March 25, 2015

As you may have noticed, if you've been following our blog, we're not ones to let a chance for a party go by. So, of course, we had to have our own Old Nauvoo Valentine's eats and dancin'. The eating took place in the Family Living Center, and the dance was held in the upstairs room of the Cultural Hall. This is the same place where the Prophet Joseph Smith and the other Saints held their dances and other cultural events. In fact, the floor we were dancing on was the original floor of the Old Cultural Hall. Although it was cool to be dancing on that old floor, I must admit that it wasn't the smoothest dance floor that I've danced a jig on!

Whenever we have to say goodbye to any of our teamsters, we have a little going-away party for them. Three of our group left at the first of this month. so we just had to send them away properly.

Elder Broadhead, the fellow playing the guitar, is our Teamster Site Leader. In his pre-mission life, he was a teacher, an elementary school principal, a professional teamster, and an entertainer. He really knows how to get people to perform--even when they don't think they can.

He tutored and helped our Wagon Narrators put together a great number for the crowd.

And he even got the Teamsters' wives to lend their melodious voices to the mix.

Lest you think all we do around here is party, you should know that even though the crowds are light in the wintertime, the missionaries are using their time profitably while waiting for guests to come. We have made and donated many, many humanitarian gifts to a number of charities, homeless shelters, and hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. 

Just this winter we have donated 126 adult cover-ups, 120 pillowcases, 30 pajama bottoms, 124 baby layettes, 218 hygiene kits, 370 hats and scarves, 114 quilts and blankets, 18 school bags, 61 comfort bears, and 114 pairs of mittens.  Our missionaries have been amazing!

Probably the biggest highlight of this month was Mike, Jenny, Monica, and Jayce's visit. It was great to have family here to share in the spirit of Old Nauvoo. Jan and I really enjoyed showing them some of the sights around the area, as we had time.

I think one of the favorite places to visit is the Carthage Jail, where Joseph and Hyrum were martyred. 

The Martyrdom Room. The window behind Mike and Jenny and their kids is the window through which Joseph fell to his death.

T

The door behind us still has the hole caused by the bullet that killed Hyrum.

While they were here, Jan and I took them for a little drive out into the Amish community. We stopped at an Amish furniture store where this little farm was across the yard. It's fun to see the little buggies going down the road from time to time.

A fairly well-known place to eat out there in eastern Iowa is a place called the Bonapart Retreat Restaurant. The building that houses the  Retreat was an old grist mill. The building is situated right on the edge of the Des Moines River, which used to power the water wheel. The Saints actually passed through this area on their trek west.

Looking at it from the Retreat from the outside, you're not sure want to go in. But inside it's amazing to see all the old-time furnishings and objects around the dining room.

How about this old-time telephone?!

One of the attractions that draws people out there is Marie, the 92-year-old waitress. She's a real doll, who knows how to work the crowd!

While Jenny and her gang were here, they attended some of our site tours. Here Jan is giving a tour in the Brigham Young home.

They also learned how to make a shoe back in the 1840s in the Riser Boot Shop.

On March 17th, the women of our mission celebrated the organization of the Relief Society by Joseph Smith. As the Mission Relief Society President, Jan was in charge of putting this re-enactment celebration together. It took place in the Prophet's Red Brick Store, where the organization event actually happened. Various missionaries were dressed up to represent the early saints who were involved in the organization of the Society.

Joseph and Emma

Emma Smith, president, and her two counselors

Eliza R. Snow, secretary, and Emma Smith

Martin Harris, Joseph Smith, and Willard Richards

Willard Richards, scribe who took minutes of the meeting


The weather's starting to warm up a little, so more and more people are venturing out to visit our sites. Next month will be crazy busy with lots of school tours. Jan is the point-person in setting these up, so she's very busy at her Tickets and Tours (now "Guest Services") site. I will be spending more time with the horses and less in the regular sites. We're just happy to be a part of all that's going on here. We hope all is well with you and your families. We'd love to hear from you whenever you get a minute.

February 18, 2015

This winter in Nauvoo has been extremely mild, compared to last winter when the temperatures through the months of January and February were near zero and below! But you won't find us complaining, no siree. The downside, however, is that we haven't had enough snow to go sledding behind our horses--at least not until this past week. We had about eight to ten inches in many areas around Nauvoo, so we pulled the sled out of mothballs and hitched it up to Chad and Mick for a good ol' trip through the backcountry where "the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh!" It was great fun--though a little chilly--taking various missionaries for sleigh rides.

