MIGRATION • Tertained Hopes of a Long Journey Into the West
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AN OLD VIEW OF NAUVOO IN EARLY DAYS -This is from a painting by David Hyrum Smith. posthumous .son of the Prophet foscph Smith. JMeph Smith contemplated a · --------------------------- WESTERN T is evident that Joseph Smith did not expect Nauvoo to be a permanent I resting place for his people, but en MIGRATION • tertained hopes of a long journey into the West. Perhaps his opinion was not unlike that of Elder Heber C. Kimball, who prophesied when he first visited By C. Cecil rf!cqavin Nauvoo, "It is a very pretty place, but OF THE CHURCH HISTORIAN'S OFFICE not a long abiding home for the Saints."' Sidney Rigdon became provoked be cause of this prediction and exclaimed, our persecutors or lose their lives in con out a delegation and investigate the loca· "I should suppose that Elder Kimball sequence of exposure or disease, and some lions of California and Oregon, and hunt had passed through sufferings and priva of you will live to go and assist in making out a good location, where we can removt tions and mobbings and drivings enough, settlements and build cities, and see the to after the temple is completed, and where Saints become a mighty people in the midst we can build a city in a day, and have a to learn to prophesy good concerning of the Rocky Mountains. government of our own, get up into the Israel." mountains, where the devil cannot dig us out, Yet Joseph Smith never objected to The diary of Anson Call contains the and live in a healthful climate, where we can the prediction or reprimanded Brother following references to this incident: live as old as we have a mind to.• Kimball for relating to his friends that In company with about 50 or 100 of the * Nauvoo was but a temporary abode. brethren, we crossed the river to Montrose Council of the Twelve met in my office. I As the enemy became more deter to be present at the installment of a lodge insert the minutes : mined to expel the Mormons from Il of the Masonic order, viz., "The Rising Minutes of a Council Meeting of the linois, the church leaders gave more at Sun." Whilst together, Joseph, who was Twelve. · tention to the unwelcome thought of an with us, told us of many things that should At a meeting of the Twelve, at the may· transpire in the mountains. After drinking or's office, Nauvoo, February 21. 1844, sev· other exodus. Two years before the en o'clock p.m., Brigham Young, Parley P. martyrdom the Prophet gave expression a draught of ice-water, he said, "Brethren, this water tastes much like the crystal Pratt, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, John to the well-known prophecy about his streams that are running in the Rocky Moun T aylor, George A . Smith, Willard Richards followers becoming a "mighty people in tains which some of you will participate of. and four others being present, called by the midst of the Rocky Mountains." An There are some of those standing here that previous notice, by instruction of President entry in the official history of the church will perform a great work in that land" Joseph Srtuth on the 20th instant, for the under date of August 6, 1842, bears this pointing to Shadrack Roundy and a number purpose of selecting a company to explore information : of others whom I have forgotten. "There is Oregon and California, and select a site for Anson, he shall go and assist in building a new city for the Saints. Passed over the river to Montrose, Iowa, cities from one end of the country to the Jonathan Dunham, Phineas H. Young, in company with General Adams, Colonel other, and shall perform as great work as David D . Yearsley, and David Fullmer, Brewer, and others, and witnessed the in has ever been done by man so that the na volunteered to go; and Alphonzo Young, stallation of the officers of the Rising Sun tions of the earth shall be astonished, and James Emmett, George D. Watt, and Daniel Lodge, Ancient York Masons, at Montrose, many of them will be gathered in that land Spencer were requested to go. by General James Adams, Deputy Grand and assist in building cities and temples and Voted the above persons to be notified to Master of Illinois. While the Deputy Grand Israel shall be made to rejoice, but before meet with the council on Friday evening Master was engaged in giving the requisite you see this day you will pass through the next, at the assembly room. instructions to the Master-elect, I (Joseph scenes that are but little understood by you. WILLARD RICHARDS, Clerk' Smith] had a conversation with a number of This people shall be made to mourn. Multi A few days later