Historic Nauvoo, IllinoisJun 10, 2011
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Restored shops along main street
Nauvoo Temple
We took a wagon ride through the historic site
| We left Hannibal, Missouri for a short drive to visit the National Historic District of Nauvoo, Illinois. In the late 1800s, the Mormons established a community along the Mississippi River and called it Nauvoo which is Hebrew for beautiful. We are not Mormons, so, you might ask, why would we want to make a visit to Nauvoo? Well, the Mormons were an integral part of the western migration in the mid 1800’s. The Mormons were forced out of Nauvoo and eventually migrated to Salt Lake City, Utah. Nauvoo is intertwined with the expansion of the west and thus part of the history of America. It is really no different then visiting a mosque and talking with an Imam, an Islamic religious leader, when we went to Turkey. Still, we were “strangers in a strange land” and I felt a little out of place. There we were a lone couple surrounded by large families – parents, children and grandparents – many of them visiting from Utah. Historic Nauvoo has over 60 restored homes and a number of museums that tell the story of the Mormons, their life in Nauvoo and their eventual “exodus” from the area. A beautiful temple sits high above the village. Most of the village is staffed by volunteers, both young and old, who act as interpreters for the sites. I would guess that for many Mormons it is a place of great historic and religious significance. The village reminded me a little bit of how Williamsburg, Virginia was in the early 1970s before it became the mega-tourist destination it is today. Besides the museums and historic sites, the Mormon story is also told through a variety of short plays and vignettes although most of these plays are geared for kids. Each night in the outdoor theatre most of the volunteers are on onstage and put on a variety show which we attended. The variety show consisted of singing, dancing, music and comedy skits that are suitable for all ages. Some of the skits were very good and it was obvious that some of the singers, dancers and musicians have studied music or dance. It was a good visit but left me with some unanswered questions about the history which I will be researching online. But that is the whole point of visiting a site like Nauvoo. We are now in rain-drenched Coralville, Iowa which is about 6 miles from Iowa City. We expect to be here about a week. Hopefully the rain will end and we can see some of the sites of the area. Thanks for reading and giving us your comments. |
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