The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-15
George Fitch in Nauvoo

y
transportation in the world can be
found on the TX" Line trains north
of Keokuk To be sure the tariffs
which are published don't show any
thing less than two cents mile. but
by paying quarter or Whereabouts
dime for ride on the ferry boat you
can travel upwards of four thousand
miles towards Germany and half a
century back into history. AT the end
of this tremendous journey, which
takes an hour, you land in Nauyoo,
Hancock county. Illinois.
Nobody knows what "Nauvoo"
means, but Joseph Smith and he is
dead and cannot tel. Smith, the
founder of the Mormon church. had an
odd genius for inventing names.
Lamont 'Nauvoo" and many others,
taken from no language, form part of
the mysticism of the Mormon religion,
w.-lch was also manifested in an
original conception of Heaven, his
tory, architecture and in fact of almost
everything touched or discussed by
the prophet. And his accounts for
the fact that of the score or more
of Mormon houses still remaining in
Nauvoo. no two are of the same type
of architecture and many are of types
to be found nowhere else. Smith
made his own religion, invented IS
struck out bodily for himself in all
lines of endeavor No doubt the sheer
strangeness of his message brought
many of the twenty-five thousand
people who lived in Nauvoo in the
early forties.
This is the smallest population Civ
en- the city at that time by its his
torians. 1t was the largest place
north of st. Louis on the Mississippi
river. 1t occupied the fiat ground
within huge crescent of the river
and the farms and vineyards stretched
out over the bluffs into the country
behind for miles. Street after street,
broad and we'll shaded was built up
solidly with substantial brick dwell
ings original in design The street
which lei upward from the river to
the temple on the brow of the bluff
was splendid one and its glories are
narrated with sorrow by aged pill
grims who return now and then to the
site of the temple. This latter build
IN Is
bic so large that the CLINT of its white
sides was visible UP and down the
river for many miles There is no
more startling example of Mormon
originality than its design. 1t was I'M
like any building on earth. Every rule
of architecture was acknowledgement
Yet there was wierd barbaric SPLEEN
dor in the great stone faces, which
formed the capitals of its pilasters
and in the odd shaped ritualistic
carvings with which it was adorned,
which must nave made it awe-inspir-
ing to the worshippers 1t was the
greatest building in Illinois in those
days-and Nauvoo was the greatest
city.
Today the visitor lands from the
ferry boat-No railroad approaches
Nauvoo-and picks his way over
sandy weed lined road to the plain.
just above the food line There he
finds the old Mormon streets straight
as arrows, broad as avenues, shaded
graded curbed, paved with excellent
gravel roads. Up and down the river
for miles they run-the ground plan
of city which has vanished Here
and there stands an old brick house
So stoutly were they built that the
later homes of later colonies look
decrept besides them They are not
large-even the homes of the apostles,
OF which half dozen still stand are
modest in size The mansion house
where Joseph Smith lived is wooden
building. with door way original,
but artistic 1t stands near the river
on the street which led to the temple
and in it is a secret closet connecting
evidently with a tunnel There are
those who claim that this tunnel had
@-------------