To identify the people, places and events of the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, helping to presersve for descendants of pioneers and all who share in their legacy, their story of faith and fortitude.
OUR MISSION
The Land and Records Office has records on the locations of the homes and property of those who resided in Nauvoo from 1839 to 1846, including records on many of the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
NAUVOO LAND & RECORDS OFFICE
WINTER QUARTERS
It was during the winter of 1846-47 migrating, Mormon pioneers came to the banks of the Missouri River and here they built their Winter Quarters. Some four thousand or so pioneers built cabins and dugouts in which they lived for two years. Some 90 + settlements were established as well in Iowa on the eastern side of the river, here their sojourn lasted up to another five years.
PIONEER RESEARCH LIBRARY
Located in the Trail Center is the Pioneer Research Library.
Those seeking information about pioneers who lived in one of the 23 Winter Quarters Wards or the 90 + Iowa settlements may find evidence here. A listing of burials in the Winter Quarters Pioneer Cemetery is also available. Some information may be found as well about the 60 + Iowa pioneer cemeteries.
AN AMERICAN EXODUS
"Following the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, ire against the Saints rose rapidly. In 1845, the repeal of the Nauvoo City charter, which among other things granted the Latter-day Saints the right to keep a standing militia for their own protection, signaled the effective end of their sojourn in Illinois. These events, however, merely catalyzed a move contemplated by Church leaders for a number of years. As early as 1840 Joseph Smith had taught there was "a place of safety preparing for [the Saints] away towards the Rocky Mountains" (quoted in Ronald K. Esplin, "'A Place Prepared': Joseph, Brigham and the Quest for Promised Refuge in the West," Journal of Mormon History vol.9 [1982], 90). By the fall of 1845, preparations for the exodus were well under way; the proposed departure date would be, in the words of Brigham Young, "as soon as the grass grows" (quoted in Wallace Stegner, The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail, [1964], 38) in the following spring. But the mobs wouldn't rest. On 4 February 1846, in the heart of a Midwestern winter so cold and bitter the Mississippi River froze over, the Latter-day Saints were driven from their homes and lands down a street which came to be known as the "Street of Tears" and into the unknown mystery of the western frontier."
"Nauvoo: City Beautiful." The Trek West. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
"Following the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, ire against the Saints rose rapidly. In 1845, the repeal of the Nauvoo City charter, which among other things granted the Latter-day Saints the right to keep a standing militia for their own protection, signaled the effective end of their sojourn in Illinois. These events, however, merely catalyzed a move contemplated by Church leaders for a number of years. As early as 1840 Joseph Smith had taught there was "a place of safety preparing for [the Saints] away towards the Rocky Mountains" (quoted in Ronald K. Esplin, "'A Place Prepared': Joseph, Brigham and the Quest for Promised Refuge in the West," Journal of Mormon History vol.9 [1982], 90). By the fall of 1845, preparations for the exodus were well under way; the proposed departure date would be, in the words of Brigham Young, "as soon as the grass grows" (quoted in Wallace Stegner, The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail, [1964], 38) in the following spring. But the mobs wouldn't rest. On 4 February 1846, in the heart of a Midwestern winter so cold and bitter the Mississippi River froze over, the Latter-day Saints were driven from their homes and lands down a street which came to be known as the "Street of Tears" and into the unknown mystery of the western frontier."
"Nauvoo: City Beautiful." The Trek West. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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CHARLES R. SAVAGE
