Day 17: Nauvoo (by Eliza)

After New York City, DC, and big highways, Nauvoo was quite a change. Once we got off of the  highway,(there was detour) we went on a small one-lane road, which then turned into a rough dirt road through lots of farmland for a while. It was the kind of place where you would think that you were lost. Then (finally) we got onto a paved road that led to Nauvoo.

We were greeted by a band drawn by horses as we got into the town.

When you first get to Nauvoo there is a cute little main street with little shops, and stores. Then, BOOM!  You see the Nauvoo temple. We decided to go to the beautiful Nauvoo temple after the rest of the cool stuff at Nauvoo, because everything at Nauvoo closes at 6:00, except the Nauvoo temple.

All of the stops at Nauvoo had missionaries to teach us about each place. The missionaries were really fun, 

and I learned a lot from them.

Here we are in the center of the restored Nauvoo historic town:

First we went to the boot shop. It was pretty cool. They showed you how they used to make boots, and shoes. They used to not have a right shoe and a left shoe, both of the shoes were the same width and length. This way, by alternating the shoes that you wear, they don't wear out as easily.

Next, we went to the blacksmith shop. We all got prairie diamonds. A prairie diamond is a ring made out of a bent nail. The top of the nail is shaped like a diamond, so it looks like a diamond ring. He also showed us how a wagon wheel is like a family. The center is the parents, the spokes are like the kids, and outside part called the tyre is like the traditions and the love and memories that hold the family together .The last step to a wagon wheel is to seal it with special oil, so the wood does not. crack.  In our church, we get sealed in temples, so that we can live together, and so that our families will not crack.

We also went to the Brigham Young home. In this house, Brigham Young planned how the Mormons would leave to Utah because of the persecution. It's so sad that they kept getting kicked out of all the nice homes they built and the good towns they set up.

Here we are at the old Seventies Building where they trained to be missionaries before going out all over the world to teach people.

We also went to a old fashioned schoolhouse. At Nauvoo, even the grown ups had to go to school because they needed to learn English too, because they had come from many countries to Nauvoo. The kids also had to write on slates. they were just like chalkboards, but heavier!

Another one of my favorite activities was going to the bakery. They used to have to cook their food in brick ovens. They did not have exact temperatures, like preheat at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. You would just guess, by feeling around, how hot or cold it was, and then guess the number of minutes that you would need to cook it for. I think that that would be pretty hard. Anyway, after that, he lady gave us free gingerbread cookies.Yum!

We also went to the family living center. At the family living center, there are 7 stations where you can learn about things, like rope making, or how the pioneers made rugs out of old clothes, but it was going to close in 10 minutes, so we could only pick one thing  to do. The boys made ropes, and my mom and I (and Ashton) learned about how they make bread in a brick oven. Then we got a piece of bread. It was good.

We also made hats, and got to be in a parade before the showing of Sunset on the Mississippi.

The parade:

Sunset on the Mississippi was a great play. It was really, really funny. My favorite part was when 3 missionaries did a funny song about how many bugs there were in Nauvoo: “Grab a can of Off, and spray with me.” There were lots and lots of funny dances, and songs.

After that there was an a cappella concert, but we could not stay for that, because we wanted to go to see the temple. The temple was so beautiful. Especially because there was a beautiful sunset.

Here's us with a view of the Mississippi plus a statue of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum as they said goodbye to their families and the beautiful city of Nauvoo that they worked so hard to build and set off to go to trial for charges that weren't fair. They both ended up being killed by a mob at the jail. So sad.


You could really feel the spirit at the temple.  I thought that the temple was so cool. I liked how they rebuilt the temple to be just like it was before.

On our way to the hotel, we went to Joseph Smith's homes. He first had a log home, and then a nice home called the Mansion House. His family only lived in 3 rooms of the Mansion House, and the rest of it was a hotel. We also got to see the brick store where people could buy stuff and Joseph could earn some money. Above the store was where he had all the meetings for the church.

Overall, Nauvoo, was SO fun. I want to go there again and learn even more.