Midwest Church History Trip - Part 4

Here is the final day of our trip! We spent the day on the Nebraska/Iowa border in Council Bluffs and Winter Quarters. We learned a lot about the Mormon Battalion and the trek west.

Winter Quarters

I actually really loved this visitor's center! They were so helpful and seemed very knowledgeable. After the saint fled Nauvoo and crossed the river, they needed a place to get prepared and provisions ready for the trip out west. The Pottawattamie Tribe owned the land and lent the land out to the Saints for 3 years. During this three years they gathered and different wagon trains left each year. The saints built dugouts and log cabins, squished multiple families in a home, prepared for the trip, and then left when the season was right. They left the homes empty for the next batch of saints that came in to get ready for the following year. The saints even planted crops, knowing the next group of saints would need food to harvest and eat. After the treaty was up, the deal was that they left the land as they found it. They took down all the cabins, and the only thing that remained was the cemetery on the hill. This cemetery is where the church built the Winter Quarters Temple and Visitor's Center.

The visitor's center had a big museum about life in Winter Quarters and the provisions they needed for the trip west. They showed us this wagon wheel and we were amazed how big it was. In the beginning, when they were mapping out the trip for more saints to come west, they used a scarf tied to the wheel to measure the distance. A person would walk beside the wheel and count how many times the scarf hit the ground. They had a certain number that meant it had reached a mile. However, later, someone invented a time piece that the wagon wheel clicked and it kept track of the miles ridden. 

The graves from the time in Winter Quarters were not physically marked and a lot reside under this memorial that was built there. However, records were kept and the missionaries had tools to measure and show us an approximate place where our ancestor was buried. 

The Winter Quarters Temple

Council Bluffs, Iowa

After the treaty with the Native Americans ended the saints moved their gathering place to Council Bluffs. (Just across the river) For a while, this was actually where the headquarters of the church was. ( I think it was called Cainsville at the time). A tabernacle was built and this is where Brigham Young was officially ratified as the President of the Church. They have a replica tabernacle built on this land as well as a visitor's center where we learned a lot about the Mormon Battalion.

My brother Meltiar MCKAY Manner. One of his namesakes is an ancestor that served in the Mormon Battalion. When the members of the battalion were discharged in California, we learned that a lot of those members that stayed in California for a bit to get on their feet helped shaped the gold rushes and a lot of the major cities in California. I had no idea that the saints played such a big role in the growing of the state. 

Learning about the Mormon Battalion was very interesting. The film that they showed us gave us many details that I had not heard or remembered hearing when I learned about this time. For one, the leadership of the church actually asked the U.S. government for a way to help finance this trip west and this is the way that the government came up with. While it was a surprise to the members of the church and kind of insulting to be asked to serve a government that would not protect them, the leadership of the Church was not surprised and of course counseled the Saints to volunteer in order to finance their families. 

Cainsville Tabernacle 

Well this concludes our trip. At least the site seeing part. We still had 15 hours to drive to Idaho to see my brother Hunter off to his mission. He is going to Finland! This trip was an amazing opportunity and I loved having my family there to liven things up a bit and of course distract babies. Maybe someday I can make it out east to see the sites even earlier in the Church's history!!  So many sacrifices were made, and amongst it all, almost everywhere we went they emphasized the music, dance, and entertainment that the saints enjoyed during those hard times. "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured" -President Hinckley

The church is true! Hurrah for Israel!

Midwest Church History Trip - Part 3

My travel buddies in beautiful Adam-ondi-ahman.

Adam-ondi-ahman

This place is absolutely beautiful. We made sure to get up early and try to be out and about before it got really hot. Adam-ondi-ahman is a meeting place revealed to Joseph Smith where Jesus will appear and a huge sacrament meeting will be held. The land is beautiful and mostly rented out to farmers. In recorded revelations, Joseph Smith found the remains of an old Nephite Altar as well revealed that this is where Adam and Eve built their altar to God after they were cast out of the garden. There are a few old couple missionaries that oversee this land. Their mission president is the Prophet, President Monson. Kinda cool..

The boys sitting on 'preacher rock.' Joseph Smith taught from this rock.

The huge open sky and beautiful green farmland! Places like this make me love the Midwest.

Haun's Mill

There isn't much on this little site. Just a little marker and a plaque. However, this land used to be a small settlement of saints that were attacked by a mob. A lot of the woman and children were able to hide, however, the men and a lot of the boys were shot and killed. We spent a few minutes here, read a little journal excerpt that told the story, skipped a few rocks in the stream, and caught a frog! 

Farwest

This was another settlement of Saints in Missouri, the biggest at the time. Here there is a dedicated temple site and stones to mark each corner. 

One of the four corner stones

The Temple site

Liberty Jail

The last stop this day was Liberty Jail. In this jail, Joseph Smith was wrongly accused and held here in the winter. The original floor of the jail is still preserved and the Church built a replica jail on top. They have a really neat presentation and a few artifacts. 

This is one of the original extermination orders that the State of Missouri filed against the Mormons.

Later, the order was redacted (like in the 1970s), and an apology was to the Church.

This day was spent fully in Missouri. A lot of questions were cleared up and facts straightened out. There is a lot of sacred land and temples yet to be built in this state! The state of Missouri was not the best of times for the early saints, but seems to have special promises still attached to it. 

