My Church History Tour, September 2009

(Note:  Double click on the pictures to see them full-sized)

Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes –
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (quoted in Sacred Places, Ohio and Illinois, by LaMar C. Berrett)

Looking back, it almost seems like a dream instead of a reality! Never having gone on a church history tour before, I wasn’t sure just what to expect. But this I knew - I was going to visit sacred places that for years I had longed to see/experience. My deepest desire was to stand on the sacred soil of Adam-Ondi-Ahman.

Insights, understanding, and appreciation were gained not only for the places, but also for those faith-filled people who lived, worked, suffered, and finally were forced out of their beloved homes. That made the places sacred. Our tour guide, Brian Judd, pointed out that our lives will be forever changed by our visit. We would never again feel distant from these places, for they will have become a part of us. As he said this, I knew in my heart that it was a true principle. Now when we read about, think about, or discuss church history, we will remember and relate, and we will never again feel the same about the early saints and their lives.

My only previous views of Missouri, Iowa and Illinois came from flying over the states at 35,000 feet altitude. From that vantage point the terrain looks decidedly flat. I was surprised to discover a gently rolling landscape, covered everywhere with ripening crops of corn, soybeans, and sorghum, interspersed with small vales lined with trees. Along the way we often saw the underlying limestone beds exposed either naturally or via highway cuts
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As we traveled across these states, the land’s natural beauty and the prosperous looking farms impressed me. There was a serene feel to the land, masking the violence that had occurred one-hundred-seventy or so years ago. I enjoyed the beauty of the landscape, as well as the sight of soaring hawks and vultures, deer drinking at a stream, geese, seagulls, and many other birds. Everything was green and lush from the grass on up. I also enjoyed the beautiful flowers planted at all the Church historical sites.

Once we landed in Kansas City, MO, we boarded a luxurious bus very capably driven by Don White. This was our mode of transportation for the rest of the journey. Brian Judd was an excellent tour guide/host and treated us with care, concern, information, perspectives, and humor.

I truly enjoyed my new-found friend and traveling companion, Lorraine Openshaw, as well as Bob and Marleen Larkin, who had served with me in the mission office. Their generosity and friendship made the trip all the more enjoyable. Unlike the pioneers, whose footsteps we were tracing, we experienced comfortable accommodations and mild weather throughout our journey.

The places we visited included the Truman Presidential Library, Independence, Liberty Jail, Far West, Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Kanesville Tabernacle, Winter Quarters Center, Winter Quarters Temple, Mount Pisgah, Nauvoo, Nauvoo Temple, Carthage Jail, Keokuk, Warsaw, Hannibal, St. Louis Temple, St. Louis Arch, St. Louis Union Station, St. Louis Cathedral (Bascilica).

THURSDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2009
Lorraine and Lee Openshaw picked me up at 8:00 am for the drive to the airport. All went smoothly with boarding and the flight. It wasn’t long before we arrived in Kansas City Missouri and boarded our very fine tour bus.

TRUMAN MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM, INDEPENDENCE: This was our first stop. The graves of Harry and Margaret Truman are located here. A lot of historical information was presented via photos and videos. It was a graphic reminder of President Truman’s challenges at that crucial time in U.S. history. I was touched by movie film images of WWII fighting, including seeing soldiers die. Especially indelibly imprinted upon my heart and mind was the image of a 7 or 8 year old child kneeling on the ground, trembling all over in shock. A soldier was compassionately bending over him.


INDEPENDENCE TEMPLE SITE: Here I had my first experience with setting foot on sacred soil. I climbed a small embankment and stood on the piece of land dedicated for the Temple. It is just a plain grassy, flat piece of land, but I felt a quiet spirit delicately touch my soul. I reverently took pictures of this now empty parcel. How soon will it fulfill its destiny?

COMMUNITY OF CHRIST TEMPLE: We had a chance to visit the exhibit area and gift shop of the Community of Christ “Temple.” We saw artifacts from historical events. I took special notice of Joseph Smith’s walking stick, Emma’s ring, and her petticoat. The description said it is the one she wore when she led and carried their children across the frozen Mississippi, with the manuscript of the Inspired Version of the Bible tucked in the folds. The massive original door of the Liberty Jail was there. Copies were on display of several manuscripts, as well as the printers copy of the Book of Mormon. An original RLDS Bible containing the Inspired Version was also on display.


