Thursday, April 11
I am listening to “Men to Match My Mountains: The Opening of the Far West” by Irving Stone as I drive along. Sam Walter Foss Quote: Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose And new eras in their brains. Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas, Men whose thoughts shall pave a highway Up to ampler destinies, Pioneers to cleanse thought’s marshlands, And to cleanse old error’s fen; Bring me men to match my mountains– Bring me, men!
……..
I love …Pioneers to cleanse throught’s marshlands.
Also, the songs “American the Beautiful”, “Rocky Mountain High,” and “This Land is Your Land” played in my mind.
The days through Colorado and Kansas are a blur. I remember following the beautiful Colorado River for a long while and fighting super windy days in the RV, especially in Western Kansas. The open spaces made me feel hopeful: there is room for everyone, we are still a young country, and possibilities are as vast as the Plains.
This soaring optimism slightly before I developed a yeast infection, which did not cause my spirits to rise.
April 12- April 14, 2025
Independence, Misssouri
I decided to skip New York, and go right to Mormon Trail Country. That will give me two more weeks to enjoy my time. The puppies will like it better, too.
Northern Missouri was a gathering place for the Saints from the eastern USA. It was the penultimate attempt at building a Zion in the Land of the Gentiles. LDS use the term gentile to refer to non-members. I believe there is a theological explanation, as well, having to do with the concept of latter day church restoration and LDS as Children of Israel. I will figure that out later.
My days are confused. I believe it was here where I met some lovely people. Lynn and Kurt . He was the plumber fixing the hot water supply in the RV park. Lynn was from Southern CA. originally and worked in media. Kurt grew up in that area. Visiting with them was a high light on the trip.
During this time, I also met a lovely Vietnamese-American couple there with their son. They had come to stay for a month while the son received training on how to be a conductor on trains. Both parents fled their country to Hong Kong and then to Seattle, Washington during the Vietnam war. The husband was so kind and told me stories of his escape and near-death experiences, We also talked for a long time about theology -Buddist, Baptist, Mormon- and the concept of Grace. Something he said about experiencing big and small personal successes while understanding that we don’t own them really caught my attention. He talked of enjoying the good feelings of success , knowing, at the same time, that you don’t own them.
At the LDS Visitors Center I met a lovely missionary, Karen Sassler, who took a lot of her time, most of it after working hours, to talk with me about many aspects of Mormonism. She gave me literature, a Book of Mormon marked wityh passages applicable to our conversation, and even the first volume of a new series of books about the history of the church. We talked long on the idea of conviction, personal drive, and the origins behind it. I laughingly said, well, maybe I should get baptized on my trip. She agreed that if I really believed in the tenants of the church I should. I replied, well, there is that problem of authority and obedience as well as the male-dominated hierarchy that would be a problem. Not to mention several other things. She is really a lovely person.
April 15, 2025
Far West, Missouri
Far West is a historical site. When the LDS were driven from Independence, primarily because they were anti-slavery and voted as a bloc, they came north and founded Far West which served as headquarters of the church and a building site for a temple. I am writing this from the site of the temple which was never built due to local opposition. It was here were Joseph Smith had the revelation about sending missionaries “across the seas”. It was those missionaries- in England on my mother’s side and in South Africa on my fathers- who were responsible for bringing my family to the USA. I talked to a remarkable couple there that were on their 4th mission- to the Nauvoo Temple. We talked of the path the Saints had taken from Ohio to Far West.
Rolling hills are fun to drive and look at. I like the going up and down from peak to valley. At dusk, however, if the sun is in your eyes, driving is dangerous. Green farmlands covered with pink-purple henbit, dark purple violets, and lemon-yellow dandelions are all that I can see. Blue sky with a grey mist at the horizon. Cool stiff wind. The sun is low, the shadows long. Ruffie, Maisie, and I are the only ones here. It is quiet save the sound of a robin. Beautiful for me here and now. I try to imagine living here in the freezing winter of 1836 and being driven out by a mob. Many fleeing had only partial shoes or coats. They were to walk more than one hundred miles to Quincy, Illinois in January in that cold. I am cold now even with the sun. Imagine that bitter cold and being almost barefoot. This was a total, unforgiving wilderness. I have their DNA, but certainly not their stamina, courage, or conviction. I do see a little of their stubbornness in me, however.
At some point, I stopped in Macon, MO to take a walk. Macon is a charming town with many quaint homes mostly painted white. I paused at one- two-story , wood-frame, with a garden of daffodils and other flowering plants. On a comfortable outdoor patio between two houses, two couples were sitting visiting and I asked if it was ok to stop with the puppies. They asked about my trip, and I asked about their lives. One man had been a manager for Sears catalog store, the other a house builder. One woman had been a county clerk and the other worked for her. They sat there so relaxed, so contented in each other’s company, so seemingly at peace with the world – one man drinking Mountain Dew. I enjoyed their warmth and friendliness, and was reminded of the goodness of America’s heartland. (Despite their political convictions.)
