beautifully embossed 
 with grape vines and clusters of that fruit. Father Alleman brought this bell 
 to Nauvoo about ninety years ago. 
 
 Maybe you like qrape jelly on your morning toast. Many housewVes of 
 the Nauvoo community make pin money selling jellies. If you desire wine to 
 
 Vineyard Scene, Nauvoo 
 
 \.,^ '■% /: * . tt 
 
 '■: ... 
 
 (38: 
 

 
 
 Within a curing cave of Nauvoo JJlue Cheese 
 
 drink you'll find thousands of gallons are made annually. Some kind will suit 
 your palate as the independent wineries make Riesling, Ives, Catawba, Con- 
 cord, and Norton — a port type wine. Grape juice, of course, is made from 
 those luscious dark blue grapes. 
 
 Emil Baxter, a director of the Icarian movement, started the first winery 
 in Nauvoo in 1857. His descendants have remained in the business. Along 
 with time, methods of production have changed materially. In place of little 
 one-horse plows and knapsack sprayers seen years ago, today, you will see 
 tractors with various cultivating attachments and sprayers, pulled with trac- 
 tors, spraying two full rows in one operation. Today the Baxters &re the larg- 
 est independent growers in Nauvoo. 
 
 Nauvoo boasts the greatest diversified fruit interests in Illinois. No mat- 
 ter what ycur tastes, you will find a seasonable fruit you like: strawberries, 
 raspberries, boysenberries, blackberries, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, 
 apples, pears, and those ever-present dark blue grapes. Many hundreds of 
 people dre employed during the harvest season. It is estimated over 1203 
 cars are produced annually with shipments of two-thirds of that amount going 
 out by truck and rail. A generation or two ago, you would have seen at the 
 river docks, barrels and barrels of wine to be loaded, weekly, for distant mar- 
 kets. Today all wines produced dre packed in grape design glassware, beau- 
 tifully labeled. 
 
 The Leonard J. Schrader School of Aeronautics gives flying instruction. 
 Either pleasure or transport flying is taught, classroom work being combined 
 with practical flying experience. One of the most beautiful scenic views in 
 Hancock County is the vista spreading out below the Schrader airport, two 
 miles south of town on a plateau overlooking the Mississippi River. 
 
 (39) 
 
Cheese lovers are interested in the Nauvoo Milk Products Company. 
 Nauvoo is one ot the few spots in the United States that produces a Roque- 
 fort type cheese. The factory and caves for curing are located in the town 
 proper. Milk is received from nearby farms each morning. The curds, to 
 which has been added a pure mold culture, are put into hoops to form the 
 cheese. These are placed on racks in the curing caves and allowed to cure for 
 a period of approximately ninety days. Cheese are taken from caves, washed 
 in clear water, wrapped in tin foil and parchment and placed in wooden cas- 
 es, six cheese per case, then sent to cold storage for an additional period of 
 mellowing of about two months. The product is then ready for sale. 
 
 Nauvoo Blue Cheese is quite noted for its fine peppery flavor so char- 
 acteristic of blue-veined cheeses. Its fame is spreading rapidly over the 
 country. Charles B. Driscoll in his newspaper column "New York Day by 
 Day" gives Nauvoo Blue Cheese his heartiest recommendation, saying "this 
 is a tastier cheese than we used to get from the caves around Roquefort, in 
 France." 
 
 On Highway 96 on the "flat" is Layton Lodge. Here Captain and Mrs. 
 Layton display their handicraft in shells. Each winter the Laytons spend their 
 time in Florida catching the various shell fish that furnish them with the beau- 
 tiful shells they use in creating their unique dolls and ornaments. 
 
 One of the most important industries in this country is that of produc- 
 ing future citizens. The schools of America are its foundries of character. 
 St. Mary's Academy, conducted by the Benedictine Sisters, offers a grade 
 and high school course for girls. Enrollment shows students from eleven 
 states. Founded in 1874 this school has continued through the years serving 
 its students, church, and country. St. Mary's is ideally situated on the bluffs 
 overlooking the Mississippi River and its beautiful valley. 
 
 View of St. Mary's Academy 
 
 1 P fl * 
 
Bell of SS. Peter and Paul Chureh cast in St. Louis by Fr. Mayer in 1852. 
 
