Carthage, Nauvoo, Far West, and the Zoo

Wow, that even rhymes.  This weekend was pretty fun.  Eliza and I packed up and drove to Keokuk, Iowa.  We spent the night there, and in the morning drove to Carthage, IL, and then on to Nauvoo, IL.  We hit up some of the more well known Mormon history sites on this trip, as well as one that is a little less known.  

The Carthage Jail was beautiful, even though it represents a sad memory for members of the Church.  I was amazed that the original structure is still standing, and that the Church owns it.  It is a quiet site, one that allows for reflection on the life of Joseph Smith, the prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I was personally moved, too, because my great, great (I don't know how many greats) grandfather was Hyrum Smith, brother of Joseph, who was also shot by the mob who overtook the jail to kill both Hyrum and Joseph.  The story is an interesting and sad one.

Nauvoo was pretty, but not what I expected.  It is home to the beautiful Nauvoo temple.  Look at the sun stones.  All the sun stones at the top look like these.  From a profile view, they look like Joseph's face.  Kind of cool, kind of weird.  Eliza and I both agreed that Sam, my brother, looks very much like the statues of Hyrum.  I definitely inherited the forehead.

Our last stop was Far West, which is less than an hour away from our house in KC.  This, along with Carthage, was my favorite stop.  Although the area is currently a beautiful, desolate, farming region, it was a hopping town in the late 1830's.  The saints of the time were commanded to build a temple, and the four cornerstones were laid, but they, like always, were run out of town.  The cornerstones are still there, however, and one day a temple will be erected on the very spot that the next two pictures are taken.  Too cool.  

The zoo.  What a hot, humid, miserable day.  We had fun.