Imagine Nauvoo in 1847. The prophet has been murdered. The Saints have been expelled. The once bustling and beautiful city of thousands of Saints now stands “desolate” and “deserted.” After the Battle of Nauvoo, three cannons sit abandoned at the entryway to the temple. Their barrels bear down upon the barren City of the Saints,…
Read more
I live in Nauvoo. Yep, it’s called Nauvoo – and no, it’s not Naboo. Once my Uber driver told me I was the first and only person to ever tell him about the small town of Nauvoo. He said he’d met people from EVERYWHERE, but never Nauvoo. And for good reason, the population here is…
Read more
The Camp of the Poor Travel back with me 176 years. The year was 1846. The October morning was cold and biting. Imagine over 600 people camped out right here on this riverbank. They were sick and shivering. They didn’t even have blankets. Food was scarce. They were starving. This group of Saints included the…
Read more
Nauvoo is a magical place in the summer. Suddenly, the main street is crowded. The pioneer village wakes up, stretches its limbs, and begins to dance. Costumed pioneers wave. An orchestra plays. Wagons packed with tourists lumber past. You can almost see it: the ghosts of the past awaken and you capture a glimpse of…
Read more
Memorial Service This summer my family and I participated in a memorial service at Smith Family Cemetery in Historic Nauvoo for the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (June 27, 1844).1 The service included prayer, music, scriptures, and quotes all crafted into a dramatic retelling of that fateful June-day when…
Read more