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.  

14 - Monday, July 21, 2025 - Pageants and Portrayals

 

The Nauvoo Temple model from the Historic Visitor's Center.  The inside is where we spend each day.

* * * * *

Our week began with a Sunday fireside featuring Cynthia Collier. She has been the director of the Nauvoo and British Pageants for 25 years.  (She is also the director of Savior of the World  at the Conference Center in Salt Lake.)  Here are a few highlights from her message:

• She works with about 1,500 missionaries each summer.
• There could be 500 people on stage 
• The City of Joseph pageant began in the era of community-type pageants and ran for 27 years.
• When the Nauvoo temple was dedicated in 2002, it was time for a new pageant.
• A committee in Salt Lake (of which she was a member) was working on something to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth.  And then they were asked to prepare a new pageant for Nauvoo.  That's why they were doing this.  
• Their resources included Preach My Gospel, Emma Smith's hymnbook, Book of Mormon, the martyrdom (but not the blood and carnage), and of course the Nauvoo Temple. 
• The stage is set simply--as the pioneers would have done.
• The story is based on a composite of real people who lived in Nauvoo.
• It is not by accident that the brothers and sisters who build the temple are a people to go inside.
• Nauvoo is an an amazing crossroads--then and now.  There are miracles--then and now. 

Scenes from the Nauvoo Pageant which brought to life many of the familiar people,  experiences, stories, scriptures, and hymns -- culminating with the building of a temple.  A line to remember by Elijah Fordham,\: "I will rest in God's Kingdom, but let me build it first."

That is not a temple; it is the sails of a ship.

The British Pageant tells the inspiring story of the British missionaries' success as they taught the restored gospel and helped thousands migrate to join with the saints in the United States.  The story is still being written. . .

There was something for everyone.  All afternoon in the green around the pageant stage was a Country Fair with such activities as:

Dancing	Checkers	Braiding rugs
Sawing Logs. . .	. . . the wood pieces then became a souvenir	Making puppets / Puppet Show
Maypole	Stick Pulling	Braiding
Tug of War	Grace Hoops	Hoops
Quilt Tying	Baseball	Stilts

A short bagpipe concert was held before the vignettes.

Parley and Thankful Pratt sang and made introductions.

Lucy Mack Smith read some letters and told how devoted and loyal Joseph and Emma were to each other.

Joseph and Emma

We attended a "vignette" called Letters of Joseph and Emma--powerful portrayal. 

John Taylor gave the intro and the context. . .

. . . and Joseph Smith gave stirring excerpts from the King Follet sermon.

And then another powerful vignette -- excerpts from the King Follet Address.  It was amazing what he had so beautifully memorized for 25 minutes.  (However, Joseph had spoken for two hours at the original King Follet funeral.)

To celebrate Pioneer Day we had a missionary breakfast this morning.  Here are the questions asked:

1. What day did the saints first leave Nauvoo?

2. What was the Bill of Particulars?

3. How many pounds of flour was a family of 5 required to have?

4. How many pounds of soap for each family did they need?

5. How many muskets or rifles for each family to take?

6. How many sets of pulley blocks and ropes did they need?

7.  What was the temperature when they left Nauvoo?

8.  Who was the first person to load their wagon on the flat boat to cross the Mississippi?

9.  How many estimated pioneers traveled overall?

10.  How many handcart companies were there in total?

1.  February 4, 1846

2.  The list of items they should take

3.  1,000 -- 200 per person

4.  20 pounds

5.  One per each male over age 12

6.  Two

7.  Nearly 0

8.  Charles Shumway

9.  70,000

10.  Ten

        Happy Pioneer Day!