Montrose Iowa

Today we went to Montrose Iowa. A small river town that once was a Mormon community. My g.g.g.g. grandparents, Josiah and Loly Richardson resided there.They were not a part of the mass exodus to Utah because they both passed away before that event. I stood on the banks of the Mississippi, while in Montrose, and saw Nauvoo. When the Mormons left Nauvoo they had to cross the Mississippi into Iowa and how sad it must have been to them to look back and see the city and temple they created and now forced to leave.

Taken from the Journal of Lewis Barney - On reaching the summit between the Mississippi and Des Moines Rivers the company made a halt for the purpose of taking a last and peering look at the Nauvoo Temple, the spire of which was then glittering in the bright shining sun. The last view of the temple was witnessed in the midst of sighs and lamentations, all faces in gloom and sorrow bathed in tears, at being forced from our homes and Temple that had cost so much toil and suffering to complete its erection.

My gggg grandmother who was called Loly but her given name was Lola Lowly Foote Richardson. She died in Nauvoo and her husband, Josiah died in Montrose, Iowa. I found out today that they rest together in an unmark grave in the Nauvoo Historical Cemetary.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Nauvoo. The RV Park we are in is not the best and in fact has a low rating in the Good Sam book but it is a place to park. I have enjoyed the old homes and the homes they recreated. The LDS church owns most of Nauvoo now and that is how it needs to be.