It is being regarded as a landmark in LDS-Missouri history, showing graphic contrast between the rancor of the 1830s and the cordiality of today.

On April 24, before an estimated 1,200 onlookers in the State Capitol, Gov. Mel Carnahan and Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the Seventy cut a ribbon to open a three-month exhibit, "A Commemoration of the Mormon Experience in Missouri."Scores of people gazed down from two tiers of the ornate Capitol rotunda on the proceedings, during which Gov. Carnahan and his wife, Jean, received five bound volumes of their family history. The volumes were presented by Elder Pinnock and his counselors in the North America Central Area presidency, Elders Kenneth Johnson and Lynn G. Robbins, both of the Seventy.

The governor then read a proclamation noting that the exhibit "tells the tragic story of Latter-day Saint families being driven from Jackson County in 1833, then from the entire western portion of Missouri in 1838." It observes that "in this century, many Latter-day Saints have returned to Missouri, and others have joined the Church, increasing their membership in our state into the tens of thousands."

The proclamation further states that the exhibit "describes this growth and culminates with the 1997 dedication of the St. Louis Temple" and "emphasizes the value of tolerance for all religious beliefs in Missouri."

In remarks previous to the reading of the proclamation and the cutting of the ribbon, Elder Pinnock conveyed greetings from President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Elder Pinnock said LDS presence in the state began in 1831, before the Church was 1 year old and just 10 years after Missouri was admitted to the union. He touched on many of the dramatic events of Church history in the state, including dedication of the temple site in Independence, expulsion of the Saints from Jackson County, imprisonment of the Prophet Joseph Smith at Richmond and Liberty, the Haun's Mill massacre, the heroic actions of Gen. Alexander W. Doniphan in his refusal to execute and later his defense in court of the prophet, and the order issued Oct. 27, 1838, by Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs that Church members be driven from the state or exterminated.

"We could talk about these things, but there is something I would like to remind each of us about: There never was a time when the Church . . . did not have friends here willing to aid and to help us," Elder Pinnock reported. He mentioned specifically the safe haven provided by the citizens of St. Louis to members escaping persecution in Illinois and departing for the West through that city.

"It's interesting to note that of the first six stakes created in the Church, three of them were established in Missouri. . . .

"Part of the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial celebration was when Gov. Christopher S. Bond signed the executive order officially rescinding the extermination order that had been issued in 1838. But at least a hundred years earlier, the spirit of the people that lived here rescinded on their own that extermination order. Missouri has provided a kind and wonderful climate for members of the Church . . . who have resided here."

He added that 20 revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants were received in Missouri and that today, more than 43,000 Church members live in 14 stakes in the state.

In his remarks, Gov. Carnahan said: "Elder Pinnock, we understand that we cannot undo history but that we can do what we can do today. And last May, we were very pleased to welcome you and a delegation from the Church to St. Louis for the preview of the beautiful temple. Today, we welcome you to the official seat of state government, to the Missouri State Capitol. You and all your friends, all the congregants of the Church are most welcome today."

On behalf of the state, he thanked the Church "for allowing us to display this impressive exhibit in our State Museum."

Visiting beforehand with the Carnahans in the governor's oval office in the Capitol, Elder Pinnock with his wife, Anne, and counselors in the area presidency, spoke of the Carnahans' family history. Among the facts discovered by Church researchers in compiling the history were that Mrs. Carnahan had progenitors who joined the Church, came west to Utah, settled what is now Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake, and owned land on which the Delta Center now stands, the home of the Utah Jazz basketball team.

On the wall of the governor's outer office was a framed copy of the First Presidency's proclamation on the family, given to him previously.

During the program, the 100-voice Heart of America Mormon Choir, a regional group of Church members based in Kansas City, performed several devotional and patriotic selections, accompanied by a brass band. Standing on the rotunda staircase, they formed a striking backdrop.

Elder Kay H. Christensen, an Area Authority Seventy, conducted the program.

Stake presidents or their counselors from throughout the 14 stakes in Missouri converged in Jefferson City for the event. The previous evening, they welcomed members of the Missouri General Assembly and other government figures to a reception at the nearby Capitol Plaza Hotel. The officials were introduced to the area presidency and to others, including Liz Lemon Swindle and Glen Hopkinson, artists whose paintings grace the exhibit, and to Kenneth Cope, an LDS composer and musician whose work inspired Sister Swindle's paintings of Joseph Smith's life and who performed at the reception.