After being forced from Kirtland, Ohio, the body of the Church sought refuge to the West - but peace was short-lived.
Members attempted to establish Zion in Independence, Mo., but were uprooted by persecution and driven to Far West, Mo., and later to Nauvoo, Ill. - the latter location being the final attempt at permanent settlement before the westward trek to the Rocky Mountains.Following are highlights of significant events occurring at Independence, Far West and Nauvoo, and a look at the Church today in those three communities. (See article in Jan. 7 Church News on Palmyra, Fayette, and Kirtland.)
INDEPENDENCE, MO.
Location: About 10 miles east of Kansas City, Mo., near the Kansas-Missouri border.
Today's population: Approximately 110,000 people.
LDS historical significance: Independence is the county seat of Jackson County and was designated in July 1831 as the "center place" for the "city of Zion" and the site for a temple. (D&C 57:1-3.)
Joseph Smith and about 30 other elders were called from Ohio to travel westward and preach the gospel in June 1831. Upon reaching Jackson County in July, the Lord revealed that it was the place where the saints should gather and build a temple. (D&C 57:3.)
Joseph Smith dedicated the temple site on Aug. 3, 1831. During the subsequent two years, a store, printing office and schools were established in Independence, as saints flocked there.
But hostilities began to spring up in early 1833, and construction of the temple never occurred. Mobbers fell upon the saints July 20, looting the general store and destroying the printing office. Several minor skirmishes followed, and Church members were driven across the Missouri River into Clay County in November 1833.
For a number of years following the saints exodus West, Independence was the main outfitting place for westbound LDS caravans.
At some future day, the city of Zion and the temple will be built in this area. (Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pages 78-79.)
The Church today: Independence is headquarters of the Independence Missouri Stake, which has about 2,800 members. About one-half the stake membership lives in Independence, with the remainder in surrounding communities.
There are two Church visitors centers in the Independence area - one near the stake center and the other 12 miles north in Liberty.
The Missouri Independence Mission also is headquartered in Independence.
FAR WEST, MO.
Location: About 45 miles northeast of Independence in Caldwell County.
Today's population: The site of Far West consists of a home, a few vacant buildings, a Church historical site, a small RLDS visitors center and rich farmland.
LDS historical significance: Far West was founded by the saints in late 1836, three years after they were driven from Jackson County. It had a peak population of about 2,000 people.
"Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me," said the Lord in 1838 to Joseph Smith. (D&C 115:7.)
Far West was the headquarters of the Church from March 14, 1838, to spring 1839. There the Prophet received several revelations, including seven found in the Doctrine and Covenants. (Sections 113-115, 117-120.) In D&C 115:4 the Lord said His Church would be called ". . . The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."
A temple site was dedicated at Far West, and the cornerstone was laid July 4, 1838.
Far West was ransacked in November 1838, several weeks after Joseph Smith and other leaders had been incarcerated. Church members fled to Illinois or were scattered by mobs.
It was at Far West that the commanding general of the Missouri state militia ordered Joseph and Hyrum executed on the town square. But Brig. Gen. Alexander W. Doniphan refused to carry out the order, calling it "cold blooded murder." (History of the Church, Vol. 3: 187-199.)
The Church today: Far West is part of the Cameron Ward, Liberty Missouri Stake, an area covered by the Missouri Independence Mission.
The Church has unearthed the four temple cornerstones at Far West and turned the spot into an historic site that includes stone markers depicting revelations received there. Across the street is a small visitors center operated by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
NAUVOO, ILL.
Location: On the east bank of the Mississippi River in Hancock County, 50 miles north of Quincy and 190 miles north of St. Louis, Mo.
Today's population: Estimated at 1,000.
LDS historical significance: Headquarters of the Church from 1839 to 1846, Nauvoo derived its name from the Hebrew and signifies "beautiful location," according to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Most Church members expelled from Missouri in 1839 settled in Commerce - not much more than a swamp jutting into the mighty Mississippi River. The next year Commerce was incorporated as the city of Nauvoo.
The city blossomed and experienced phenomenal growth, having a peak population of about 15,000 people living in 700 to 800 homes. (Nauvoo, the Beautiful, page 71.)
Many homes were erected as people flocked to Nauvoo from throughout the country, and as a stream of Latter-day Saint emigrants arrived from Europe. A university was chartered there by the Illinois State Legislature, the Nauvoo Legion was organized, schools were built and newspapers - The Times and Seasons and The Nauvoo Neighbor - were started.
Eight revelations contained in the Doctrine and Covenants - Sections 124-129, 132 and 135 - were received there.
In January 1841, the Lord revealed His will regarding the building of a temple in Nauvoo. (D&C 124:40-43.) A month later, excavation for the edifice commenced, and the cornerstone was laid April 6, 1841. The temple was dedicated in the spring 1846, nearly two years after the marytrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
It was in Nauvoo that the "Female Relief Society" - forerunner of today's Relief Society - was organized on March 17, 1842.
After a few years of peace, a mobocratic spirit sprang up in Illinois. Following the martyrdom in 1844, persecution intensified until the entire membership of the Church in Nauvoo - renamed the City of Joseph - went into westward exile in early 1846.
Following the saints' departure, the temple was set afire on Nov. 18, 1848. Only the walls were left standing, and on May 27, 1850, they were destroyed by a tornado.
The Church today: Nauvoo is a small village that includes one major business: a cheese factory with a widespread reputation for fine cheese, according to a local Church leader. Many Nauvoo residents cross the Mississippi to Keokuk and Fort Madison for employment.
The Nauvoo Ward has a membership of about 350 people, including five or six residents of Carthage, Ill., a half hour southeast, and site of the martyrdom. Ward boundaries encompass a 30-mile radius and extend into Iowa and Missouri. The ward does not take in any large cities, but includes several small towns.
Restoration work in Nauvoo began in 1963. Today, the Church has a visitors center in the village, along with 18 restored homes and three restored shops and the Monument to Women.
A meetinghouse was constructed in Nauvoo in 1970 and expanded into a stake center in 1979. Church attendance in Nauvoo explodes in the summer due to an influx of members visiting the historic area. Five years ago, a facade was put over the meetinghouse and a replica of the Nauvoo Bell built to give the building an appearance authentic to Nauvoo's early history.
The annual City of Joseph Pageant, conducted between the visitors center and meetinghouse, attracts thousands of people every summer.