As you may recall, February 4, 1846, is when the Saints began their exodus from Old Nauvoo. It was a bitterly cold day. Though the temperature was chilly this year, it didn't compare with that day 169 years ago. Each year the missionaries serving here in Nauvoo reenact the Exodus in memory of those faithful Saints.

Before trekking down Parley Street, missionaries and visitors gathered in the Family Living Center for a small breakfast of juice and hot chocolate.

We then lined up the wagons behind the Nauvoo Legionaires.

Several missionaries carried flags representing the country of their ancestors who joined the Church.

The first carriage waits for President Gibbons, our Mission President. (Each of us teamsters and our wives were assigned to drive the various horse-drawn carriages and wagons in the procession.)

Jan and I were assigned to drive the freight wagon.

So, down Parley Street we went to the shore of the Mississippi, where the Saints began to cross the icy waters heading west.

At the end of Parley Street is the Exodus Memorial, whose walls have inscribed the names of the thousands who lost their lives crossing the plains.

At the Memorial, a brief program was held honoring the Saints who followed the prophet and set out to find a place where they could "plow their fields as [they] saw fit, worship as [they] wanted, and live life as [they] had a mind to." 

On Sunday evening, we closed out the Exodus week with a special program in which the stories of several Saints who had lived in Old Nauvoo were recounted. It was a wonderful conclusion to a week of remembering the faith and sacrifices of our forefathers who willingly gave so much so that we could have the gospel today. 

I actually found three of my ancestors--whom I didn't know about before--who lived here in Nauvoo and went west with the rest of the Saints. I was able to "represent" them on the Exodus by carrying a card for each one with some interesting tidbits of information about each one.  Jan walked for her fourth great grandmother, who died in Winter Quarters.  We shall be forever grateful to them for their courage, unselfishness, and faith.

February 4, 2015

Since our last posting, Jan and I went on a tour of the Martyrdom Trail with Dr. Craig Dunn. During the three-and-a-half-hour tour in his tour bus, Brother Dunn presented a wealth of information about the Prophet Joseph and his last 21days, beginning with the incident of The Expositor newspaper and ending at the Carthage Jail. Unfortunately, in this case, a picture was not worth a 1000 words--the narration was worth a 1000 pictures! Consequently, we have only a few pictures to share with you.
A little background.  The reason Joseph was arrested was that he was the mayor of Nauvoo and, with the city council, ordered the demolition of the press of the Nauvoo Expositor.  This was a newspaper brought to town by enemies of the Mormon saints and it's express purpose was to slander them.  They were hoping that the saints would retaliate so that charges could be pressed against them.  The council proclaimed it a public nusance and had it destroyed.  This was not uncommon at that time, but charges were brought against Joseph and the entire city council.  They went to two constables in town to answer for the charges and they were dismissed, but were told they had to go to Carthage and answer a third time.

This is the home of Aaron Johnson here in Nauvoo.  The Prophet was quite sure he was going to be murdered at Carthage, so attempted to flee across the river to Montrose with Hyrum, Willard Richards and Porter Rockwell.  They borrowed a boat from Johnson and arrived at Montrose at about 2 am on June 23.  He received word that Nauvoo was in a panic and that Emma wished him to return, and Illinois Governor Ford had promised him protection from the mobs, so they returned.  They left for Carthage the afternoon of Monday, June 24 1844.

This is a picture of the Joseph Smith farmhouse.  We didn't even know that it existed.  It is up on the bluff where his farm was located.  It was built with the Nauvoo red brick but has been plastered over.  Joseph would have ridden through his farm on his way to Carthage.

The route that Joseph and his company took to Carthage is mapped out and you can jump on your bike and take off through the fields.  It's about 18 miles long.

This is the Albert Fellows farm, located on the Carthage route.  He was a good friend to Joseph, and they stopped here for dinner on the way to the jail.  They didn't arrive in Carthage until late Monday night and stayed the night in a hotel.  Mobs were gathering throughout the town square, proclaiming that they would, "Kill all the damned Mormons."

