Nauvoo To Commemorate Saints' Exodus

On February 3, 2006 the city of Nauvoo will commemorate the 160th anniversary of the Saints' exodus. According to the Quincy Hearld-Whig:

Nauvoo will commemorate the 160th anniversary of the Mormon exodus with special activities beginning Friday night.

Each year visitors, area residents, Brigham Young University Academy students and missionaries from the Illinois Nauvoo Mission remember the beginning of the historic trek to the Salt Lake valley.

The commemoration begins at 7 p.m. Friday with a fireside meeting in the Joseph Smith Auditorium, 165 N. Wells. The meeting features stories significant to the exodus.

The re-enactment walk down Parley Street, which led to the crossing of the Mississippi River, will be at 9 a.m. Saturday. The walk begins at the Family Living Center, located at the corner of White and Granger streets.

Participants in pioneer dress will carry names of individuals who were part of the 1846 exodus. Participants are invited to wear period clothing, but it is not required.

The remembrance ends at 7 p.m. Sunday with "Gathering in the Lord's Own Way," a presentation by Fred Woods, executive director of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation, in the Joseph Smith Auditorium.

All activities are free to the public.

In the fall and winter of 1845, conflicts led Illinois government officials to advise the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to vacate Nauvoo to avoid a civil war. Initial plans called for the Saints to leave in spring 1846, but conflicts intensified. The first ox-drawn wagon, owned by Charles Shumway, crossed the Mississippi River on a flatboat on Feb. 4, 1846.

The Beautiful Nauvoo website notes:

At 7:00 p.m. in the Joseph Smith Academy Auditorium, a fireside will be held on February 3, 2006 to start the commemoration of the exodus of the Mormon Pioneers from Nauvoo on February 4, 1846.

A re-enactmant of the walk down Parley Street will take place on Saturday morning February 4, 2006, beginning at 9:00 AM. Starting at the Family Living Center at the corner of White and Granger Streets, the group will be led by modern members of the Nauvoo Legion and will walk or ride in horse-drawn wagons along Granger Street to Parley Street and then along Parley Street to the river where a flag ceremony will be conducted. Anyone who wishes to participate in either event is welcome to come. As usual, there is no charge to participate. If you desire to participate in the walk re-enactment on Saturday morning, please come dressed for the weather. The re-enactment will take at least an hour

I had no idea there was a formal reenactment of the exodus, or the detail some take in dressing the part in the early Saint's departure from their beloved city. If there is any follow up coverage I will post that as well.