At the west end of Parley Street, the early Saints waited with their loaded wagons to cross the river in very cold February weather in 1846. Only one wagon could cross at a time because the barge was very small. Later, the river froze so wagons could cross more quickly.
This street from the Seventies Hall to the river used to be called the "Trail of Tears" for very good reasons. President Hinckley asked that the name be changed to "Trail of Hope". Of course, there were tears when the Saints were forced to leave, but they left with faith and courage and HOPE!
There are 29 reader boards but here are just a few:
During the summer, the Young Performing Missionaries do a "Trail of Hope" performance several nights a week, where they take groups of guests along the trail after dark and tell other stories (as if they were the person in the journal) and sing songs by lantern light. It is VERY powerful. Again, here are just a few.
At the end of the trail there is a kiosk with the names of all the people who began the journey west but died along the way.
There is also a statue of Joseph and Brigham looking out across the Mississippi River toward the west.
As we load our wagon (car) and prepare to leave Nauvoo, I am once again awed by those faithful, courageous Saints who suffered and sacrificed to make the blessings of the restored gospel a reality for us. We are not required to suffer as they did, but we have our own sacrifices to make. I pray that we will all be willing to stand up for what we believe and when we meet those wonderful people again - maybe they will be proud of us too.
As we take a final look back at Nauvoo we say, "Farewell Nauvoo - you are etched into our hearts forever".
FAREWELL NAUVOO!!!!!
This blog is wonderful! Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts about your Nauvoo mission. My husband and I are looking forward to serving our 3rd mission and I happened across your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very touching farewell to one of the many places in church history. To walk the trail is one of the highlights of my trip to Nauvoo. To be on that sacred ground and to read all the markers that were there, Is a very humbling experience. Thank you for posting such a wonderful memory.
ReplyDeleteOur trip to Nauvoo was life changing for our family. I agree with Fae Burgener to walk the trail is a humbling experience. One of our joys was our oldest granddaughter was serving her YPM mission at the time.
ReplyDeletehow long is the trail of hope
ReplyDeleteWe just arrived as temple missionaries for one year. You post makes me feel so blessed to be here. We look forward to seeing all the sites here in Nauvoo and look forward to the activities held here. Thanks for your imput as we start our experience here in Nauvoo
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