the Prophet journal· brethren in the shade of the building on the tudes will die, many will apostatize." .subject of our persecutions in Missouri, and ized as follows: the constant annoyance which has followed 0 URING the last few months of the Feb. 23- Met with the Twelve in the as· us since we were driven from that state. I Prophet's life he gave much atten sembly room concerning the Oregon and prophesied that the Saints would continue California Exploring Expedition; Hyrum to suffer much affliction and would be driven tion to this proposed migration. In Feb ruary 1844 the following entries were and Sidney present. I told them I wanted to the Rocky Mountains, many would (Continued on page 388) apostatize, others would be put to death by made in the history of the church: 2 H istory of the Church. VI :222 lQ rson F. Whitney. Life of Heber C . Kimball, p. 263 I instructed the Twelve Apostles to send •Ibid .. p. 223 .382 THE IMPROVEMENT ERA banks of America. As of November Just Good Horse Sense 1943, bank deposits in cities under 15,000 population in twenty leading CAN YOU (Short items prepared by the Agricul~ tural Section of the War Finance agricultural states were 322 percent of Division of the Treasury the 1924~29 average. SHfll aBUSHfl Department) * * income to American farmers for T HE farmer who spends all of his war~ NET 1943 was about two million dollars time income is spending himself out greater than 1942. If this money were Of PfAS of business. After the war, he'll have put in war bonds it would go a long no cash with which to replace and re~ way toward insuring the future financial I N LESS THAN pair buildings and equipment depleted stability of agriculture. by years of hard war food production. 10 MINUTES? * * NOT all of today's farm income is Forest Trees for Farm Pla nting profit. Much of it represents worn~ out buildings and equipment that can't INa "plant more trees" program, the state be replaced because of wartime short~ of Utah, cooperating with the United States Department of Agriculture through ages. But this depreciation fund is not the Utah Extension Service and the School savings-to actually save, more money of Forestry of the Utah State Agricultural should be invested in war bonds. College, furnishes young trees for farm planting in Utah at nominal prices: among softwoods-Eastern Red Cedar, Ponderosa BUY war bonds now and make cer~ Pine, and Blue Spruce; among hardwoods tain that you are in a buying posi~ Green Ash, Siberian Elm, Black Locust, ti tion when the war is over and goods and Honey Locust, Russian Olive, Siberian Pea G services are again available at peace~ Tree, Black Walnut, Lombardy Poplar, and Golden Willow. Trees, priced from one to time values and peacetime prices. <11 two dollars a hundred, must be used on farm 0 * * * land and in Utah for woodlot, windbreak. a a war bond is •lost, stolen or de~ or shelter-belt purposes. IF To be eligible for this low-cost service, strayed, just report the serial num~ the purchaser of planting stock must abide ber, date, and value to the Treasury and by certain conditions prescribed as the ~ you'll get another without charge. t\ terms of the cooperative agreement outlined ~ in Forestry Circular No. 15, obtainable from st * the School of Forestry, Utah State Agri T HERE is money for war bond pur~ til cultural College, Logan, Utah, to which all n1 chases in the small town and rural inquiries should be addressed. s a! tl al WESTERN MIGRATION a! di (Continued from page 382) also the best policy for this people to adopt VI an exploration of all that mountain country. to obtain their rights from the nation and is Perhaps it would be best to go direct to insure protection for themselves and chil 1 Santa Fe.... dren; and to secure a resting place in the 11 George D. Watt said, "Gentlemen, I shall mountains, or some uninhabited region, You Can With a go." Samuel Bent, Joseph A. Kelting, where we can enjoy the liberty of con 0 David Fullmer, James Emmett, Daniel science guaranteed to us by the precious ol blood of our fathers, and denied to us by DEAN Spencer, Samuel Rolfe, Daniel Avery, and R Samuel W. Richards, volunteered to go. the present authorities, who have smuggled ol Saturday, 24-At home. Had an inter themselves into power in the States and L AUTOMATIC view with Brother Phelps at nine o'clock. Nation. gl Seth Palmer, Amos Fielding, Charles pi PEA SHELLE'R Shumway, and JohnS. Fullmer volunteered The following notations in the official records of the church are evidence of }t A great time and la b or sa ver for Hotels, to go to Oregon and California.• a! Joseph Smith's anxiety about the sub ol Hospitals, Canneries.