16 - Monday, August 4, 2025 -- Pioneer Pastimes and Professions

 

The baptistry. The font rests on the backs of twelve oxen, symbols of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is a close replica of the font in the original Nauvoo Temple. 

Following the savior's example of selfless service, we perform baptisms in the temple in behalf of our ancestors who died without having the opportunity to embrace the Savior's gospel. The Apostle Paul referred to this important redemptive work for the dead when he asked, "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?"

Deceased individuals for whom baptisms are performed have the freedom in the hereafter to choose whether to accept this ordinance, just as we have that same choice during our mortal lifetime. 
(Nauvoo Illinois Temple brochure)

* * * * *

What a lovely week -- inside and out.  It's always lovely inside the temple.  The beginning of the week we had some mighty hot days.  In fact, Brother Munns, a teamster missionary, told us they didn't even bring the horses out because it was so hot.  Then it dropped in the 70's for the rest of the week.  Some beautiful mornings and evenings to walk and be outside.  The temperature will creep up to 90 degrees again by the end of the week before it goes down again with rain.  Is it possible we've passed the really hot stuff?

This week we learned about the pioneer pastimes, which were really necessities for living:

Brick mold and samples of bricks.  What a process!  Gather the clay, mix and knead it with 

water, put in mold, remove and set brick to dry.  Turn it each day to a new side (6 sides= 6 days). then it must be fired for a day, and then cured for 28 days before using.  A good brickmaker could produce 3,000 bricks in a day.  Wow!

Pottery station.  Heber C. Kimball was a potter.

Showing the potter's wheel driven by the feet.

Rope making.  Start with 6 strands of twine. . .

Turn the wheel and the strands wind together. .

And voila-- we made a 12 foot rope!

The Cooper station where we then learned about barrel making. . .

. . .and actually put together a small barrel.  There's still many steps to go before it is a barrel.

A great display of pioneer tools.

We did not actually pack the wagon, but at the left is the Bill of Particulars--the list of items that each family should take in their wagon(s) for their journey west.

The bread making kitchen--with which we are very familiar.

But this was cool.  It is a "proofing" box--a place for the bread to rise and be protected from insects (and probably fingers).

Handmade brooms.

The weaving station.	The sister missionaries can weave a table runner while serving here.	Samples of weaving.
A rag rug being hand woven.	When finished this triangular woven piece. . .	. . .will become this woolen jacket.

Candle making.  It takes many, many dips to get this thickness.  They are dipped and hung to dry with rocks tied to the bottom for weight which keeps them straight.

A decorative tin container in which to store candles--away from insects and mice because they used beef tallow to make the candles.

Courting Candle It has a small lever that will adjust the length of the candle's burning time--depending how long one wants their daughter to talk with her beau.

The process of spinning

One more vignette, Go Ye Into All the World

Another fabulous presentation about missionary work from early church history.  These young preforming missionaries are amazing!  And they leave tomorrow.  The fall cast has arrived and will be continuing the presentations. . .

Final scene of the final Nauvoo Pageant for 2025

. . .except the big Nauvoo and British pageants ended this week.  

One day on our way back to Nauvoo from grocery shopping we stopped to see this large turbine at the side of the road.  It was part of the large dam nearby that was built in 1913 to harness the Mississippi River. Here are some facts:

Installed in 1913, replaced in 2021

Weight: 180,000 lbs. (90 tons)

Height: 11'4", Diameter: 17'4"

Power: 9MW (12,000 HP)

Water Flow: 30,000 gallons per second

15 - Monday, July 28, 2025 -- Pioneer Leftovers

 We are often asked if the Church had the original plans for the Nauvoo Temple.  There were only a couple of photographs that existed, none gave view of all sides of the temple.  Here's the miracle that happened told in the words of Elder Vern Thacker, an LDS missionary in the California Mission in 1946:

"While we were tracting on the outskirts of town one day, we both felt inspired to stop at a small home. A man named Leslie M. Griffin invited us in and told us that he was a descendant of William Weeks, the architect for the Nauvoo LDS Temple."  The missionaries visited him several times to discuss the gospel. Nearing the end of his mission, Elder Thacker made one last visit to Mr. Griffin who "excused himself for a few minutes and went into the back part of his house. He soon returned with a roll of what looked like poster paper about three feet long, ten inches in diameter, and secured with a rubber band. He explained that these were the original plans for the Nauvoo Temple and that they had been handed down in his family from his grandfather William Weeks. He opened the bundle and showed the plans to us. The largest of the papers was a side view of the Temple exterior. Rolled inside of this piece were several other smaller drawings showing various views of the Temple."  He asked Elder Thacker if on his way home he would carry "these plans to the headquarters of the Church in Salt Lake."  The plans were deliver to the Church Historian's Office 28 September 1948, photographed and secure4d in a steel-locked safe."  (Sacred Stone, The Temple at Nauvoo)

* * * * *

These are some of the "pioneer leftovers" around town. (There could possibly be a couple of reconstructions in the lot.) 

		Original well on the Homestead property
		Grave of Jeanetta Richards (wife of Willard Richards) next to sidewalk in historic Nauvoo
Farm Implement	Hitching Post	Millstones
Root Cellar - on many homes		Cement Mixer (?)
		George W. &  Almira Bosley home foundation
Remnants of the canal used to drain Nauvoo - looking North	Looking south at the canal -- 100 steps from our house.	Buggy

Standard schedule this week.  We've had some severe weather watches, a fair amount of rain, which brings the temperature down and the humidity up.  Higher temperatures predicted this week, but so far it has not been as hot as we expected.  And inside all buildings the air conditioning is kept VERY cool.  So no complaints there.