.jpg "historic nauvoo site missionary militia lead the exodus photos by tom simpson photography")
Our days here in Nauvoo are punctuated by memorable moments and special events but the Nauvoo Exodus Re-Enactment reaches the depths of our heart like no other. This is our 2nd year to experience the commemoration of the Saints leaving Nauvoo.
While walking through Historic Nauvoo alongside horse-drawn wagons reminds us of days past, it is the cold winter weather that lends a sobering reality to what the early Saints experienced. As we gathered in biting cold, I kept thinking of those who crossed the river…..not to warm homes but to camp sites set on frozen ground. But cross they did, in spite of adverse conditions.
The fortitude and faith they exhibited is humbling. The hope they embraced is inspiring. How grateful we are for their sacrifices and the privilege we have to experience the re-enactment.
Here are a few photos taken by Tom during the event.
.jpg "photos by tom simpson nauvoo photographer of missionaries leading exodus down main street")
After donning names in remembrance of those who left in 1846, participants follow Nauvoo missionaries down Main and Parley Streets.
.jpg "photos by nauvoo photographer tom simpson of historic nauvoo site missionary militia lead the exodus")
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson photographs exodus on parley street with nauvoo temple")
The Saints final view from Parley Street of the beloved Nauvoo Temple as they walked the final stretch along the “Trail of Hope” before reaching the river.
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson photographs missionaries walking down parley street in old nauvoo")
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson photographs wagons and missionaries walking during nauvoo exodus")
Imagine a sight like this…..thousands of Saints leaving Nauvoo in the dead of winter, few riding, most walking alongside covered wagons down Parley Street to cross the frozen Mississippi River.
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson photographs teamsters with wagon teams during exodus reenactment")
.jpg "singing come come ye saints during exodus reenactment photos by nauvoo photographer tom simpson")
Gathering near the Mississippi River at the end of Parley Street we sing, “Come, Come, Ye Saints” during the memorial service.
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson captures two modern day pioneer children during the 2014 exodus")
Modern day pioneer children…..resting after they walked and walked and walked and walked.
.jpg "nauvoo missionary secures horse team during 2014 exodus re-enactment")
.jpg "nauvoo photographer tom simpson captures president mcarthur warming by the bonfire")
The bonfire was a welcomed way to warm up (especially hands and faces) before walking back to our cars after the memorial service.
.jpg "des moines iowa sister missionaries enjoying the exodus reenactment photo by nauvoo photographer tom simpson")
And now, 168 years after the Saints left Nauvoo, the smiles of these sister missionaries with a local resident tell the tale….
“Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear; But with joy wend your way……”
(For an historical account of the 1846 Exodus, see “The Pioneer Trek: Nauvoo to Winter Quarters”. For reflections on past commemorations, see articles by Rosemary Palmer in Meridian Magazine.)
