Nauvoo

History

The area of Nauvoo was first called Quashquame, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed a Sauk and Meskwaki settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges. By 1827, white settlers had built cabins in the area, and by 1830, it was sufficiently settled to warrant a post office, established on March 13 of that year. In 1832, the town, by then called Venus, was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. On October 11, 1834, the name Venus was changed to Commerce. In late 1838, Apostle Brigham Young counseled Israel Barlow and 32 other Latter-day Saints to leave Far West, Missouri, to search for a place for more than 12,000 homeless Saints to find refuge. While journeying in exile, Barlow would separate from the group and eventually make the acquaintance of Dr. Isaac Galland, the owner of land near Montrose, Iowa, and Commerce, Illinois. The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language with an anglicized spelling. The word comes from Isaiah 52:7, "How beautiful (נָּאווּ, nâwû) upon the mountains". By 1844 "Nauvoo's population had swollen to 12,000, rivaling the size of Chicago" at the time. John C. Bennett, Smith's Assistant President and first commander of the Nauvoo Legion, was elected mayor of Nauvoo in 1841. He was replaced by Smith himself in 1842. After Smith's death two years later, continued violence from surrounding non-LDS members forced most Latter-day Saints to leave Nauvoo. Most of these followers, led by Brigham Young, emigrated to the Great Salt Lake Valley. In 1849, Icarians moved to the Nauvoo area to implement a utopian socialist commune based on the ideals of French philosopher Étienne Cabet. The colony had nearly 500 members at its peak, but the community disbanded in…

Geography

Situated on a wide bend in the Mississippi River, Nauvoo has most of the historic district in the lower flat lands (called the flats) that are no more than a few feet above the water line. A prominent hill rises as one moves further east, at the apex of which stands the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple. Beginning with the temple, this elevated land (called the uptown) continues flat for many miles eastward. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Nauvoo has a total area of , of which (or 70.15%) is land and (or 29.85%) is water.

Race & ethnicity