Mormon Trail Center Tells the Story of Mormon Migration to Utah: Leaving Nauvoo

 Located across the steet from the Winter Quarters Cemetery and the Winter Quarters Temple, is the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters.  This center should be considered a history museum telling the story of the Mormon migration, from Nauvoo to Salt Lake, and then from Europe to Salt Lake.

The presentation begins and ends with a statue of Jesus, for it is in Him that people have faith.  It was to follow Him that people left their homes to gather with the Saints (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

The Saints were torn because they dersired to finish the temple, and receive their co venants with the Lore, while they were being pressured to move.  5600 received their endowment while in Nauvoo, with the busiest time being just before they exodus.  Other ordinances were performed but numbers are less accurate.  This includes sealing and baptisms for the dead.

Willard and Jenetta Richards were sealed

Best known photograph of Nauvoo

Joseph Smith

Nauvoo map

Items in a trunk to go west in the wagon, doillies and ceramics

A typical wagon load

Lots of study behind where to go?  They thought they were going to Upper California, which was then part of Mexico.

crossing the Mississippi from Nauvoo on ice

Leaving Nauvoo

Across Iowa

On the Missouri

To the Salt Lake Basin

A New First Presidency

Ship travel

By Handcart

By Train

Grand Tower Island Tragic Wedding Story

Grand Tower is and island in the Mississippi opposite Grand Tower, Illinois.  It is actually in the Missouri half of the river.  It is noted for having difficult currents and whirl poos which are cause by the water going around the island and meeting again.  It was such that the Lewis and Clark placed a cross on the island in 1803to fight off the "demons."

In 1839 in April a wedding was planned by a couple, residents of the Illinois town of Grand Tower.  This is close to the island.  April the river is still swollen with spring run off.  The wedding party were rowed by slaves to the island.  The wedding was performed.  It was on the return trip that the party was sucked into the river by a whirl pool.  One of the three slaves survived, but the rest of the party went down.  My best understanding is their bodies were not recovered.  Whirlpools are still seen around the island at times, especially in the spring.