Remembering exit from Nauvoo
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NAUVOO, Ill. — February is a historic month in historic Nauvoo because it marks the anniversary of the beginning of the exodus of the Latter-day Saints under the leadership of President Brigham Young in 1846, leading to the settlement of the Salt Lake Valley the following year.
Each year on Feb. 4, draft horses are hitched to covered wagons and carriages to drive down the streets of old Nauvoo, recreating the departure of the 1846 Latter-day Saints. Townspeople, tourists, BYU students and missionaries dressed in pioneer clothing join together to remember and honor their sacrifices.
A frequently asked question among participants is, "How were they able to walk away from their homes into bitter cold?"
Walter Hugh Pierce, former Nauvoo mayor and a Church member, said, "Latter-day Saints know a great deal about relocating and rebuilding settlements, sometimes even lives that were once broken. Healing takes time, but improvement does come."
David and Ann Beckstead, a couple from Mission Viejo, Calif., made the trip this year down Parley Street, the "Trail of Hope," which ends at the landing where the pioneers crossed the Mississippi River to the Iowa side. They made arrangements to be here on Feb. 4. "There is something inside of us that yearns to remember the convictions of our ancestors," Brother Beckstead said. "Their precious testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ are part of a common heritage that all members of the Church share. There is a tranquil sense of peace in this place. We would not have wanted to miss being here today. The trip to Nauvoo even in winter is well worth it."
President J. Samuel Park of the Illinois Nauvoo Mission commented, "Nauvoo was a turning point for those who followed west down Parley Street to the Rocky Mountains. It really is not so different today. We all have our own personal Mississippi Rivers to cross."
