“Exploring Nauvoo,” Liahona, Aug. 2013, 68–69
On the Trail
Exploring Nauvoo
Come along to see an important place in Church history!
The dust gently rises as you walk down the street. You can see sunlight dancing on the Mississippi River. Then a horse clops by pulling a wagon. Have you gone back in time? No, you’re standing on Parley Street in Nauvoo, Illinois.
In 1839 the Prophet Joseph Smith and early members of the Church settled Nauvoo and built a beautiful city and temple. They lived here until the mid-1840s, when they started their journey west.
Photographs by Jennifer Maddy; illustrations by Laura Andros
The Saints even made their own fancy buttons.
The word Nauvoo is from a Hebrew word that means “beautiful place.” Nauvoo had beautiful gardens, brick buildings, and green fields.
Many old buildings in Nauvoo have been restored. Missionaries dressed in 1840s clothing tell visitors about the early Saints. You can try a gingerbread cookie at the Scovil Bakery or see how shoes are made at the boot shop.
Paper and postage were expensive, so people used “cross writing” in their letters. They would write one direction, then turn the paper and write across it. Try it and see if you can read your writing!
It took three people to make rope the way the pioneers did it!
In school, children wrote with chalk on slates.
The Nauvoo Temple stands on a hill overlooking the city and river. Read more about the temple in next month’s issue!
Candles were made by tying string around a rock and then dipping it in animal fat over and over.
The light from this lantern made fun patterns on the walls and ceilings.