More than 200 members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered last month in Nauvoo, Illinois, to mark the 180th anniversary of the early Saints’ departure from the city. This event commemorates the exodus that began in 1846 when Church members were forced to leave Nauvoo due to local opposition.
Participants at the anniversary event on Feb. 7 retraced the path of their ancestors, crossing the frozen Mississippi River then as it was in 1846 and reflecting on the journey that led the early Saints to what is the Salt Lake Valley, now the headquarters of the Church.
In a Church News video titled “Retracing Sacred Steps: 200 Latter-day Saints Honor Nauvoo Exodus,” participants explain what this experience and their pioneer heritage mean to them.
Youth participants led the group, carrying flags representing the native countries of those who lived in Nauvoo in 1846. Attendees wore the names of ancestors who were part of the original wagon companies and shared stories about their journeys.
Elliot Watts of Galesburg, Illinois, expressed a personal connection, walking in honor of his great-great-grandfather who broke ice on the Mississippi River to be baptized.
“When I think about it and when I look at what his life was,” Watts said, “it helps me put where I’m at and what I have into perspective.”
The attendees faced cold temperatures alongside the frozen river, serving as a vivid reminder of the hardships endured by the early Saints.
