25 years ago
The 1,000th stake of the Church was organized in Nauvoo, Ill., on Feb. 18, 1979, under the direction of President Ezra Taft Benson, then president of the Quorum of the Twelve.
Recording the event that took place in the Nauvoo Visitors Center, the Church News of Feb. 24, 1979, reported: "Nearly 1,100 members, gathered from wards and branches in three surrounding states, witnessed the historic formation of the Nauvoo Illinois Stake."
Gene Lee Roy Mann was sustained as the president of the stake.
"The 1,000th stake was the second one organized in Nauvoo," the Church News stated. "The original Nauvoo Stake was formed Oct. 5, 1839, and disbanded in 1846."
The article noted that the icy roads, bitterly cold winds and deep snow in Nauvoo as the new stake was organized were "reminiscent of the hardships early saints bore after being driven from their Nauvoo homes."