Midwest Church History Trip - Part 2

Yay for more details about the trip! After Nauvoo, we headed down to Missouri and stayed in a Hotel for three days in proximity to multiple Church History Sites! We saw so many different churches and a couple temples this day. The sacredness of a temple can be felt in and around the grounds. When true ordinances are being performed, and sacred covenants are being made with the authority of God, a special spirit resides. I always feel that peace when I am around a temple. To me it feels like safety and security. I feel safe with the people I love and knowing that they belong to me forever.

Look for the Angel Moroni on a temple. This is a symbol that it is a true temple that operates under the true authority of God.

Independence,  Missouri

We made it to Zion! We visited the our Church's visitor's center as well as the Community of Christ's Temple across the street. The Community of Christ is a break off that happened in Nauvoo when Joseph Smith was killed. They believe that the calling of Prophet came through lineage, and up until a few years ago, their Prophet was a descendant of Joseph Smith. (Until his line ended). In their temple, we saw many cool artifacts that come from those early days and could have belonged to Emma and Joseph Smith. In our visitor's center, we had questions cleared up about where the Temple lot is dedicated, saw presentations about the purpose of life and our families, and then went through a museum that depicted the Saint's history in Missouri.

Across from our visitor's center is a grassy field where we found corner stones for the dedicated temple site. The plot does not actually belong to our church, (nor does it belong to the Community of Christ). It belongs to a whole different branch off. 

Spreading out across the future temple lot

Here is our favorite Uncle Hunter again teaching the girls to drive a wagon

Standing in front of our Church's visitor center. We even have a small Stake Center on the land as well. We attended Sacrament Meeting there.

This was a good view of the Community of Christ's temple. They designed it after the Fibonacci Sequence.

Kansas City, Missouri, Temple

We visited the Kansas City Temple on the way back to the hotel that night.

My forever family because of Temples that operate under God's Power, the Priesthood.

Midwest Church History Trip

Summer is flying by and it is crazy and sad. However, I feel pretty accomplished so far. We saw a lot. Still so much more we want to do and see... but still we saw A LOT. My family took a few kids that are still at home and drove across country. They stopped at a few National Parks along the way, spent a night in Iowa City and started the trip back in Nauvoo Illinois. We drove back with them and stopped and saw everything relating to our Church history on the way to Idaho! So much fun and SOOOO tiring. I love looking back on these pictures. Pictures have a way of just reminding you of the good times. Babies were definitely whining, wetting their pants, and throwing fits in the car. However, indispersed throughout were fun things to see, amazing stories heard, and silly coincidences and conversations. Looking back, I learned so much about God's church and the sacrifices that helped it endure through its trial ridden beginnings.

It was HOT HOT HOT most days! Madi spent her time shuffled between Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Hunter's shoulders when her little legs were worn out. 

Nauvoo, Illinois

We stayed here for 2 and half days and could have stayed more! There is so much to do and see. We learned about what life was like in the city of Nauvoo and toured renovated homes that showed artifacts and gave a little history about certain known people. We even saw both pageants while in town!

Touring Wilford Woodruff's home

The Women's Garden is right outside the visitor's center. They had so many beautiful statues depicting women. I bet in the Spring, these flowers are beautiful!

The podium at the School of the Prophets. They told us this was like Nauvoo's MTC!

Above the School of the Prophets they had record books of people that resided in and around Nauvoo. We looked through them to find our ancestors, their occupation, and where they lived! We found one of my ancestor's lands. (pictured below). They other owned land and farmed or ranched it quite a ways outside of Nauvoo. We didn't go out that way. :) 

One of our 'claims to fame'! We descend through the Ashby's from my Mom's side of the family.

We rented a house right outside of Nauvoo that was just a skip from the Mississippi River! Madison and Uncle McKay at the banks!

This girl sure loves her Uncles! (Hinckley, McKay, and Fielding pictured) 

This girl had A LOT of trip trauma. 

The county fair that happens in the evening before the pageants was a blast. We wished we had another night to try out more activities. I even tried the stilts! :)

My mom was definitely the best...like for real!

Tug-of-War!

Grandpa bought us all some snow cones!

Waiting for the pageant to start and watching the sunset!

We took an oxen ride! I was climbing aboard the wagon when one of the teamsters commented that I may not have made it to Salt Lake City and would have had to hide in the wagon to hide. He said that the Indians liked the Red Heads and would barter to trade for them. My husband pointed out that he is an Indian! We had a good laugh.

This gal spent a lot of time in my arms, way more then she ever does at home. 

Learning how to make rope!

Posing at the quarry overlook

We walked East on Parley street to the Mississippi one afternoon and read plaques along the way about the pioneers and their trek west. We came across this one about a Pottawattamie Chief! This is the tribe my husband (and daughters!) belong too!

The view the pioneers saw as they left their Temple and their city!

Touching the Mississippi where the Saints crossed and began the walk across the plains

Carthage, Illinois

This is where the Prophet of the Restoration: Joseph Smith was martyred. The original jail still stands! They have a beautiful tour through the jail. There really is a sad, yet peaceful spirit at this location. Carthage is definitely a highlight of the Nauvoo part of this excursion. 

Posing with the statues of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Uncle Hunter should definitely earn a reward. He is so kind to my kids. We love our missionary in Finland!

Picnic Lunches

This is one of the places we stopped and had lunch. Right on the banks of the Mississippi between Carthage and Nauvoo!

More to come over the next couple of days!