From the fire of persecution and hardship, 19th Century Latter-day Saints forged a shining city, the base from which the kingdom of God began to fill the earth.

Nauvoo, Ill., founded 150 years ago this month, is a reminder of Jesus' metaphor in Matthew:"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. . . .

"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:14-16.)

Fleeing from the Missouri persecutions, the Latter-day Saints had found refuge in Quincy, Ill., in early 1839. There, committees were appointed to consider the purchase of lands.

Meanwhile, Israel Barlow, an elder of the Church making his way from Missouri, ended up in Iowa near the mouth of the Des Moines River. The people there made him acquainted with Dr. Isaac Galland, who owned considerable property at Commerce, Ill., about 50 miles up the Mississippi River from Quincy.

Joseph Smith, on April 22, 1839, arrived in Quincy, having recently been freed from his long confinement in the jail at Liberty, Mo. He and a committee of brethren purchased a farm from Galland on May 1, the beginning of purchases by the Church of lands in Commerce.

Concerning the area, Joseph Smith later said: "The place was literally a wilderness. The land was mostly covered with trees and bushes, and much of it was so wet that it was with the utmost difficulty that a footman could get through, and totally impossible for teams. Commerce was unhealthy, very few could live there; but believing that it might become a healthy place by the blessing of heaven to the saints, and no more eligible place presenting itself, I considered it wisdom to make an attemptto build up a city."

Over six years, the saints drained the mosquito-infested lands, then platted and built a thriving city. Early on, Joseph Smith changed the name to Nauvoo, a word that comes from the Hebrew and signifies beautiful location, "carrying with it," Joseph Smith said, "the idea of rest."

Some historians estimate the population to have been as high as 20,000. However, Glen M. Leonard, co-author of a planned history of Nauvoo and director of the Museum of Church History and Art, said the peak population was probably between 12,000 and 15,000, based on census records. Even so, he said, it rivaled Chicago in population.

From a historical perspective, it is clear that the saints attempted in Nauvoo what would later be accomplished in the Rocky Mountains; namely, the establishment of a central Church headquarters from which the gospel would be preached throughout the world.

Indeed, the similarities between Nauvoo and early Salt Lake City are striking. Each had clean, wide streets laid out at right angles. In each city, a beautiful temple was constructed. Each was a place of gathering for converts to the Church, and from each location, missionaries were sent overseas, the beginning of an effort to preach the gospel worldwide.

Although it is not the headquarters of the Church, Nauvoo still radiates a gospel light to the world. Since 1962 when it was organized by J. LeRoy Kimball, Nauvoo Restoration Inc., with donated funds, has restored historic sites and landmarks that help tell the story of the Restoration.

"With 20 sites now completed (three more by the end of the summer), there is enough at Nauvoo to give members of the Church a good feeling as to their spiritual heritage and to give the many non-members who visit a taste of the Latter-day Saints as a vibrant force in the westward expansion of America," said Elder Loren C. Dunn of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

Elder Dunn, president of the North America Central Area, and his counselors, Elders Jacob de Jager and John Sonnenberg of the First Quorum of the Seventy, are officers of Nauvoo Restoration Inc.

"Although visitors have to travel four and five hours from the major population centers, the numbers who come to Nauvoo are increasing every year, with over 100,000 in 1988," Elder Dunn observed. "As the Church continues to grow, historical sites such as Nauvoo and Carthage help us keep intact our spiritual and cultural heritage and are visible evidence of our roots and the beginnings of the restoration of the gospel. Rebuilding parts of Nauvoo has helped fulfill, to some extent, the April 1841 statement made by Joseph Smith when he said, speaking to Nauvoo residents: `Your names will be handed down to posterity as the Saints of God and virtuous men [and women].' "

Noting that the current officers of Nauvoo Restoration Inc. have no plans for future construction at Nauvoo, Elder Dunn said the Nauvoo sesquicentennial and the upcoming dedication of the new complex at Carthage Jail will mark the accomplishment of the basic objectives outlined by the officers of Nauvoo Restoration on May 1, 1964.

Those objectives were, in part, "to restore the historically important part of the old town of Nauvoo as it was when it flourished . . . during the period of 1839-46, as an authentic physical environment for interpreting the story of Nauvoo and the mass migration of its people to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake . . . and to have an understanding of the character of those people as shown by the homes they built and the way they lived and an understanding of the depth of their emotions and the strength of their faith that made them abandon their temple, their homes, and their city and start on their long trek westward."