April 17, 2025
Quincy, Illinois
is right on the Mississipi river. There is a huge bridge going across and heavy industry all around. A charming town with midwestern style houses with huge green yards in front which merge together. Some, who have dogs, do have fencing in the back.
I wanted to visit Quincy because the people there warmly welcomed the Mormon migrants from Far West, gave them food and shelter, and employment.
April 18-20 ,2025
Nauvoo, Illinois
Montrose,
Keokuk, Iowa
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo was created on a wasteland /marshland on the banks of the Mississippi. LDS from the east came here to create a “cornerstone of Zion”. To the LDS, Zion means many things, but, basically a place where the scattered members of God’s people come together- a city of righteous people, those “pure of heart”. Today’s population is less than 1,000, although at its largest, in 1845, there were 12,000-15,000 rivaling Chicago in size. That was before the exodus of 1846 leading to a drastic decline in population.
I walked down the main street, one of six pedestrians, and loved this little town which looked like Palisade Nebraska where I spent ages 5-9 Wide streets, vacant businesses, Lombardy poplars and elms coming into leaf. Many varieties of daffodils and tulips blooming in every yard. Briliant red, orange and yellow variants in many yards. Lilac bushes that I remember and love so well. Ate a sandwich at the Red Front store. But wait, is that a bookstore? Eborn Books and Souvenirs. Turns out that it is a most astounding bookstore full of books 90% of which are about all aspects of Mormonism.
Enjoyed the LDS Visitors Center with its spectacular Woman’s Garden with several bronze statues of women and children. Not a man amongst them, The gardens were f of several varieties of blooming daffodil, hyacinth, bleeding heart and lilac . Good video on the life of Joseph Smith, development of the church, and building of the temple which was later struck by lightning and a tornado and destroyed. The church rebuilt it on the exact site – on a hill overlooking the river- in 2002.
Had a beautiful drive of about 30 minutes right along the edge of the river over to Keokuk named after a chief of the Sac and Fox tribe.,
Keokuk and Montrose Iowa
Across the river from Nauvoo, Keokuk is located on the Civil War border between the North and the South with both Union and Confederate soldiers buried here in the First National Cemetery west of the Mississippi. I walked through the cemetery and was overwhelmed by the thousands of rows of white crosses. It was raining, windy, cold, and a Tornado Watch – the climate seemed appropriate. Soldiers from all of our wars are buried there and the cemetery is active (ha ha) today.
I went looking for the memorial noting the place of exodus from Nauvoo. Totally lost, I asked a teenage boy with the most gorgeous golden- brown hair if he might know where it was. Nope, he said, never heard of it. I continued wandering around this big park area when he came racing up on his bike and said, now I remember. I didn’t know what the word memorial meant, and after you left, I realized what you meant. Wasn’t that nice of him to chase me all over the park like that to help out? Following his directions, I found Triangle Park on Grand Ave lined by dozens of very grand houses, many of unusual architecture, and all backing on the river. While walking, checking out the houses, I encount4ered an older lady who invited me to sit and talk. She had early dementia, yet we understood each other well.
April 20, 2025
Back to Nauvoo.
The LDS had difficulties in Nauvoo as they had in New York, Ohio, and especially, Missouri. Early on, polygamy wasn’t the issue – that came after Nauvoo when it became well-known that plural marriage was practiced.
The form of persecution depended on the time period. There were many waves of migration:
1830’s- before polygamy
1846-1847- before polygamy
1850-1860’s-during polygamy
Some reasons, in addition to plural marriage, include:
* beliefs about God and family differed in important ways from mainstream Christianity
*creation of their own towns, religious-based governments, and security forces
*involvement as a voting bloc in local, state, and national government
*conviction that theirs was the only “true” church
The Joseph homestead included a cemetery containing the graves of Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and his wife, Emma., In another part of the property were the graves of his parents, children, and other family members. His home was a log cabin with a spectacular view of the river. This was true of many modest homes of the time. There is a red brick store nearby.
In 1844, Joseph and his brother, Hyrum, presented themselves in Carthage, Iowa to be arrested and tried for treason for inciting a riot resulting in the destruction of the printing press of a Nauvoo newspaper published by apostate members. While in jail, both brothers were murdered by an armed mob. I toured the jail and visitors center. The jail is a two story log and mortar mostly of original materials with creaky wooden floors and thick walls with deep-set windows. The downstairs was the jailer’s residence and pretty cosy. The cells were a lot better than what we have today. The missionary/guide told us the whole story of the martyrdom and allowed for questions. There was a young LDS family there with 15 children including a baby,. I asked if they might tell me about the family and they did. They are travelling in their own bus from Vernal, Utah. I know Vernal and Duschene where my friend Dianne Bettis was born. I asked the Grandpa if he knew of Dianne’s grandfather and he did. Family names are extraordinarily important to descendants of the pioneers. Including me. Two of the boys are soon to go on Missions-one to Botswana. I was able to tell him a little of that country. Mom and Dad were very young in appearance, very warm and pleasant. Interested in my life. I took a photo of them before they left in their bus. Each of the males shook my hand. Each of the females hugged me. It was great fun. They had just come from spending three weeks with an Amish family in Ohio.