Nation IN BRIEF : ILLINOIS : Mormons Celebrate Exodus Anniversary
Religious celebration, history lesson and family reunion all combined into one for about 1,800 Mormons who gathered in a tent in Nauvoo beside the frozen Mississippi River. Huddling for warmth around kerosene heaters, they marked the 150th anniversary of their ancestors fleeing Illinois to escape persecution and start over in the West. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was founded by Joseph Smith. Mormons met opposition wherever they went and finally founded Nauvoo in 1839. At the peak of their influence, they built a huge militia, creating tension with neighbors. A mob killed Joseph Smith in 1844, and church leaders decided the next year to move west for fear of further violence. Their wagon train left Nauvoo on Feb. 4, 1846.
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