 GRAPE FESTIVAL 
 
 EACH year, starting on the Friday of the second week in September, and 
 continuing for three days, Nauvoo holds its Grape Festival. 
 
 Each evening the ceremony of the Wedding of the Wine and the 
 Cheese is held. Nauvod is the only place in the United States where this 
 unique fete can be observed. The program is patterned after those of a 
 similar nature held for centuries in Southern France. 
 
 A Grape Queen is crowned, conducted tours are made to all the histor- 
 ic Mormon places, bands play, a festival spirit is rife, entertainment is 
 plentiful. 
 
 There are tours of the wine cellars, displays of grapes and fruits, grape 
 juice and wine booths — a profusion of colorful taste-stimulating products of 
 the orchard and vineyard. 
 
 Here are three full days and nights of entertainment in the most unique 
 rown in the Mississippi valley. 
 
 Many other places of interest to the visitor are to be found in neigh- 
 boring cities and towns. Among them are the following: 
 
 ILLINOIS 
 
 Carthage — County seat of Hancock County. The old jail, in which 
 Joseph and Hyrum Smith were in custody at the time of their assassination, 
 is open to the public. Carthage College, a Lutheran institution, is located 
 at the eastern edge of the city. 
 
 Warsaw — Site of Ft. Edwards, marked by granite obelisk. In the town 
 are the two homes of John Hay, statesman, author, and poet. 
 
 Hamilton — The eastern end of the Keokuk-Hamilton dam. 
 
 IOWA 
 
 Keokuk — Statue of Chief Keokuk in Rand Park. Industrial city. 
 Ft. Madison — Iowa State Penitentiary. 
 
 Burlington — Flint Hills State Park. New defense powder plant. 
 
 (41) 
 
BAXTER'S 
 Old Nauvoo Wines 
 
 Produced and bottled by 
 
 GEM CITY VINELAND CO, 
 
 NAUVOO, ILLINOIS 
 
 U. S. Bonded Winery No. 52 
 
 Producers of PURE GRAPE JUICE 
 
 the original flavor of the grapes — pasteurized in the bottle 
 recommended by Doctors and Dieticians for good health. 
 
 NAUVOO WINERY 
 
 Phone 179 Founded in 1857 Nauvoo, Illinois 
 
State Bank of Nauvoo 
 
 Organized 1893 
 
 Capital $100,000.00 
 
 INTEREST PAID ON SAVINGS ACCOUNTS 
 SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES FOR RENT 
 
 Surplus $25,000.00 
 
 Phone 174 
 
 Nauvoo, Illinois 
 
 St. Mary s Academy 
 
 NAUVOO, ILLINOIS 
 Boarding School for Girls of All Ages 
 
 Grade Dept. — Commercial Dept. — High School 
 
 Vocal and Instrumental Music 
 
 Open all Year — Students Received at Any Time. 
 
 Unusual Advantages at Moderate Rates 
 
 Accredited to University of Illinois 
 Conducted by the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict 
 
 Recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education 
 
 Ideally situated in the most beautiful, most healthful 
 part of the Mississipi Valley. 
 
HORTON'S 
 
 Standard Service Station 
 
 Gas, Oils, Batteries, Accessories 
 
 Chassis Lubrication — Greasing and Washing Service 
 
 Tourist Information 
 
 Phone 102 Nauvoo 
 
 THE SWITCH IS ON... 
 
 Cooking's Going Electric in Nauvoo — 
 
 . . CHANGE TO A MODERN ELECTRIC RANGE 
 
 With the New Rate for Cooking, Every one can afford to Cook the 
 TRULY MODERN WAY. A Full Size Electric Range, with Full Au- 
 tomatic Oven, Installed for $69.50. 
 
 Nauvoo Electric Lt. & Pwr. Co. 
 
Nauvoo 
 Blue Cheese 
 
 DRISCOLL in "NEW YORK DAY BY DAY" says . . . 
 
 It's the only Domestic Roquefort as good as the Imported article. 
 
 CAVE CURED 
 
 Order Direct if not handled by Your Dealer. 
 
