From the Green Mountains to the Rockies

From the Green Mountains to tKe Rockies By JOHN D. GILES Member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. TRULY "Nauvoo, the beau- tiful," is today just a mem- ory as compared with the city which, in 1 844, was the home of the Prophet Joseph Smith and most of his followers. Neglected, abandoned in sections, merely a shadow of its former self, but still beautiful because of its charming location and its ideal setting in a great horseshoe bend of the Missis- sippi, the city chosen by Joseph Smith as the site of the Temple and the place where the first real attempt of the "Mormons" at colonization was made, is now merely a country village. From the day when Nauvoo was selected as the seat of Church gov- ernment to the day of the martyr- dom, it made rapid and steady progress, and grew from a village of a few homes to one of the larg- est cities in Illinois. It was larger than Chicago at that time and rivaled Springfield, the state cap- ital. TU VER since the martyrdom it has declined. Today it is a town of approximately 1,200 people. With the murder of the (Earlier installments of this travelogue covered important historical places in the states east of Illinois. The last installment ended as we entered Nauvoo in our journey westward.) Prophet and his brother it became apparent that the town was doomed. The terror of those aw- ful days caused many to move away immediately; and two years later the great body of the Saints, under the leadership of Brigham Young, abandoned the city and started across Iowa on the journey that eventually brought them to the Rocky Mountains. In the days of the Prophet, the Temple stood on the hill, over- looking the Mississippi on three sides. To the west the front of the Temple faced the river, whose great bend at this point also brings it to the north and south of the Temple site, making an unusually choice setting and being largely re- sponsible for the title, "Nauvoo, the beautiful." Certainly it would hardly merit that description today were it not for its charming loca- tion. The Temple, the pride of "Mor- mons" and unprejudiced non- "Mormons" alike, is now like the glory and former beauty of the city, but a memory. Nothing re- mains to mark the spot save the old well which supplied water for the baptismal font. Every stone, every bit of evidence that a Temple once occupied the spot has been carried away. No marker, no mon- ument— nothing but grass and weeds. TPON the occasion of our last ^ visit, the Temple site was of- fered for sale. A representative of the owner offered an option (with no payment to bind it) based upon a price of $1,640, the purpose be- ing to resell it to the "Utah Church." Needless to say no op- tion was taken and no sale was made, at least on that basis. Since that time, I am informed, a cottage has been erected on part of the site, indicating that a purchaser was finally found. To contrast the Nauvoo of 1930 effectively with that of 1844, two mental pictures are necessary. The

386 The Improvement Era for April, 1930 first is that of a thriving, prosper- ous city of 20,000 to 25,000 in- habitants, the largest city in that section and the envy of the sur- rounding towns. To say it was a thriving city but states the fact. From all directions people came to Nauvoo, either to join the Saints, learn about them or to trade with them. The city was in many ways a "boom" town and unfortunately attracted many undesirable char- acters, the type always found in the vanguard of new communities. Men having but one purpose, to take advantage of every opportu- nity, fair or foul, to profit from the activity of the city, found their way there. But others came also. From New England, from the Eastern States and from the South came converts who were real pio- neers. From Europe came skilled workmen. BETWEEN Montrose, directly across the river, and Nauvoo there was a steady stream of com- merce carried on by means of ferry boats. With Carthage, the county seat, some twenty miles away, with Quincy, down the river, Burling- ton to, the north and other com- munities, there was considerable commercial intercourse. The city was admirably platted. Main Street, running north and south, with the river as its termi- nus at either end, marked the center of activities. To the east the Temple occupied the highest spot of ground and could be seen from all parts of the city. Near it was the arsenal. In all parts of the city substantial homes were built. To- day, nearly a hundred years later, all the homes shown in the group picture on another page are still standing and, despite the fact that for years little or no effort at up- keep has been made, most of them are in excellent condition. The home of Parley P. Pratt was re- modeled by the sisters of the Catholic church but, because of some financial difficulty, has not since been used. The homes of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow, all of whom later became presidents of the Church, are still standing and are especially pointed out to tourists as the former homes of presidents of the "Mormon" Church. rTTHE cottage used by Joseph Smith as his first home in Nau- voo, near which is the grave of Emma Smith, the Mansion House, the home of the Prophet at the time of the martyrdom, and the Nauvoo House, intended to be used as a hotel but never fully complet- ed, are also still standing. All three are now owned by the "Re- organized" church, title having come down through Emma Smith 'Mormon" and Indian Relics at Nauvoo the Prophet's widow to her sons and finally to the church with which they became affiliated. The Mansion House is used as the res- idence of the presiding elder and is visited by thousands of tourists each year. The cottage and the Nauvoo House are used during the annual reunions of the "Re-organ- ized" church which bring thou- sands of people to Nauvoo. That the buildings erected in the devel- opment of Nauvoo were well-built and substantial has been proved by the fact that nearly a hundred years of service finds them still in use. Now contrast that picture with the view one gets today. The pop- ulation has dwindled to approxi- mately 1,200. Several cities within a radius of a hundred miles are larger and more prosperous. The only commerce of any consequence carried on with surrounding com- munities consists of a generous crop of Concord grapes which are ferried across the river to Montrose and then shipped north and west via the Burlington railroad. '"THE old Main Street is practic- ■*■ ally deserted except at its northern junction with the river, where are located the Mansion House, the Cottage, the Nauvoo House and the public tourist park. Further south only tumble-down buildings indicate where the center of activities was in the early days. The old printing office is rap- idly crumbling away and, be- ing given no care, will soon be obliterated entirely. The street is overgrown with grass and weeds. No effort is made to keep up the streets or property in this section. The present business section, very small in comparison with that of former times, has been shifted to Mulholland street to the south and on the hill, near- er the Temple site. The lower ground, sloping toward the river, formerly the busy part of the city, is now almost en- tirely devoted to grape vine- yards, the growing of grapes being the principal and practic- ally the only industry of the community. With the exodus of the Saints Nauvoo took on a strangely vacant and deserted appearance. The city which had risen so rapidly and had been the scene of such marked

