Church History Tour
Eric's Grandma decided to take all her children, grandchildren, and spouses on a church history tour. My mom came out for the week and watched Bryson and Carley. We almost took up the whole tour with about 45 people. First we flew into Omaha Nebraska and then got on a tour bus where we went to Winter Quarters. We stayed on the bus for the next week traveling to different places
We were able to see the temple and the old pioneer cemetary and visitors center in Winter Quarters.
My great-great-great grandmother Frances Turley died in winter quarters and is buried in this cemetery.
The next day we went to Council Bluffs and went to the tabernacle where Brigham Young was sustained as a prophet.
From there we went south into Missouri and visited Independence. We went to the Community of Christ (RLDS) temple and visited some sights where church members were persecuted and where they had a printing press that was burned.
Later that night we visited Liberty Jail where Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin spent 5 months in the basement in freezing temperatures and where Joseph recieved revelation that is now included in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Saturday we went and visited Richmond Missouri and went to two cemeteries. One where David Whitmer is buried and the other where Oliver Cowdery is buried.
From there we went to Far West Missouri and then to Adam-Ondi-Ahmen. It then took 4 hours to finally arrive in Nauvoo late Saturday night.
Sunday morning we attended Sacrament Meeting in nauvoo with 1083 people in attendence and all received the sacrament. Following sacrament meeting we went to the old pioneer cemetery. We then went and visited some different spots in nauvoo.
Some included visiting the Mississippi River which in February 1846 froze overnight so the saints could cross. We also visited Joseph Smith's mansion and homestead.
I also got to see where my Great-great-great grandfather Theodore Turley lived next to Joseph Smith. We also visited the temple quarry,Red Brick Store, Browning Gun Shop, Post Office, Boot Shop, John Taylor's home, the printing office, and the old stone arch that Joseph and Hyrum and others built to divert the water.
We had the best weather while we were there. It wasn't too hot and muggy and the only rain we got was Sunday night and Monday morning and monday morning we spent in the nauvoo temple. View from the steps of the temple of the Mississippi River.
After the temple we went to the blacksmith and waynewright stores and then to the visitor's center and statuary garden for women. At the blacksmith store Eric won the small horseshoe that they made. We went to two plays today. One put on by the young performing missionaries and the other put on by the senior missionaries. They were funny.
Tuesday we went to the Brickyard, Lucy Mack Smith's home, Wilford Woodruff's home, Heber C Kimball's home, Brigham Young's home, and The Family Living Center where we got to see how they made rope, candles, barrels, and other things.

That afternoon we drove to Carthage and visited Carthage Jail where Joseph Smith was killed.
After dinner we went to the other side of the Mississippi River where the Saints would have landed after they crossed and looked back at Nauvoo as they were heading to Utah.
Wednesday we traveled down to St Louis with a stop in Hannibal where we took a Riverboat and visited Mark Twain's home. That night we attended a session at the St Louis temple.
Thursday we visited the St Louis Arch and then caught a plane and came back to Utah.
Wow, what a week, with a whole lot of church sites packed in. Thank goodness for digital cameras because Eric and I took roughly 1100 pictures. I am so thankful to my pioneer ancestors who sacrificed so much to come to utah and build the Church.