Governor Ford is in Carthage, and it soon becomes apparent that he does not intend to protect Joseph and Hyrum.  He proclaims that, "Joseph and Hyrum were dangerous men in the community, and guilty of all that was alleged against them."  They are arrested and confined here in the jail in the debtor's cell on the bottom floor.  Mobs are milling all about, so the jailer moves them upstairs for their safety.  It is there, in that upstairs room, that they are killed.  Hyrum is killed first, John Taylor received a number of wounds in his legs, and Joseph is shot near the upstairs window  and falls back through it to the ground.

Statue of Joseph and Hyrum at Carthage jail.  Hyrum didn't have to go to Carthage, there were no charges against him.  He only went to be with his brother.

This is just an old house in Warsaw, but in the 1840's it was a bar.  Many of the mob that rushed the jail in Carthage were from Warsaw, and this is where they came to celebrate after the killings.  It is interesting that there is still a lot of animosity towards the Mormons in Warsaw.  

*******

We have been delighted with the weather this winter; it has been a very mild and gentle one, compared to last year's. We've had only a few days of snow, and the temperature has averaged in the high teens and twenties, for the most part. In fact, we've had several days when it has reached into the forties. Last year the months of December through February were very frigid--many days below zero. Not knowing whether we would have more snow days this year--we're crossing our fingers!--we took a few pictures of snow-covered Old Nauvoo for your viewing enjoyment.

In the center of Old Nauvoo stands the Jonathan Browning Gun Shop and Home

Looking east, up Parley's Street. 

(Going the opposite direction, you head down to the Mississippi River, the path the Saints took as they left Nauvoo for their trek west beginning on this day--February 4th--in 1846. Can you imagine heading out across the snow-covered prairie in this kind of weather?!)

Looking west, down Kimball Street to Brigham Young's home

Last Monday Jan and I were the tour missionaries in the Jonathan Browning Home and Gunsmith Shop. This tends to be one of the favorite stops for the men who visit Old Nauvoo.

Of course, with this last snow storm, we had to clean the snow off the seats of our wagons and carriages before we could offer tours to our visitors--though, I have to tell you, there weren't many visitors who came to take a ride around the snow-covered streets of Old Nauvoo in this weather.

One of the activities that have kept us teamsters busy during the cold weather is remodeling our barn office and meeting room. We added on an eight-foot addition so that we would have room to have us all meet together during the summer months when we have about 25 or 26 of us here. It will be nice to have the extra room this summer!

January 7, 2015

Well, things have started to slow down considerably since the fun and fury of Christmas celebrations and visitors have drawn to a close. But we still had one more celebration in us--the coming of the New Year, which turned out to be one of the funnest celebrations ever. Our mission president allowed us to come casual, so we called it our "Beans 'n' Jeans" or "Sweets 'n' Sweats" party. And we even finished up at the reasonable hour of 10:00 p.m. so that we could get our old bones in bed at a decent hour!

One our missionaries, Elder Broadhead (our Teamster Site Leader), is a long-time, natural entertainer, and he put together a great variety show, featuring just us missionaries--believe it or not--plus, we had a few dances interspersed among the talent numbers.

The opening number was a song by the teamsters to the tune of Waylon Jenning's song "Wrong" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR7i8PfWK68). Elder Broadhead had written lyrics for us to sing that highlighted our actual and "hope-for" responsibilities as teamsters. I must admit, it brought the house down! And if you want to "enjoy" the actual event on YouTube, go to

https://www.youtube.com/embed/d8bVasQVY3g.

We also had activities to get everyone up and dancin'--including the single Sisters.

Another hit was the hula dance contest. Some of these elders can really move those hips!

The program included a number from days gone by called "I'm Going to Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," which, I suppose, you youngins won't remember.

And certainly the highlight of the evening was my presentation of little "Ticky Tooky Timbu . . . ," one of Mom's favorite readings from my younger days. (Boy, would Mom bust her buttons watching me doing that one!)

We're now back to hosting the sites and giving tours, when someone braves the weather to come and visit. This is the slowest time of the year, so we spend a lot of our time doing humanitarian projects, indexing, following up with visitors who came earlier, and other worthwhile missionary activities. The weather today was about 25 degrees below zero--with windchill--so there aren't many who venture out. But those who do come at this time of year are pretty much treated to private tours and as much time as they like at whichever site they wish to see.