Nauvoo Family Reunion and Youth Conference Retreat

01/08/2025

The sunsets in Nauvoo are beyond memorable, they are breathtaking and remind you to put away your phone (after shooting photos) and focus on the simple pleasures of life as you make family memories! Whether on the Mississippi River or setting across our farms that feed America. Come enjoy the simple life, you deserve a week of this!

12/14/2024

In this blacksmith and farrier shop in Nauvoo from 1846-1852 or so many hundreds of wagons and hand carts were made for the pioneer trek West. Leaving first while mobs from Warsaw fired cannon balls in their direction in a forced exodus in the cold winter of February 1846 the Mississippi River miraculously froze over and the people crossed the river and began their walk to the Valley of the great Sat Lake. Nearly 2,000 people would die as they suffered severe from the severe cold of the winter trek, and frostbite was common. While religious freedom was guaranteed by the God inspired Constitution 60 years later these freedoms were still not fully enforced. Coming to Nauvoo after being converted to the Church of Jesus Christ from distant places such as England, Denmark, New York, Ohio or locally in Illinois, many of these people had been expelled from Missouri under an extermination order and had lost their homes and lands and been unlawfully expelled. President James Buchanan when they begged for redress said "Your cause is Just but I can do nothing." As impoverished refugees they had built the second largest city in Illinois, nearly 15,000 people and they constructed a temple that was the architectural marvel of the state at the time! Imagine having to leave under canon fire in the dead of winter after making such sacrifices .

12/14/2024

Pageant is a great time of year to gather your family in Nauvoo, bagpipes, horse and oxen drawn tours through an 1840's restored town, the John Browning Gun Shop, a working blacksmith shop, printing press demonstrations, tin smith shop, an 1840's bakery, dozens of restored homes to tour. If you love museums and history this is a great place!

The 2025 Nauvoo Pageant will take place from Tuesday, July 8 to Saturday, August 2, with performances at 8:45 PM. Pre-show activities begin at 7 PM each night.
The Nauvoo Pageant is a two-hour performance that includes folk songs, hymns, dances, and other moments that share the joy of living the gospel of Christ. The Nauvoo and British Pageants alternate nights, and there are no performances on Sundays. Tickets are not required, but seats can be reserved on the day of the performance.

10/06/2024

“Don’t change to become like the world, when you were born to change the world.”
- Brad Wilcox

02/25/2023

06/06/2022

For those interested in LDS History, some early LDS refugees who had lost everything when they were expelled from Missouri under Governor Boggs “Extermination Order,” worked in lead mines in Galena, IL and sent money to build Nauvoo, which they hoped would be a safe haven. The Joseph Smith papers share a letter where Joseph learns that John Bennett an apostate who was excommunicated from the church was in Galena trying to raise a mob to kidnap and kill Joseph Smith. Bennett had put circulars throughout Galena to no avail. It is a city that’s worth visiting.

06/05/2022

We always tell people that driving to downtown Montrose, Iowa is worth the drive for the view. Many people don’t understand how important that town was to the Saints of that period. It was from this view of the uncompleted temple that Joseph said, “If my life is of no value to my friends it is of no value to me.” Many church leaders sought refuge in the abandoned Fort Des Moines in Montrose.

06/05/2022

Another reason to visit Montrose, Iowa, besides the best view of the Nauvoo Temple! John Tanner who sacrificed almost all to help redeem the Kirtland Temple and satisfy church debts lived there for 6 years! He was ancestor of President N. Eldon Tanner, and several later general authorities.

The John Tanner Family

06/05/2022

This is an outstanding and scholarly article about the nearly 30,000 Latter-day Saints in Western Illinois, many of whom joined the church as the Kirtland Camp came across Illinois when the Saints were expelled there and did missionary work on their way to Missouri. As you research your roots you may find relatives who were members in places outside of Nauvoo like Montrose, Keokuk, Payson.

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1023&context=libfacpub

06/03/2022

Old Historic Stone Bridge features a beautiful waterfall and located at the flag poles and Large blue Illinois Historical Marker just before you turn left on the first road to Joseph Smiths grave site. What a refreshing place to stop and relax!