 Manufactured by 
 
 NAUVOO MILK PRODUCTS CO. 
 
 NAUVOO, ILLINOIS 
 
ROOFING SIDING INSULATION 
 
 WINDOW CALKING 
 
 Complete Job Installed by Experts - Ten Years Experience 
 
 ROO£l'NGS 
 
 USED EXCLUSIVELY 
 Free Estimates Given 
 
 Lloyd C. Hotz Roofing Co. 
 
 Phone 3-216 Nauvoo, 
 
 VISIT THE 
 
 DICKSON MOUND 
 
 Greatest Display of Stone Age Man in the World 
 230 SKELETONS 
 
 LEFT IN ORIGINAL POSITIONS 
 
 * It is impossible to give an adequate picture of what is in store for 
 you at the Dickson Mound. 
 
 * Whether you come to study the excavation, to see one of the 
 most unusual sights this country has to offer, or just to get out into 
 the country for a picnic — you are welcome, and everything possible 
 will be done to make your visit both enjoyable and educational. 
 
 Free parking space and picnic ground, located halfway between 
 Havana and Lewistown, III. 
 
Edward Kemler 
 
 Jeweler & Confectioner 
 
 Home-made Ice Cream — Candy 
 Cigars — School Supplies 
 
 Kodak Supplies 
 
 Souvenirs and Picture Postcards 
 Phone 123 Nauvoo, III. 
 
 The 3-B STORE 
 
 NAUVOO, ILL. 
 
 A Friendly Store 
 
 Dry Goods 
 
 Groceries 
 
 Souvenirs 
 
 Magic Aladdin 
 Gasoline 
 
 Penn Bond Blue Seal 
 
 Motor Oils 
 
 Blue Seal Tires Blue Seal Batteries 
 FARM BUREAU SUPPLY CO. 
 Crest of the Hill — Nauvoo 
 
 Kraus' Confectionery 
 
 Lunches - Tobaccos - Liquors 
 Beauty Shop and Barber Shop 
 
 BILLIARD PARLOR 
 Phone 232 NAUVOO, ILL. 
 
 BOWLING & BILLIARD PARLOR 
 Phone 58 HAMILTON, ILL. 
 
 Read the 
 
 Nauvoo Independent 
 
 George Deeg, Publisher 
 Established 1873 
 
 Colored and Black & White His- 
 torical Postcards for Souvenirs 
 
 NAUVOO, ILLINOIS 
 
 COME TO NAUVOO 
 
 for Mormon History 
 
 Beautiful Scenery 
 Good Food 
 
 HOTEL NAUVOO 
 
 Phone 164 
 
 Nauvoo, 
 
Wilkens Meat Market 
 
 Lutz Hardware 
 
 
 O. C. LUTZ, Prop. 
 
 Meats and Groceries 
 
 
 Home Killed Meats 
 Home-made Bologna 
 
 Hardware — Stoves — Glass 
 Cutlery — Paint — Wallpaper 
 
 
 Skelgas 
 
 Phone 193 Nauvoo, III. 
 
 Nauvoo, Illinois 
 
 LEWIS Home-made 
 
 Fruit Juices & Jellies 
 
 We Are Not the Biggest — 
 
 But As Good As the Best 
 
 L. H. Lewis — Nauvoo, Illinois 
 
 Nauvoo Monument 
 
 ■ 
 
 Company 
 
 Sold Direct to Consumers 
 Write for Prices 
 
 NAUVOO, ILLINOIS 
 
 ■ 
 
 "Mark Every Grave" 
 
 PURE DELICIOUS HEALTHFUL 
 
 August Lee David Lee 
 
 FOR EXCLUSIVE 
 AND ORIGINAL 
 
 SINCLAIR 
 Service Station 
 
 GIFTS 
 
 Lubrication & Washing 
 
 Visit LAYTON'S 
 Shell-Craft Studio 
 
 John Gobac Nauvoo 
 
 
 Shell Dolls 
 
 The DIME STORE 
 
 Shell Lamps 
 
 
 Card Holders, Nut Cups 
 
 Souvenirs — Notions 
 
 Place Cards and 
 
 
 Place Card Holders 
 
 Nauvoo 
 
I