Roadtrip

Earlier this week we took a little trip to 2 itty bitty towns that are significant in Mormon history. The Saints (as we like to refer to early Latter-day Saints) established a city named Nauvoo in Illinois that was actually bigger than Chicago in its heyday. After a few years and lots of struggles, they had to pack up and leave everything (again) and head west. So they still have many original houses, or houses that have been restored that can be toured. It's like one of those old-timey villages where you learn what life was like back in the 1840s. We learned how they made bread (Brian was way interested in this), made bricks, and learned a lot about their tools and gadgets. Like their "refrigerator" which was just a hook that you attached sacks to and lowered it down into the well to keep cool.

We also toured the jail in Carthage, Illinois where the Prophet Joseph Smith was martyred by a mob. That building is pretty much exactly like it was 160 years ago. They even have the original door with bullet holes in it. I'm really glad we were able to go to these 2 cities. It's neat to see where Joseph Smith lived or the chair Brigham Young sat in. These were great men who led meaningful lives and sacrificed everything. I loved walking down Parley Street, the street the Saints began their journey on, that dead ends at the Mississippi River where they crossed, leaving all they knew behind, with great hope they could find a land to live in where they could practice their religion without persecution. I am so grateful to my pioneer ancestors for their faithful, righteous example.