In 1839, Joseph Smith and his followers arrived at a malarial swamp on the Mississippi River, fleeing persecution in Missouri. Within five years, they transformed it into Nauvoo - 'the beautiful place' - a city of 12,000 that rivaled Chicago in population. Smith served as mayor, commanded a private militia, and began constructing a massive temple on the bluff overlooking the river. Then, in 1844, a mob murdered him in nearby Carthage. Within two years, the Mormons abandoned everything they'd built, crossing Iowa in winter toward an uncertain destination in the West. Nauvoo became a ghost town. Today, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has restored much of the city as a monument to what was lost.
The Saints had been driven from New York, Ohio, and Missouri - each expulsion more violent than the last. Missouri's governor had issued an 'extermination order.' Nauvoo represented a fresh start in Illinois, where the state charter granted unusual autonomy. Smith attracted converts from across America and Europe; the city grew explosively. At its peak, Nauvoo had brick homes, workshops, a newspaper, a university, and the beginnings of the largest temple yet attempted. The Saints created their own world within American territory - economically independent, politically organized, increasingly threatening to neighbors who watched the Mormon city outgrow their own towns.
Tensions exploded in 1844. A dissident Mormon newspaper published criticism of Smith; he ordered the press destroyed. Illinois authorities charged him with riot and treason. Smith surrendered, confident in his legal position. On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the Carthage jail where Smith and his brother Hyrum were held, killing both men. The murders created martyrs but didn't solve the 'Mormon problem.' Violence against the Saints continued. Brigham Young, Smith's successor, recognized that Nauvoo was finished. In February 1846, the first wagons crossed the frozen Mississippi, beginning an exodus that would end in Utah.
The evacuation took months. Fifteen thousand people abandoned homes, businesses, everything they couldn't carry. The temple - nearly complete after years of construction - was left behind. The Saints who couldn't leave immediately faced mob violence; the final defenders were driven out at gunpoint in September 1846. Anti-Mormon mobs burned and looted what remained. Arsonists destroyed the temple in 1848; a tornado leveled its ruins in 1850. Nauvoo became a shadow of itself - a small river town, its brief importance erased. The land where thousands had built a civilization went back to farms and silence.
The LDS Church began acquiring Nauvoo property in the 20th century. Historic homes were reconstructed. The temple - rebuilt 2002 on original foundations - rises again on the bluff. Missionary guides staff the historic sites, offering free tours that blend architecture with testimony. For Latter-day Saints, Nauvoo is sacred ground - the place where their ancestors built and lost everything, the launching point for the pioneer trek west. The restoration serves religious education as much as historical preservation; it's pilgrimage as much as tourism. Two million visitors come annually to see what persecution destroyed and faith rebuilt.
Nauvoo is located on the Mississippi River in western Illinois, roughly 270 miles southwest of Chicago. The LDS-operated historic sites are free and open daily; tours are guided by volunteer missionaries. The rebuilt Nauvoo Temple is open only to church members in good standing, but the exterior and grounds are accessible. Non-LDS visitors are welcome and not pressured. The Old Town area includes restored homes, workshops, and a visitor center. Carthage Jail, where Joseph Smith was killed, is 25 miles east. Nauvoo has basic lodging and dining. Spring through fall is optimal; winter visits are possible but limited.
Located at 40.55°N, 91.38°W on a bend of the Mississippi River in western Illinois. From altitude, Nauvoo appears as a small town on a peninsula jutting into the river - the Mississippi forming the western and southern boundaries. The temple, rebuilt in 2002, is visible as a prominent structure on the bluff overlooking the river. The town's grid pattern reflects its 1840s planning. Iowa lies across the river to the west. The landscape is agricultural - the flat terrain of the upper Mississippi Valley. The site's compactness is apparent from altitude; this was once the tenth-largest city in America, now a village sustained by pilgrimage to places that existed for less than a decade.