Nauvoo, IL-Historic Mormon Pilgrimage Site
Last Sunday's excursion was to Nauvoo, Illinois along the Mississippi River. Here, the tumultuous and violent early history of the Mormon religion unfolds. I have traveled to Nauvoo many times before.
It is a complete, restored, historic village replicating the settlement of the early members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. It is sometimes called "Williamsburg of the West." The site is manned by elders and sisters of the faith that travel -mostly from Utah- to volunteer their time for a year or more to explain early American way of life and the history of the Mormon people (with definite hopes of gaining converts).
The current temple stands on the site of the original temple that was destroyed in the 1840's. It is on a hill and faces the Mississippi with sweeping views of the river in both directions. The temple was rebuilt and completed in 2002. At that time I and thousands of others were able to tour the temple before it was officially consecrated and closed to public.
If you are interested in the complete history of Nauvoo you can read here. Suffice it to say that the new religion was not greeted warmly in Illinois. Hiram and Joseph Smith founders of the religion were massacred not far away from Nauvoo in 1844. This initiated a mass exodus from Nauvoo. Thousands packed up almost overnight to travel west by wagon train. They started the journey in early February and traveled for more than 5 months until they reached Salt Lake City. Many lives were lost along the way due to extreme weather and the most difficult of conditions.
There are a number of statues around the very large preservation site (many 100's of acres) that depict the early days of the religion in Nauvoo. Here is Joseph Smith and his brother surveying the progress on the building of the temple before they set off to Carthage, IL where they were massacred by a mob on June 27, 1844.
Scores of reconstructed buildings are in operation to explain the way of life in the early 1800's. Concentration is on the Mormon faith and its beliefs so if you enter one of the restored building be prepared for a religious conversation!
It is a complete, restored, historic village replicating the settlement of the early members of the Church of Latter Day Saints. It is sometimes called "Williamsburg of the West." The site is manned by elders and sisters of the faith that travel -mostly from Utah- to volunteer their time for a year or more to explain early American way of life and the history of the Mormon people (with definite hopes of gaining converts).
The current temple stands on the site of the original temple that was destroyed in the 1840's. It is on a hill and faces the Mississippi with sweeping views of the river in both directions. The temple was rebuilt and completed in 2002. At that time I and thousands of others were able to tour the temple before it was officially consecrated and closed to public.
The clouds seem to form a flying bird in the sky above the temple. A golden Angel Moroni tops the temple.
Inside the Visitor Center you can learn about the history of the birth of the religion . Here God the Father and Son appear to Joseph Smith to inspire him to start a new religion.
A stone from the original temple is preserved in the visitor center.
There are a number of statues around the very large preservation site (many 100's of acres) that depict the early days of the religion in Nauvoo. Here is Joseph Smith and his brother surveying the progress on the building of the temple before they set off to Carthage, IL where they were massacred by a mob on June 27, 1844.
Scores of reconstructed buildings are in operation to explain the way of life in the early 1800's. Concentration is on the Mormon faith and its beliefs so if you enter one of the restored building be prepared for a religious conversation!
One of the many restored homes and shops in Nauvoo. In spring, summer and fall thousands of visitors come here to see living history. It is also a pilgrimage spot for Mormons that come from around the world.
The early founders were big on singing and theater. Here is the rebuilt cultural hall. Every summer, the church puts on big song and dance pageants in outside amphitheaters telling the story of the "Saints".
There is a long path to the river with tablets displayed along the way with diary excerpts from the exodus west. Some entries are tragic, some are celebratory-- all are filled with accounts of hardship and nostalgia for the homes they left behind.
Beautiful views of the Mississippi from all points of the historical site.
Replicating the mass exodus by wagon, the visitors can take a bull cart ride.
My attempt at an "artsy" photo of the temple and sky
Bye for now and stay tuned for more spiritual adventures!
As stated by Stanford Medical, It is indeed the one and ONLY reason this country's women get to live 10 years more and weigh an average of 19 KG lighter than we do.
ReplyDelete(By the way, it is not about genetics or some secret exercise and absolutely EVERYTHING related to "how" they are eating.)
BTW, What I said is "HOW", not "what"...
CLICK on this link to uncover if this quick test can help you find out your real weight loss potential