Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1907-06-14


----1s-1S
From three States come reports of
the proposed return of the Mormons
to the upper Mississippi valley, where
they held forth sixty years and more
ago. Not only are missionaries being
sent back to Missouri, Illinois and
Iowa from Utah to carry on the awak-
ening of Mormorism in the States
which once attempted by force Of arms
to stamp it out, but the Utah branch
Of the church Is acquiring property
rights and officially recognizing the his
toric places which have been ignored
before
Sometime ago the Utah Mormon eld-
ers of the northern and southern Illi-
nois and Iowa conference held their
annual meeting in the old Mormon
stronghold Of Nauvoo, ILL.,, from
whence their fathers had been driven
by force of arms sixty years ago. The
Utah Mormons revisited the site of
the original temple and of Joseph
Smiths historic house and fraternized
with the sons of the men who had per-
secuted him.
Still more recently the Utah Nor
mons, twenty-one in number, made a
pilgrimage to Carthage, ILL.,, and pur-
chased the old Jail in which the foun-
der Of the church, Joseph Smith, and
his brother, Hiram, had been killed.
Whether the Jail Is to remain simply
shrine for pilgrimages or is to be
converted into a modern tabernacle has
not yet been disclosed. Utah Mormons
in large numbers have recently revis-
tied places In Lee County, Iowa, Gar
den Grove and Kanesville, in the West
ern part Of the State, where the origl-
nal Mormons settled after being driven
out Of Nauvoo, and before going en-
masse across the plains to Salt Lake
City.
, In Missouri, Illinois and Iowa more
Mormon proselytlng has been carried
: on In the past year than ever before
I There is a general awakening of in.
. terest in the places which once knew
Mormonism, but stamped it out. Nc
attempt Is being made to return Sc
cretly. The deed to the Carthage iaiI
, property reads: ''To Joseph f. Smith
: In trust for the Church of Jesus Christ
Of the Latter-Day Saints, residing il
: the city and county Of Salt Lake, II
the State of Utah.
y The Nauvoo reunion was remark
: able in many ways. 1t was the frs
official revisiting Of the first grea
:. stronghold of Mormonism. Seventy
=. elders were in attendance for thre,
days, were given the freedom of tn,
quaint old town and had a fine spir
itual and social time" on the testimony
of Nauvoo newspaper.
4 In Iowa the revival Of interest ha,
10 been especially marked. Iowa is tn,
10 headquarters Of the monogamou,
20 branch Of Mormonism headed by Jo
= seph Smith, a son Of the origina
~ prophet and seer. The two branches
- Of the church are at enmity, but OF
i. the occasion Of the recent fire In La
= mOni, where many valuable records o
=. the Iowa church were destroyed, sin
' cere expressions Of sympathy were re
!. ceived from the Utah branch. Valu
: able papers handed down from Josepl
- Smith l. to his son, Joseph Smith IL
le and intended for transmission on t
Frederick Smith, the future head O
= the Iowa and Missouri Latter-Da,
~ Saints, were destroyed.
: EARLY MOrmonism.
lr ism and the apparent coming togethe
h In a friendly feeling Of the Utah an
10 the Mississippi valley branches Of til
- church founded by Joseph Smith serve
~ to recall the story Of Mormon settle
ment and occupation in Missouri, Ill
nois and Iowa more than half ceI
III tury ago, the prosecutions of the tim
4. which drove the Mormons westward
NJ and that remarkable hegira across tn
plains of 10000 people which Is on
4, Of the most romantic and unsual pi,
~ lures in the panorama Of American hi
o. tory.
"A The first attempt to found colon
Of the followers of Joseph Smith, a
ter his remarkable discovery in Ne,
York Of the sacred tablets and th
er glasses by which to translate then
was made at kirkland, Ohio, with til
he aid Of Sidney Rigdon, an eloquer
preacher of the Christian, or CAM
bellite, church. On April 6, 1880, thes
,.e % two men organized the church Of La
ter-Day Saints.