Nauvoo, Part 1

We recently visited Nauvoo, Illinois for the first time.My wife and I both have ancestors who came there and were driven out, first to Iowa and then to Utah. Nauvoo is a beautiful small city on the banks of the Mississippi, across the river from Montrose, Fort Madison and Keokuk , Iowa. It was established by the Mormons in about 1839. Following the murder of Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, in 1844, it was abandoned in 1846. One of the things they did before they left was build the first fully functional Mormon temple. They were only able to use it a short few months before they had to leave, driven out by mobs in February 1846. Some time after leaving Nauvoo, the Temple caught fire and was destroyed. In 2002 it was rebuilt on the original site as closely as possible to the original building plans and is now in use.

The photo below is the cornerstone

The photo below is from the back, southeast corner.



Below is some detail from the back.



Below is detail at a corner, showing two sunstones, stars and star windows.



Statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on horseback, depicted as riding to Carthage. They are located just west of the Temple on the bluff.



Detail





View from back.



A patch of prairie as it was with the Temple visible in the background.


Ox in a pasture with the Temple in the background.


Sunset over the Mississippi


gave the Temple this beautiful glow.