Return to the City of Joseph by Scott C. Esplin

Author:Scott C. Esplin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Published: 2018-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

FIGURE 14. Church and government officials participating in the groundbreaking of the LDS Visitors’ Center, May 24, 1969. Holding shovels (left to right) are Steven T. Baird, Harold B. Lee, Hugh B. Brown, A. Edwin Kendrew, A. Hamer Reiser, George B. Hartzog, David M. Kennedy, and an unknown individual. Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated historical files. Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City.

The message of the missionaries was also revised, with greater emphasis placed on Joseph Smith and his role in the founding of the movement. Kimball explained to his missionaries, “You could explain the fact that Brigham Young was probably America’s Greatest Colonizer. But as you do that, I would have the guide explain that it was Joseph Smith’s idea in the first place to come to the west. I would call attention to the fact that when he was in Montrose, Iowa, he told about the saints becoming a mighty people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.” Stressing the differences between the various factions of Mormonism, Kimball continued, “I think it is very important that we emphasize the Prophet’s prediction that the saints would go to the Rocky Mountains in view of the fact that the Reorganites make the claim that he did not. This pins the label of authenticity upon the Utah Church, and lets them know that Joseph Smith intended the saints to go there.”94 Understandably, emphasizing differences between the faiths in Nauvoo led to friction between them.

In addition to focusing on Joseph Smith’s role in envisioning Mormonism’s westward movement, Latter-day Saint officials also increased emphasis on his Nauvoo teachings. “I would, especially here at Nauvoo, emphasize the fact that Joseph Smith was the original temple builder and that Brigham Young and his associates merely carried on the program that Joseph Smith started as a temple builder,” Kimball wrote to his missionary couples. “And then I would call attention to the fact that the Utah Church has continued this program.” These messages, however, opened conflict with the Reorganized Church, as temple theology and westward resettlement had long been points of contention between the denominations.

Kimball summarized the shift from history to proselytizing: “You are still telling the story in terms of history, but at the same time you are satisfying the desire of the brethren to preach the Gospel.”95 Speaking to a Church News reporter, Dr. Kimball emphasized his understanding of and support for this new focus: “Every move in the restoration [of Nauvoo] has been done with proselyting in mind.”96 This seems to be a stark shift from Kimball’s earlier views. While he always acknowledged a religious component in the project, he appears to have received and acted on the message that Nauvoo Restoration was to be more than merely a celebration of the Mormon role in American westward expansion.

Kimball’s instructions to his missionaries reflect the emphasis he placed on proselyting. To one missionary couple, Kimball wrote, “If you will put it all in a historical setting and yet tell

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