Winter Quarters, Omaha Temple, Kanesville Tabernacle

On Sunday we woke up early and went to church in Omaha.  It was a nice and friendly ward, and it was fun to see Ethan pass the sacrament with the other deacons.  

After church we drove the short distance to the Temple.  What a beautiful place!  This temple was dedicated in 2001.  It is built right next to the old cemetery where saints were buried that passed away in Winter Quarters.   As with other sites we visited, I felt like we were standing on holy ground.  To be in a place the saints had gathered and to pay tribute them is a wonderful thing.

As you can tell, my kidos loved the rolling hills that the temple was built on. 

After visiting the temple we went across the street to the Winter Quarter Visitor Center.   My two oldest, as well as Clarence and I, had the opportunity to participate on a youth Trek.  It was an amazing experience, and I wanted to make sure that my kids had the opportunity to visit a place dedicated to the pioneers to made the trek from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake valley.

Imagine our surprise when we found this treasure waiting for us in this historic place.  This is a mortar cup brought from one of our relatives, Jens Hansen, all the way from Denmark.  I am grateful that someone had this little piece of history and was willing to donate it for others to see. 

There were so many neat things to see and do at this place.  I only wish we had more time.

We learned about some of the hardships that were faced by the pioneers as they left Nauvoo.  What they thought would take 2 months, took nearly 4 1/2 months to cover.  Bad weather made travel difficult.  As rain set in and the ground thawed, the mud became their biggest obstacle.  The wagons would sink all the way to the bottom of the cart.  The pioneers had to spend a lot of time digging themselves out of the mud only to slip in once again in another one.  One journal entry read  something like "Today we didn't have nearly as many puddles to go through.  Just one that was 4 miles long."   100 miles how far they made it the first month.  A distance that should have taken them 10 days to cover.  I was humbled by their hardships, and I grew to appreciate their struggles a little more.

Winter Quarters and Council Bluffs were built in a short amount of time that became home to the saints as they left Nauvoo and prepared for their final trek to Salt Lake. On the Iowa side the established a "Great Encampment".  By winter, some 2,500 saints would be settled into make-do shelters along the Missouri River.  Thousands more fanned out from the Grand Encampments, ultimately establishing over 90 cluster settlements within a 40 mile radius of Council Bluffs.  
Winter Quarters consisted on about 540 cabins, dugouts, and shanties, home to nearly 4,000 people. What an undertaking this had to have been!  More than 700 died from various elements that included exposure, malnutrition, TB, scurvy, malaria, and  pneumonia in the winter and spring from 1846-47

Another idea of what Winter Quarters  looked like. 

Our next stop was across the Missouri River to Council Bluffs.  Although not the original one, this is a replica of the Kanesville Tabernacle.  When the saints left Nauvoo, they didn't have a prophet to lead them since Joseph Smith was killed.  For 3 1/2  years the 12 apostles were leading the church.  In December of 1847 the apostles were directed to once again reorganize the church and call Brigham Young as the 2nd prophet of the church.  Since there wasn't a building big enough to do this, Kanesville Tabernacle was built in just 2 1/2 weeks with the help of 200 men to hold a special conference for this purpose. What dedication they had! The building was approx. 60 x 40.  This was the largest cabin they had ever made. The building was dedicated on the 24th of December, and, in a crowded room of over 1,000, Brigham Young was sustained as the prophet on December 27th.   The building was used for a couple more years for various events, but soon had to be torn down since some of the wood was rotting.  The purpose was filled, and the good wood was used for other things.

 

 

After learning more about the Saints we went into the tabernacle.  There wasn't a lot to see here, but we were able to appreciate the magnitude of what the saints were able to accomplish in a short time.  There was an old piano and Organ on display.  We were asked if anyone knew how to play the organ, and we all told them that Eugene did.  Our tour guide invited him onto the "stage" and play a song or two.  This organ was 127 years old.  What a treat!  It was a special experience for all of us.

After spending more time than we thought we would, we left this place with anticipation to learn more about these brave men and women who suffered and went through so much for their beliefs. They were faithful and obedient people.  I am grateful for their example and their courage.

We drove into the night to Ft. Madison, which is right outside of Nauvoo.   As we drove we were discussing some of the things we saw and felt.   Soon we started noticing the little flickers of light in the darkness.  Fireflies.  What a fun thing to see!  I showed them to our kids, and for the next couple of hours we were blessed to see them everywhere flying around into the darkness.  It was amazing to think that something so little could bring so much joy.  I'm sure there's an object lesson in there to use for later times.

We arrived in Fort Madison around midnight.  Tired and ready for bed, we all felt blessed for our Sabbath Day.  I am grateful we made this trip with not only my family, but with both sets of grandparents and an aunt.  What a special experience this has been!