LDS VISITORS’ CENTER: The Sisters gave us an informative tour centered on the importance of families. They showed us replicas of pioneer family scenes, including a cabin. There was also a reproduction of WW Phelp’s printing office.

LIBERTY JAIL: After dinner we visited the Liberty Jail historical site - Joseph’s “Temple Prison.” The original jail has been recreated on the original floor. A touching and spiritual presentation was given by a Sister Missionary. One could feel the powerful influence of the Spirit. It was a time for introspection and listening.


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009

FAR WEST TEMPLE SITE: This was the first stop of the day as we headed north. I took pictures of the monument inscriptions and the cornerstones. I was grateful for the opportunity to quietly and reverently stand alone there for a few minutes. I could feel the touch of the Spirit permeate my being.

ADAM-ONDI-AHMAN: After winding down back roads for several miles, we reached Adam-Ondi-Ahman. I had hoped to see Spring Hill and Tower Hill, but our visit was limited to an overlook of the Valley. One could feel the sacredness of this beautiful spot, and after Brian talked for a while, I walked off a ways and stood quietly, drinking in and with great gratitude savoring the gift of finally being there. It would have been nice to have had more time, but I am grateful for that precious, albeit short, experience. The sweeping view of the valley brought the same spiritual recognition that I have previously felt every time I have seen pictures of it. It reminds me of the times I recognized the sites of both the Seattle and Manhattan Temples before they were made known to me.


KANESVILLE TABERNACLE: We drove to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and stopped at the Kanesville Visitors’ Center. We then went inside the replica of the Kanesville Tabernacle to learn about Brigham Young’s ordination and sustaining as President, Prophet, Seer and Revelator in December 1847.

WINTER QUARTERS TEMPLE: There has been a great deal of care taken to make this temple exquisitely beautiful. A pioneer and sego lily theme is used throughout the temple. The stained glass windows are jewel-like in their detail and color. One large wall of stained glass has various scenes depicting the history of the pioneers’ journey west. As I sat and waited for the session to begin, I reflected upon my recent treasured visits to the Independence, Far West, and Adam-Ondi-Ahman temple sites.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

WINTER QUARTERS: The bus took us back to the Winter Quarters Temple, where the Winter Quarters cemetery and the Visitors’ Center are also located. We had a chance to take some pictures, but I wish I had taken some last night when the light was shining through those exquisitely beautiful stained glass windows. The grounds are beautifully planted with colorful flowers. Brian pointed out several things about the statues of the man and woman there in the cemetery. They are burying their infant in the awful cold of winter, but they are faced toward the temple, symbolic of the promise that this child is theirs for eternity. The visitors’ center had good displays of the Winter Quarters pioneer experiences, and the Sister taking us through helped us understand a bit of what it would have been like. She said that in the journey across Iowa, the saints struggled through mire that was at times waist-deep in the thawing, water-soaked prairie soil. They sometimes traveled a day’s journey and could look back and still see where they had started.

MOUNT PISGAH: As we began the lengthy journey across Iowa to Nauvoo, Brian made a surprise announcement. We would be stopping at Mount Pisgah to learn about events at that way-station on the Mormon Trail. He told us Brigham Young had sent Parley P. Pratt ahead to find a suitable place along the way for refuge and good land to grow crops and build cabins. They built a settlement on four or five thousand acres that served as a refuge from 1846 to 1852. Brian quoted someone’s written description of witnessing a “sea of wagons constantly coming and going.”

The area is owned by Bob Brown, a farmer and non-member, who has developed a significant interest in the Mormon history of that way station and resting stop. He graciously met with us and took us on a wagon tour. They figure there were about 700 cabins built there, as well as dug-outs (he noted he would rather have lived in a dugout than a cabin). He also demonstrated how they found the cabin foundations, graves, wells, latrines, water, etc, by using metal (galvanized iron) wire rods bent at right angles to divine the locations. He had us try it as well. The principle involves the interference 18 inches or deeper of the magnetic polarity of the earth, which causes the wires to move. I tried it, and sure enough, it worked for me as well. A person cannot help but feel a deep appreciation for all Mr. Brown has done and is doing to preserve the area.