The Improvement Era for April, 1930 387 activity resembled a western min- ing town after the ore had "played out." In 1849, three years after the "Mormons" had left the city, Itienne Cabot, leader of the French Icarian Communists led his fol- lowers to Nauvoo where they took possession of many of the vacant houses and attempted to establish a communistic colony. Among them were many artisans and pro- fessional men. Following the ex- ample of the Saints they established industries and business enterprises. "DUT the plan proved impractical. •^ Dissension arose among them and the formation of small social groups and cliques finally led to the collapse of the movement and Nau- voo was again abandoned. Some of the buildings erected by the Icarians still stand as reminders of their occupancy of the city. Among them are a large apartment house and a school house built of Temple stone. Neglected, dilapidated-looking, except in the newer section, desert- ed entirely in some sections and yet inhabited by people who still look forward to a restoration of the city and a return to its former importance and activity, Nauvoo presents a pathetic picture as it stands today. The Unity Club, in an attractive circular given to visitors to the city, points out the advantages of Nauvoo for indus- trial, commercial and agricultural enterprises. Its attractions are summed up in the circular as fol- lows: "As a suburban town Nau- voo should attract many city dwellers. The beautiful bluffs and sites overlooking the Father of Wa- ters would make ideal places for pretty homes for people who ad- mire beautiful and healthful, na- tural surroundings. And here is rich soil for truck and fruit farm- ing, the garden spot of Illinois. This is an ideal spot for a summer resort. Nauvoo has the require- ments of a modern city, with many natural advantages and resources. We have a splendid water works and sewer system, fine natural drainage, excellent factory and res- idence sites. Its inhabitants are anticipating a rehabilitation and future greatness and they firmly be- lieve that its favorable situation destines it to become a large city." TN addition to the Temple site, ■*■ the homes of Church leaders, the old cemetery, the Mansion House, Cottage and other points mentioned, there is one additional attraction which no visitor to Nauvoo should miss. It is the muse- um of "Mormon" and Indian relics, antiques, curios and manu- scripts maintained by Willian Rheimbold at the Oriental hotel. The museum is in the lobby of the hotel and is free to visitors. Not only is there a remarkable and ex- tensive collection of important and interesting Church relics but in the Indian collection are more than 2,200 arrowheads, which the owner has gathered within ten miles of Nauvoo, indicating that in the past the site of the city has been an important Indian battle ground. Other evidences of the presence of Indians in large num- Nauvoo Temple (left) and Icarian school house, (right) built of Temple stone. bers in that vicinity are contained in the collection. When the Saints evacuated Nau- voo they crossed the river to Mont- rose, and thence across Iowa to Kanesville, now Council Bluffs on the Missouri river. Crossing the Missouri Brigham Young and his followers, wh© later became the pioneers of Utah and the inter- mountain country, established themselves at Winter Quarters now a part of Omaha from where the migration westward began. Far- ther down the Missouri valley are Independence, Liberty and Rich- mond. Visits to these cities will be the subject of the next in- stallment of this travelogue. My Needs By MRS. NESTOR NOEL "Man wants but little here below; nor wants that little long." '"THAT anyone should have ever used these or similar words seems an impossibility. It simply cannot be! Ah well, he did not live in 1930! How easily he must have been satisfied ! How many of the pleasures of life he must have missed ! Judging from myself and those around me I find our needs are manifold. I need a little corner of the earth that I can call my own, whereon I can build me a house — the house of my dreams! It must have a front porch overgrown with rambler roses, a back porch shad- owed by honeysuckle, a side porch leading on to a tennis lawn, an- other porch approached by French windows, leading to the garden, and what a garden! [T is not bound to be a big garden, but it must boast of a lover's lane, it must grow beautiful flowers and possess nooks and corners shaded by great trees where I can sit with congenial persons whose tastes are similar to mine. Did I forget to say this garden must have a fountain and a deep pond where goldfish sport and en- joy life? Walking about there must be my setter, Caesar. In and out of the bushes, I must see my Persian Cat, Flossy, with her (Continued on page 422)