Welcome.....
To the site that guides you through some of the most significant
LDS Church Historical Sites found throughout the Eastern States of the USA. It offers
a visual and historical overview of many of these sites and their locations, and a
glimpse into the lives of a people of great faith. It is hoped that this site can assist
those who are planning a visit to some or all of these historic points by offering some
continuity and some added resources for making the trip easier.
The story begins at a time when a country was coming to terms with its own identity, when
the very foundation of this countries constitution was laid within religious
freedom. However, these people, known as 'The Saints', struggled for over three decades to be
accepted for their religious convictions, and many times over suffered at the hands of religious
intolerance.
It was also a country that was rapidly moving and shifting in its size and population. The
frontier was ever being pushed further west as the promise of greener pastures loomed on
the horizon.
With this colonization brought the wild in heart and the redneck renegades who were mostly
uneducated and often lawless. Combine all this with the religious fervour and hardworking values
of a rapidly growing group of people who were united in their pursuit of 'Zion',
and it was destined for turmoil.
Upstate New York held a promise for good farming in the early 1800's, and many
families began moving there. The Smith's were one of them.
But farming was not to be their primary focus in the Palmyra area. Through several
miraculous heavenly visitations Joseph was to spend his life in serving God and others.
Joseph and his family experienced much persecution and were forced
to move on several occasions during this time. These moves took them from
Palmyra, New York to Harmony,
Pennsylvania and finally to Fayette, New York.
It soon became evident that the largest growth area for converts was
Kirtland, Ohio and, after several revelations, Joseph announced in 1831 that the Church
headquarters was to be relocated there.
Missouri was at the edge of the frontier at this time and housed a multiplicity of people
and personalities. It also sat on the border between the
north and the south, which meant....more
It was as early as 1831 that the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that Jackson County, Missouri
was 'Zion'. It would become a gathering place for the saints over the next 8 years with settlements
made in:
However, it would also become a proving ground for the saints and tested their faith and
resolve on numerous occassions.
After the horrors of their experiences in Missouri
it was a wonder at all that they still had the drive to build such a beautiful city as
Nauvoo, Illinois.
This period of time culminated in the martyrdom of a Prophet in the Carthage Jail in 1844. But this did not destroy the people's faith.
They took courage and turned their faces west and began a journey that was to prove to be their
greatest test of faith.
This was the absolute frontier in 1847. Iowa was American territory and Nebraska
was Indian territory. Council Bluffs
sat on the eastern side of the Missouri River, in Iowa, and Winter Quarters sat on the western banks of the river in
Nebraska. They were two significant communities that serviced the needs of the saints
as they prepared to enter the wilderness in search of a new home.
Ironically, it was the Indian communities of Nebraska who accepted the saints and their settlement for the time they needed to prepare for the trek across
the plains and mountains.