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009
NAUVOO: We attended an 8:00 am Fast and Testimony Meeting with the missionaries - a whole chapel full of them! I had a special experience when I partook of the Sacrament. The piece of bread I picked up was hard, dry, and tasted somewhat moldy. As I struggled a bit with the experience, the Spirit whispered a gentle reminder that often the pioneers were most grateful for any kind of bread morsel - dry, moldy or otherwise. I am thankful for this light of understanding received through the touch of the Spirit. The sweet testimonies borne increased my spiritual feasting as I partook of the Sacrament in Nauvoo.

RESTORED NAUVOO BUILDINGS: Afterwards, we were let off down by some of the restored Nauvoo sites and had a chance to go exploring. I visited the boot/shoe makers, Brigham Young’s home, the blacksmith, the wainwright/wheelwright shops, and the Browning rifle manufacturing home and shop (this was especially interesting because as a child I often watched my father build rifles).

Brian also took us to see the original short tunnel of stone the residents built to facilitate draining their reclamation canal water into the Mississippi River. I had not been aware that the swampy condition of the low land which the Saints encountered when they first arrived was not from the river. It was caused by water coming from the higher ground above the flats and flowing over the underlying limestone beds.


NAUVOO FARMS AND CEMETERY: The bus took us up on the prairie east of the city where there are acres upon acres of farmland. We stopped at the Old Historical Nauvoo Cemetery and could feel the sacredness of the spot. We were then shown where Joseph and Hyrum Smith’s farms were located. Brian showed us where Joseph rode east on Parley’s Street toward Carthage. He first stopped to give instructions to Cornelius Lott, the man running his farm for him. Fully aware of what lay before him, he rode to the end of his property, turned right and headed for Carthage. I felt a tug at my heartstrings as I looked down that road.


MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009
This morning we were driven across the Mississippi at Fort Madison. Brian informed us that the government built forts about every twelve miles along the Mississippi. He also quoted a statement that Joseph Smith was like a great stone in the river - dividing believers from scoffers. He discussed some reasons for the persecution and persecutors. Thomas Sharp had reasons for being a prominent one. His newspaper was outsold and out-scooped (the Church’s Nauvoo Times and Seasons and Nauvoo Neighbor were getting news from immigrants coming from the east coast and Europe); his ferry across the Mississippi was no longer the primary one; members of his church were joining the Mormons; and he was fearful of the Nauvoo legion, 4,000 strong, as compared to the Warsaw regulars of perhaps 100 - 200 men. Apparently fear was often a prime motivator for antagonism, as well as the financial and political impact experienced by the local people.


MIRACLE OF THE QUAIL STATE PARK: The last group of saints to leave Nauvoo were forcibly evicted in 1848 and were destitute. There were about 1,000 that were either too poor to buy the needed wagons and supplies, or suffered from sickness or other incapacities. Many of them had been attacked and driven off their farms, leaving them with nothing. Iowa has a small Miracle of the Quail State Park, which has a vista across the Mississippi to Nauvoo. There are information plaques briefly telling the story of the miracle that occurred there for the starving outcasts. Brian quoted out of Thomas Bullock’s diary telling how the quail pretty much presented themselves to be captured, coming multiple times - even to the feeble in bed. Also, Brian said that the dew on the plants was sweet and they gathered it to boil down to eat as well
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KEOKUK, IOWA: We stopped at Keokuk, where Brigham Young had the saints cross the Mississippi on the south side of Johnson’s Island. The first to cross was Brigham Young’s vanguard of at least 13,000 in late February and March, 1846. The second set of saints to leave Nauvoo left in assorted groups from March through early summer. They sacrificed so much - their homes, friends, popularity, livelihood.

Keokuk is named after the chief of the Potowami tribe, who was friends with Joseph and the Mormons. Keokuk is where Joseph and company rowed across to head west in response to Governor Ford’s order to arrest Joseph and send him to Carthage Jail. They came back when others, including Emma, crossed the river the next day to ask Joseph to give himself up. Some accused him of being a coward. At that time he said that if his life held no meaning to his friends, then it had none for him. He stated he was going like a lamb to the slaughter.

WARSAW: We drove through Warsaw, and Thomas Sharp’s name is still on the window of the abandoned newspaper office, which stands like a ghost from the past. In fact, most of the town, especially the old part, is a ghost town, with rows of empty stores.

COMMUNITY OF CHRIST: We returned to Nauvoo and visited the Community of Christ Visitor’s Center. We were given a tour of their sites, which included the Nauvoo House, Joseph Smith’s first home in Nauvoo, the Mansion House, and Joseph Smith’s Red Brick Store, They also showed us the grave sites for Joseph, Emma, Hyrum, Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith, as well as others buried there.


