The View from Montrose.........              Week 8

         

       I thought I would begin this week by following up with our

visit to Montrose last week.  My new card reader for the CF card

arrived so all can see the beautiful view across the Mississippi

River from Montrose.  We looked forward to out upcoming visit with the Foley's with great anticipation...and that happened on Thursday.  We had a great rib dinner provided by the Beechers' and then talked for an hour or so before going off to Rendezvous.

    Since they other's at dinner were performing and needed to leave a little earlier we sat around and talked to the Foley's. They are very good people and have a strong belief in Christ and are very mindful of his hand in their lives.  While they only had two children of their own they have been foster parents to thirty five children and they shared their gratitude for being able to help in the lives of these young people who have been abused and neglected most of their lives. 

     Mike is also a very accomplished photographer and shared many of his pictures with us as well as gave us a poster he had made.  One of the pictures, "Nauvoo on Christmas Eve" was one that caught my eye.  In our first encounter I had asked him if I could purchase it.  It was disappointing that he didn't have one and really wasn't planning on getting any more made.  To my surprise, however, he had found one,

(actually two) and was willing to let me have it.  I was extremely grateful as it adds a beautiful touch to our small apartment.

     Rendezvous went well......there were no senior moments that night.

Christmas Comes to the Visitors Center...  

  ......and Guess Who's on the Ladder.....Again
     I hadn't even given a thought to the time we would again return home....until today.  It suddenly occurred to me that I will no longer have to be subjected to Sister Gibson's scrutiny when I want to put up the Christmas lights.  She has been training on high ladder experiences for the past two months so I will just get the ladder out and let her do it.  Of course that reverts back to what I have told people all along over the years..."The only person in the world that I know she has said NO to is me"
I guess I can always try the home teachers....Nope...that hasn't worked either.
     The FM ladies were given the assignment to put up and decorate the 20 foot tree that adorns the center of the Visitors Center.  So Sister Gibson is on board as usual.  What you don't see here is the man-lift (in this case..woman lift) that the sisters used to get to the top of the tree.  Some didn't volunteer, however (Sister Gibson). 
     In addition to that we are now starting to decorate around the house for Christmas.  We had a 4 foot tree that was left and Sister Gibson found and extra one (tall skinny kind).  It will be interesting see what we can do to get some sort of novel approach to decorations.

This is the Place.........

Northeast Corner of Munson and Hyde

     One of the first things that came to light as I researched the Joseph Stallings family history was that after he joined the church  he and his family eventually moved to Nauvoo where they lived for some time.  What I didn't know was that there was a way to find where he lived in Nauvoo.  There is a site in Nauvoo that is called Land and Records.  Here is where all of the records regarding Nauvoo have been accumulated and categorized.  We visited the office and the found information that led us to know exactly where the Stallings family lived when they resided in Nauvoo.

     It appears that he wasn't a land owner, rather he occupied the land with his family as a tenant.  The lot is on "the flats" and block east of Main Street and pretty much near the center of town.  The streets in Nauvoo were built in a North-South and East-West Grid (similar to the way Brigham Young laid out the streets of Salt Lake City).  For the most part the lots in the flats were one acre lots which allowed for the occupants to have a house, a large garden, and space for livestock.  During his time in Nauvoo he may have pursued one of his  known occupations; perhaps a gunsmith, shingle maker, or similar.  While he lived here he worked on building the temple as well as the Seventies Hall.  For his work on the Seventies Hall he was presented a stock certificate valued at $5.00.  He was here at the end when the Saints were forced out and he spent the next years in Iowa as he prepared to make the eventual journey west. 
     The log cabin on the lot is the William Fields cabin that I "Photoshop'd" in.  I am pretty sure he lived in a similar building.   I have a thought that this will be re-edited with us on the front porch some day.  We will also have the opportunity to honor him and his family's memory on February 4th as we do the annual commemorative walk down Parley Street and the Trail of Home to remember those Saints who were forced to leave Nauvoo in the dead of winter and leave the majority of their worldly possessions behind.
    
Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree.....

     The Sunday Site was the Webb Brother's Blacksmith Shop.  We never did get a confirmation that this was one of Brian's ancestors.  Sure would be cool if it was.  The day started out slow but ended with a rush.... I guess they heard Sister Gibson was there.  In the site we talk about Wainwrights(the wagon box and undercarriage builders), the Wheelwrights (wheel makers), and of course the blacksmith, who forged all things metal into workable objects.  The blacksmith heats and beats and iron rod into a small horseshoe which his presented to a lucky recipient ant the end of the tour.  As in all of the sites we relate the trade into a spiritual concept.  The are many to choose here but one of my favorites is the willingness of the people to pull together and follow Brigham Young's advice to prepare to leave Nauvoo.  It took great courage and obedience to follow his counsel to leave in the dead of winter. 
     One of my other favorite parts of the site is the "Legend of the Prairie Diamond".  It is a fun story to tell....especially if you have the right person in the crown. 
     We had several large families with lots of young children and it was so much fun to talk to them and explain the pioneers and their wagons to them.  We also talk about horseshoes and the size difference in horses as well as why the pioneers chose to use oxen rather than horses.

      To Quincy and Beyond........

     We made another P day trip to Quincy.  We visited the Museum again to view the touching video of the Mormon's expulsion from Missouri as well as went to the river where there is a monument to memorialize the event.  If it wasn't enough for the good people of Quincy to help in 1839 they did it again in September of 1846 when the remaining Saints were again forced out at gun and bayonet point.  Their plight was similar....and so was the help from Quincy as you can see in the notice. 

     And....as you can see in the picture....it is now considerably colder and the days of summerfall are over.......Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!