The restored Nauvoo sites are tangible reminders of a rich period in Church history. Fundamental doctrines of the Church were revealed and enlarged through the Prophet Joseph Smith during the Nauvoo period, including baptism for the dead, the temple endowment, eternal marriage and the plan of salvation.

Nauvoo also is a reminder of what can be accomplished by Church members with faith, dedication and resourcefulness, even if resources are meager.

One example of such resourcefulness is the "whistling and whittling brigade." In the summer and fall of 1845, when the city charter had been revoked, Nauvoo residents were vulnerable to lawless strangers who came to the city to commit crimes, figuring the offenses would be regarded falsely as instances of Mormon lawlessness.

During this time the "whistling and whittling brigade" protected the defenseless city. The brigade consisted of troops of boys armed with jackknives, bowie knives and sticks. They would gather around any undesirable stranger and whistle and whittle vigorously, not saying a word but following him wherever he went. They were too small individually and too numerous collectively for the individual stranger to fight. Frustrated, he would soon leave the city.

Perhaps such ability by Church members to triumph over challenges is the heritage of Nauvoo.

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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)

Former swamp became gathering place

- Israel Barlow, an elder in the Church, met Isaac Galland in the fall of 1838, in Commerce, Ill. Their association resulted in the Church purchasing property from Galland, near the Mississippi River. The saints began to gather there and subsequently drained the land for a city they named Nauvoo.

- Joseph Smith purchased a farm and took up residence in a small log house a mile south of Commerce on May 10, 1839.

- Arising from his own sick bed on July 22, 1839, Joseph Smith went about healing the saints who were suffering from malaria and other maladies caused by the unhealthy environment.

- Two stakes of Zion were organized at a conference in Commerce on Oct. 5-7, 1839.

- Illinois Gov. Thomas Carlin signed a bill incorporating Nauvoo as a city on Dec. 16, 1840. The city charter allowed for establishment of a university and the Nauvoo Legion.

- Joseph Smith was elected mayor of the city and lieutenant-general of the Nauvoo Legion in February 1841.

- The cornerstones of the Nauvoo Temple were laid on April 6, 1841. Its capstone was laid on May 24, 1845, and it was dedicated in ceremonies April 30-May 3, 1846.

- Construction of the Nauvoo House began in the spring of 1841. It was a contemplated hotel, which the saints were commanded to build in a revelation now recorded as D&C 124. The building was never finished.

- During the winter of 1841-42, Joseph Smith completed translation of the Egyptian papyrus and prepared for its publication. It is now the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price.

- Joseph Smith penned the Wentworth Letter, which contained the Articles of Faith. The letter, to John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, was published in Nauvoo in Times and Seasons on March 15, 1842.

- The Relief Society was founded by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo on March 17, 1842, with his wife, Emma, as its first president.

- The temple endowment was introduced and first given in Joseph Smith's store in Nauvoo on May 4, 1842.

- Joseph Smith wrote epistles on Sept. 1 and 6, 1842, (D&C 127, 128), containing revelations on baptism for the dead.

- The Nauvoo Mansion House, the principal hotel of the city, was completed in 1843. It was the residence of Joseph Smith until his martyrdom the following year.

- The Nauvoo Neighbor, a weekly newspaper edited by John Taylor, began publication May 3, 1843, and continued regularly for nearly three years. It encouraged the gathering of saints to Nauvoo and promoted the city's progress.

- A revelation was given through Joseph Smith pertaining to eternal marriage (D&C 132) and was recorded in Nauvoo July 12, 1843.

- Joseph Smith, in reference to the death of King Follett, delivered a major discourse at a conference in Nauvoo on April 6, 1844. In the sermon, he more fully explained the doctrine of eternal exaltation and the three degrees of glory.

- Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred at Carthage, Ill., on June 27, 1844. Their bodies lay in state in the Nauvoo Mansion House prior to burial in Nauvoo.

- In consequence of anti-Mormon sentiment, the Illinois Legislature repealed the city charter in January 1845. The saints began their exodus from Illinois on Feb. 11, 1846.