NAUVOO TEMPLE: We returned to the hotel to change and then experienced the sacred opportunity of attending a session at the Nauvoo temple! The Temple is a gem - carefully crafted and restored. Murals are beautifully done in the endowment rooms. We were shown the Assembly room that resembles the Kirtland Temple Assembly room, with ascending alters on both ends. As we climbed the beautiful circular staircase, I looked up and down, admiring its spiral perfection. The whole experience was deeply sacred to me and I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the privilege of being there.


RENDEZVOUS IN OLD NAUVOO: After dinner we attended a performance in the Cultural Hall of "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo" by the senior missionaries. It was an absolutely delightful experience to watch at least 25 senior missionaries enthusiastically perform and sing - quite well, I might add. I was smiling the whole time.


TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009:

PARLEY STREET: We started out the morning by walking down Parley Street on the “Trail of Hope.” We read the quotes from the Saints’ diaries that were printed on the plaques along the way, telling of their feelings as they left Nauvoo and their beautiful temple forever. With some longing glances, we also bid Beautiful Nauvoo farewell as we traveled down its streets for the last time.


CARTHAGE JAIL: The visit to Carthage Jail was intense with feelings. I could not help but feel the sacred impact of the room that was witness to the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum. There was a hush in the air and we all felt the solemnity of the events that occurred there.

HANNIBAL, MISSOURI: After lunch in Quincy, we arrived at Hannibal. We looked around at the Mark Twain historical sites for a short while before taking our river cruise on the Mississippi. As we started walking toward the dock, a fellow with his horse-drawn carriage wagon offered us a ride. We gratefully accepted, adding another experience to our increasing storehouse. It was fun to ride the Mark Twain riverboat up the river a ways, and then down the river past islands and cliffs. I got a surprise when I walked on the upper deck to look in the back at the paddle wheels. No paddle wheels! There was just a structure that gave the appearance of a cover for paddle wheels. So much for a real river boat!

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

ST. LOUIS TEMPLE: We did a photo stop at the St. Louis Temple. We couldn’t attend a session because the temple was temporarily closed due to some needed repair work. It was dedicated in 1997 and was the last full-sized temple built.

GATEWAY ARCH AND NATIONAL MUSEUM: We then visited the St. Louis Gateway Arch and National Museum (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Park). The Arch is built of welded stainless steel plates. The feet are 330 feet apart, and it is 630 feet high (63 stories). It is officially named “Gateway to the West.”

I decided to spend my allotted time in the Museum rather than take the elevator to the top of the Arch. There were a lot of interesting exhibits dealing with the western migration and the Indian culture. I copied down a couple of quotes that I liked. Tecumseh, chief of Shawnee, regarding the Louisiana Purchase: “Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth. Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children?” And a heart breaker by Black Elk: “I did not know then how much was ended . . . A people’s dream died there (Wounded Knee). It was a beautiful dream . . . the nation’s hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.”

UNION TRAIN STATION: Our next stop in St. Louis was the Union Train Station. In its heyday 100,000 trains passed through daily. I hadn’t expected to see such a grand and elegant structure. It is now owned by Marriott Hotels. There were lots of interesting memorabilia from days gone by at the small museum, not only about trains, but also the 1904 St. Louis Fair.


ST. LOUIS BASCILICA: Our last stop of the tour was a visit to the St. Louis Cathedral (Bascilica). It is quite an imposing and intricately detailed structure. The exterior architecture is Romanesque and the interior byzantine. Construction was begun in 1907. There are an amazing 70,000 works of art composed of ½ inch glass mosaic tiles (tesserae) that decorate the walls and the ceilings. It took twenty artists 75 years to install the 83,000 square feet of mosaic art (totaling 41,500,000 pieces of tile in over 8,000 different shades of color). Over the main alter is a huge canopy structure, called a baldachino, intricately crafted in four different colors of marble. Out of respect for the sanctity of the church, I just took a picture of one of the ceiling mosaics in the vestibule.

Before we headed to the airport, we all stood outside on the cathedral steps where Brian used each of our cameras to take group pictures for us. At the airport we said goodbye to our genial and capable bus driver Don White and boarded the plane for the long trip home.


I look back on my highly prized trip with mixed emotions. Sorry it is over. It feels like it was a dream. Will I ever get the opportunity to see these places again? So many memories!