Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-06-28
Misrsllaneuus.
Letter from Quails.

NAtNOO, lLLlNOlS,
Sunday Eve, June Sd 1860.
As we prophesied that we might in our
yesterdays letter-written and mailed in
Keokuk-we concluded, on the approach
of evening, to turn our steps towards the
deserted but famed city of Nauvoo. Ia
king the cars of the Keokuk, Mount Pleas
ant, & Muscatine Railroad, we proceeded
up the river twelve miles to Montrose, a
small town on the western bank of the
Mississippi, in Iowa which town-as a
Sucker in our party expressed it-"wasn't
celebrated for being very ive or very dead,
but only for being opposite Nauvoo!"
Taking our carpet sack in hand, we ap-
preached man having blossoming coun-
tenance, and asked if he could direct US 10
the best hotel,
Il reckonT' was the reply.
"Well, where is it?
ado you want some one 10 tote your
traps!'
"No; we want the hotel!"
"Wa-ll, you kin go down that way bv
the levee, or you kin cut across that lot o
weeds and come out OH the corner jist
above the Post Office, and then cut across
and"
"Hold ou!" we exclaimed; eve can find
the place quicker without any direction"
and following the crowd, consisting of a
humpbacked boy and yellow dog, we in
due time found the hotel. On asking the
good lady of the house if We could have
supper, she replied:
81 reckon"
"How long first!" we inquired.
"Well, l allow you'll have to wait quite
smart chance of bit, cause amt milk
ed YETI
Apologising for our seeming haste, and
blushing up to the top of our ears at the
woman's innocent but novel way of ex-
pressing herself, we bided our time, and
bad bowl of as good bread and milk as
ever cheered the palate of a weary trav
eler.
Nauvoo, from Montrose, presents grand
view, as it overlooks the island in the riv-
'er, and being nearly two miles distant,
hides from the eye of the traveller in Mon
trose IFS many marks of decay. The city
stands in an elbow of the Mississippi, and
for about three quarters of mile from the
river the land is dead level some fifteen
feet above high water mark, the soil of a
rich black loam over six feet in depth, and
being evidently an alluvial deposit of ages
long past. Back from this bend the land
gradually but quickly rises to the hight of
one hundred feet and on top of the high
est point stand the magnificent ruins of
the Nauvoo Temple. The town is laid ont
at right angles, in wide streets, and with
four acres of land in each block. 1t was
originally intended that each resident
should have one acre of land for his own
family use-lhere thus being four residents
to each block, but as the city in its pros
porous day became crowded, many of these
estates were divided and sold for house
lots, with only fifty or sixty feet front.
There are at present but three thousand
people in Nauvoo-the majority of these
being Germans and French. The city at
one time numbered nearly fifteen thousand.
Many of the houses that were formally
the residences of men of wealth, influence
and position, are now empty and rapidly
going to decay. Gardens in which 5 years
ago grew the best and rarest of vegeta-
bles, are now covered with weeds and filth.
Barns that were formally built for the best
stock in the Union, are now wailing with
their creaking doors and gathering clab-
boards, their lost position, and are the
homes of innumerable rats and swallows.
The Masonic Hall, built of brick, looks
like deserted horse-barn in its last Sta
ges of decay, and although the old Lodge
Room is used occasionlly by German
musical society for its meetings, it is sadly
out of repair, and is only used because no
other place can be obtained.
Some twenty rods in south-easterly
course from the Masonic Temple are the
remains of what eviently was formally
house and store united. 1t is built of
brick, having back and side wing, with
handsome porch in front, and was no doubt
fifteen years ago one of the places. The
old sign-VARIETY STORES yet up.
on the building, and above the sign was
formerly painted in lively colors some
large animal like tiger lion, or leopard,
but Old Time has so worked upon the
paint that it is now difficult TO tell what
the painter intended TO represented, al
though his own name in small letters, tells
us in the lower corner that the work was
executed by MARTIN. We shall make
sketch of this house and number of
others before leaving Nauvoo-for the
benefit of future historical painters. The
town was originally called Commerce, but
on being purchased by the Mormons in
1888, it was baptized Nauvoo. 1t is so
situated that without the aid of the Nor
mons-or some such extensive society,
united in its efforts-it can never become
anything more than languishing village.
Its advantages are all summed up in the
fact that it has an abundance of the best
quality of building stone, and its soil is
! almost uneanuola1 Tie d;e~J,,oyco.e